Defuddle Fetch — Claude Code MCP server: what it does, how to install
Downloads a web page by URL and gives the agent clean markdown with title, author and date. Handy when the agent has to read docs or an article.
claude mcp add defuddle-fetch-mcp-server -- npx -y defuddle-fetch-mcp-serverWhat Defuddle Fetch does
The server adds a single tool, fetch. Give it a url and it downloads the page, strips the surrounding clutter with Defuddle and hands back the main text as markdown, together with title, author, publication date, word count, domain and processing time.
It is built as a replacement for the stock fetch server that relies on Readability, and the author says Defuddle copes better with most modern pages. Set raw to true if you want the page content without markdown conversion.
Only 5000 characters come back by default, so a long article has to be read in slices: start_index sets the offset and max_length the slice size. It launches through npx, which means Node.js must be installed.
What it helps with
- read a docs page or article from a link inside the agent chat
- pull the author and publication date out of a page
- read a long page in slices by moving
start_index - get the original HTML when markdown is the wrong format
- swap the stock Readability-based fetch server for a cleaner one
Example prompts for the agent
- Use
defuddle-fetchto read the article at the link above and tell me who wrote it and when - Fetch the next slice of the same page with
fetch, starting at index 5000 - Grab this page through
defuddle-fetchwithrawon, I need the HTML
How to install Defuddle Fetch
Platform CLI
claude mcp add defuddle-fetch-mcp-server -- npx -y defuddle-fetch-mcp-serverPlatform CLI
codex mcp add defuddle-fetch -- npx -y defuddle-fetch-mcp-serverConfig file
{
"mcpServers": {
"defuddle-fetch": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"defuddle-fetch-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}Config file
{
"servers": {
"defuddle-fetch": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"defuddle-fetch-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}Platform CLI
gemini mcp add defuddle-fetch npx -y defuddle-fetch-mcp-serverStep by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about Defuddle Fetch
How do I install Defuddle Fetch in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add defuddle-fetch-mcp-server -- npx -y defuddle-fetch-mcp-server. A shorter server name works too: claude mcp add defuddle-fetch -- npx -y defuddle-fetch-mcp-server.
What does Defuddle Fetch do?
It loads a page by URL, cleans it with Defuddle and returns the main text as markdown plus metadata such as title, author, publication date, word count and domain.
How is Defuddle Fetch different from the default fetch server?
It can replace the default one directly, but cleans pages with Defuddle instead of Readability. The author says this gives better results on most modern pages.
