zenrows-mcp — Claude Code MCP server: what it does, how to install
MCP server connecting AI agents to ZenRows for bypassing anti-bot shields and fetching web content. Helpful when protected websites block standard scrapers.
claude mcp add --transport http zenrows-mcp https://mcp.zenrows.com/mcpWhat zenrows-mcp does
The server connects MCP clients to ZenRows web data infrastructure. It offloads proxy rotation, browser orchestration, and bot challenge handling away from the local client. The agent reads protected sites directly without custom scraping code or selector tweaking.
Two transport options are supported. The local stdio variant runs via npx @zenrows/mcp, generating a free tier account with 5,000 monthly credits on the initial call unless disabled with ZENROWS_AUTO_SIGNUP=false. The hosted remote endpoint at https://mcp.zenrows.com/mcp handles requests over HTTP and requires a Bearer token or OAuth setup. Without Node.js installed locally, the npx command will fail immediately.
What it helps with
- fetch protected web pages without triggering bot blocks
- delegate proxy rotation and browser handling to remote infrastructure
- extract web page data without writing CSS selectors
- run asynchronous web scraping jobs through the Batch API
Example prompts for the agent
- Visit
https://news.ycombinator.com/and summarize the three most recent posts. - Extract the main article text using zenrows-mcp without running local browsers.
- Trigger batch page extraction using the batch tools.
How to install zenrows-mcp
1Platform CLI: remote server
claude mcp add --transport http zenrows-mcp https://mcp.zenrows.com/mcp2Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env ZENROWS_API_KEY=<ZENROWS_API_KEY> --transport stdio zenrows-mcp -- npx -y @zenrows/mcpReplace <…> with your own values
1Platform CLI: remote server
codex mcp add zenrows-mcp --url https://mcp.zenrows.com/mcp2Platform CLI
codex mcp add zenrows-mcp --env ZENROWS_API_KEY=<ZENROWS_API_KEY> -- npx -y @zenrows/mcpReplace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"zenrows-mcp": {
"url": "https://mcp.zenrows.com/mcp"
}
}
}{
"mcpServers": {
"zenrows-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@zenrows/mcp"
],
"env": {
"ZENROWS_API_KEY": "<ZENROWS_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"servers": {
"zenrows-mcp": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.zenrows.com/mcp"
}
}
}{
"servers": {
"zenrows-mcp": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@zenrows/mcp"
],
"env": {
"ZENROWS_API_KEY": "<ZENROWS_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
1Platform CLI: remote server
gemini mcp add -t http zenrows-mcp https://mcp.zenrows.com/mcp2Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e ZENROWS_API_KEY=<ZENROWS_API_KEY> zenrows-mcp npx -y @zenrows/mcpReplace <…> with your own values
Step 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 zenrows-mcp
How do I install zenrows-mcp in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add --transport http zenrows-mcp https://mcp.zenrows.com/mcp for remote access. For local execution, run claude mcp add --env ZENROWS_API_KEY=<ZENROWS_API_KEY> --transport stdio zenrows-mcp -- npx -y @zenrows/mcp.
What does zenrows-mcp do?
It exposes tools for crawling, scraping, and extracting data from websites. The underlying service handles CAPTCHAs, proxy rotation, and headless sessions automatically.
Can I use zenrows-mcp without a pre-existing API key?
Yes, running the local server through npx automatically provisions a free tier account with 5,000 monthly credits. It stores authentication credentials in ~/.zenrows/secrets.json.
