brave-search-mcp-server returns only a subset of API fields in JSONL — bug or by design?
The brave-search-mcp-server news search tool returns results as one JSON object per line with only a subset of fields (url, title, age, page_age, breaking, description, extra_snippets, thumbnail) instead of the full schema shown in the Brave Search API docs. The reporter describes the output as "lossy" and "nothing like the documented API." No client, version, or OS was stated in the thread. The GitHub issue is still open as of April 2026. Is this a bug or expected behavior?
Originally asked on GitHub: https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server/issues/254
6 answers
Status: still open as of April 2026. No maintainer has confirmed a fix or labeled the behavior a bug in the thread.
A commenter pointed to the news tool source at
src/tools/news/index.ts, whereexecutemaps each API result to a fixed text object before returning it: it keeps onlyurl,title,age,page_age,breaking(defaulting tofalse),description,extra_snippets, andthumbnail?.src. Every other field from the Brave Search API response is dropped. The commenter concluded "this is by design" and that the server is "cherrypicking fields" with "no compliance with the api docs" — but that is a commenter's reading of the source, not a maintainer statement.A collaborator asked which search endpoint and config were used and assumed it was the
summarizerfeature, since that was the only endpoint supporting streaming when the issue was filed. The reporter never confirmed that.The thread also linked the official API reference for the news search endpoint (https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/api-reference/news/news_search/get (opens external site)) so the output can be compared with the documented schema. If you need fields beyond the ones listed above, the evidence in this thread shows the MCP server does not pass them through to the client; the documented API reference is the place to see the complete response shape.
Did this work for you?What @alvaroslm tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
A commenter cited src/tools/news/index.ts and showed the explicit field mapping in the news tool's execute function, which explains why the output is reduced to a fixed set of fields.
Did this work for you?What @alvaroslm tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
A commenter linked the official Brave Search news endpoint API reference so the server's output could be compared with the documented response schema.
Did this work for you?What @alvaroslm tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
A commenter posted two example news search result lines (Reuters, Independent) and pointed to the MCP server source, calling the lossy JSONL output "by design."
Did this work for you?What @jonathansampson tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
A collaborator asked which search endpoint/config was used and assumed the summarizer feature was involved, since it was the only streaming endpoint at filing time; the reporter did not confirm.
Did this work for you?What a GitHub user tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
The reporter described the search output as undocumented JSONL that cherry-picks fields and is lossy compared with the documented API.
Source: https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server/issues/254 (opens external site)
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