Jina Reader
Jina AI Reader/Search MCP — turn any URL into clean LLM-ready markdown, plus web search.
Install
Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).
claude mcp add --transport http jina-reader 'https://gateway.pipeworx.io/jina-reader/mcp'
{
"mcpServers": {
"jina-reader": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/jina-reader/mcp"
}
}
}
Documentation
From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.
Contents
@pipeworx/jina-reader
Turn any URL into clean, LLM-ready markdown, plus web search — via Jina AI Reader.
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1683+ live data sources.
Tools
| Tool | What it answers |
|---|---|
read_url | The readable content of a web page as markdown, with nav/ads/boilerplate stripped. |
search | Top web-search results for a query, returned as markdown. |
Auth
A Jina API key is required. Jina retired its anonymous tier — both
r.jina.ai and s.jina.ai now answer an unauthenticated request with
401 AuthenticationRequiredError. The pack shipped in June 2026 as keyless and
that is no longer true of the upstream.
- Platform key:
PLATFORM_JINA_KEY, injected by the gateway as_apiKey. Provisioned and live since 2026-09-01 (searchverified live against the deployed gateway that day, fleet #719) — callers need no key of their own. It is a FREE key on a fixed token grant, not a monthly reset, so the expected end state is the balance running out rather than the key expiring. - BYO: pass
_apiKeyon the call. Free keys at https://jina.ai/reader.
Jina's 401 bodies are distinct and worth reading before assuming a key expired:
| Body | Means |
|---|---|
AuthenticationRequiredError: Authentication is required to use this endpoint | no key was sent at all |
AuthenticationFailedError: Invalid API key | the key sent is wrong or revoked |
AuthenticationRequiredError: … bad network reputation (ASnnnn) | anonymous call from a blocked network |
A 402 is none of the above: the key is valid and its token balance is spent.
The pack says so in those words, and the gateway books it as
platform_quota_exhausted — a purchase, not a key to rotate and not a Jina
outage. Before 2026-09-01 that status fell through to upstream_down, which
would have read as the vendor being broken.
Data sources
- Reader: https://r.jina.ai/ — https://jina.ai/reader
- Search: https://s.jina.ai/
Quick Start
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"jina-reader": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/jina-reader/mcp"
}
}
}
What this endpoint actually serves
tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/jina-reader/mcp returns the tools in the table
above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx,
discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the
gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a
single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the
pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and
is the authoritative answer for a given day.
This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a
scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via
ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a
second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without
them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth,
connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.
Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:
{
"mcpServers": {
"pipeworx": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
}
}
}
Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1683+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx
reaches all of them from either one.
No MCP client? Call it over HTTP
Our jina-reader key is reserved for paid accounts, so an anonymous call to POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/read_url needs your own key passed as _apiKey alongside the arguments. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/read_url. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.
Standalone (no gateway account)
This package also runs as a local stdio MCP server — no Pipeworx account, no gateway round-trip:
{
"mcpServers": {
"jina-reader": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-jina-reader"]
}
}
}
Or run it directly to confirm it starts:
npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-jina-reader
It speaks MCP over stdin/stdout and answers initialize/tools/list/tools/call
for only this pack's tools — none of the shared meta-tools the gateway
connection above adds. Same source, same tools, no ask_pipeworx routing.
Using with ask_pipeworx
Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Jina Reader data" })
The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
More
License
MIT
Frequently asked questions
What is Jina Reader?
Jina AI Reader/Search MCP — turn any URL into clean LLM-ready markdown, plus web search.
How do I install Jina Reader?
It runs as a remote server. In Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http jina-reader 'https://gateway.pipeworx.io/jina-reader/mcp'. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.
Does Jina Reader need an API key?
Its registry entry lists no required key or secret. Some features may still need an account with the service it connects to.
Is Jina Reader open source?
Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.
Who maintains Jina Reader?
It is published by pipeworx-io. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.
From the official MCP Registry. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.