Capabilities · Live retrieval
Web Search
for AI agents
AnyCap web search gives agents, researchers, and teams a structured web search API through one CLI. The workflow can retrieve result sets, constrain trusted domains, filter by recency, and pull page content into the workflow without relying on a separate browser extension or provider-specific search integration. That makes web search easier to combine with the rest of the AnyCap runtime.
Agents do not need another disconnected tool.
They need the capability inside the workflow.
AnyCap turns capability access into agent action.
The short answer
Use AnyCap web search when the agent needs source discovery, trusted-domain retrieval, recency filters, or a result set it can inspect before synthesis.
01
Discovery: Web search wins when the answer starts with "find me the sources" rather than "tell me the answer." It is the right first step when the agent needs options.
02
Verification: It also wins when the team cares about recency, domain trust, or a constrained source list. Those are usually the cases where a generic browser search feels too loose for production work.
03
Handoff: It loses value if you stop at the search result. The useful outcome is a source bundle that another agent, editor, or human can continue from without repeating the same search work.
How the workflow usually runs
01 / Step 1
Start with structured search when the agent does not know the source yet. This gives you a result set instead of a speculative answer, which is usually the right first move for research, competitive scans, and release tracking.
02 / Step 2
Use grounded search when the agent needs to turn evidence into an answer with citations. Use crawl when the exact URL is already known and you just need the page content without another discovery pass.
03 / Step 3
Hand the result set back to the agent or team as source notes, citations, or a short evidence bundle. That makes web search an input to later work instead of a dead-end feature that stops at search results.
CLI usage
General web search
anycap search --query "AI agent framework"Fast titles and URLs only
anycap search --query "AI agent framework" --no-crawlConstrain domains
anycap search --query "Go context" --include github.com --include go.devRecent results only
anycap search --query "Claude Code release" --time-range monthWhen agents need web search
Use case 1
Find relevant pages, docs, or references before an agent writes or updates code.
Use case 2
Search the web with structured results instead of opening a browser-based search workflow.
Use case 3
Constrain searches to trusted domains when teams need more predictable retrieval.
Use case 4
Pull page content directly into the workflow when the workflow needs more than just URLs and snippets.
Use case 5
Support research, content, and operations workflows that need source lists instead of a final answer.
Related pages
Related capability
Grounded Web Search
Move up to citation-backed answers when the workflow needs synthesis instead of retrieval.
Related capability
Web Crawl
Use crawl when the URL is already known and the workflow just needs the page content.
Pricing
Pricing
See the credit model for web search, grounded answers, and crawl requests.
FAQ
What does AnyCap web search let agents do?
It gives agents a structured web search API through the CLI. Teams can search by query, filter by domain or date, and optionally fetch full page content without stitching together separate browser tools or search providers.
Why is web search its own capability page?
Because the market language here is API-shaped. Search demand is usually phrased as web search API, search API for AI agents, or real-time web search API rather than a generic capability term.
How is this different from grounded web search?
Web search returns structured search results. Grounded web search synthesizes an answer with citations. The two capabilities share the same command family but solve different jobs.
When should teams use standard web search first?
When the goal is discovery, retrieval, or collecting a result set. If the agent needs to inspect candidate pages itself, standard search is the cleaner starting point.
Is this only for developers?
No. Web search is useful for researchers, content teams, operators, and support workflows that need trusted source lists, competitive scans, or fast collection of live references.
Let your agent find the sources.
Use web search when the workflow starts with discovery, result selection, and source bundles rather than a final answer.