A powerful web search tool that provides comprehensive, real-time results using Tavily's AI search engine. Returns relevant web content with customizable parameters for result count, content type, and domain filtering. Ideal for gathering current information, news, and detailed web content analysis.
AI agents call tavily-search to retrieve information from Tavily Web Search and Extraction Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
days | number | — | The number of days back from the current date to include in the search results. This specifies the time frame of data to be retrieved. Please note that this fea |
query | string | — | Search query |
topic | string | — | The category of the search. This will determine which of our agents will be used for the search |
time_range | string | — | The time range back from the current date to include in the search results. This feature is available for both 'general' and 'news' search topics |
max_results | number | — | The maximum number of search results to return |
search_depth | string | — | The depth of the search. It can be 'basic' or 'advanced' |
include_images | boolean | — | Include a list of query-related images in the response |
exclude_domains | array | — | List of domains to specifically exclude, if the user asks to exclude a domain set this to the domain of the site |
include_domains | array | — | A list of domains to specifically include in the search results, if the user asks to search on specific sites set this to the domain of the site |
include_raw_content | boolean | — | Include the cleaned and parsed HTML content of each search result |
include_image_descriptions | boolean | — | Include a list of query-related images and their descriptions in the response |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
This tool retrieves and queries web search data with no side effects. It is a standard information-gathering capability that reads publicly available web content. The customizable parameters are for filtering results, not for modifying external systems.
From the tool's definition Tool description states it "provides comprehensive, real-time results" and "Returns relevant web content" with "customizable parameters for result count, content type, and domain filtering." The verb "gathering" and "search" indicate data retrieval only.
Risk signalsAccepts freeform code/query input (query) · High parameter count (11 properties)
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access tavily-search gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Tavily Web Search and Extraction Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for tavily-search:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"tavily-search": {}
}
}tavily-search is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
Free to start. No card required.
A powerful web search tool that provides comprehensive, real-time results using Tavily's AI search engine. Returns relevant web content with customizable parameters for result count, content type, and domain filtering. Ideal for gathering current information, news, and detailed web content analysis. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Tavily Web Search and Extraction Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
tavily-search accepts 11 parameters: days, query, topic, time_range, max_results, search_depth, include_images, exclude_domains, include_domains, include_raw_content, include_image_descriptions. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Tavily Web Search and Extraction Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for tavily-search: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Tavily Web Search and Extraction Server. Nothing to install.
tavily-search is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the tavily-search rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for tavily-search. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
tavily-search is provided by the Tavily Web Search and Extraction Server MCP server (avac22/tavily-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Tavily Web Search and Extraction Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
Free to start. No card required.
4 Tavily Web Search and Extraction Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.