firecrawl_search
Search the web for specific information and extract content from results to find relevant data across multiple websites.
Instructions
Search the web and optionally extract content from search results.
Best for: Finding specific information across multiple websites, when you don't know which website has the information; when you need the most relevant content for a query. Not recommended for: When you already know which website to scrape (use scrape); when you need comprehensive coverage of a single website (use map or crawl). Common mistakes: Using crawl or map for open-ended questions (use search instead). Prompt Example: "Find the latest research papers on AI published in 2023." Usage Example:
{
"name": "firecrawl_search",
"arguments": {
"query": "latest AI research papers 2023",
"limit": 5,
"lang": "en",
"country": "us",
"scrapeOptions": {
"formats": ["markdown"],
"onlyMainContent": true
}
}
}
Returns: Array of search results (with optional scraped content).
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| query | Yes | Search query string | |
| limit | No | Maximum number of results to return (default: 5) | |
| lang | No | Language code for search results (default: en) | |
| country | No | Country code for search results (default: us) | |
| tbs | No | Time-based search filter | |
| filter | No | Search filter | |
| location | No | Location settings for search | |
| scrapeOptions | No | Options for scraping search results |
Implementation Reference
- src/index.ts:1151-1193 (handler)The handler function for the 'firecrawl_search' tool. Validates input with isSearchOptions, performs the search using the Firecrawl client, formats the results including URLs, titles, descriptions, and optional markdown content, and handles errors.case 'firecrawl_search': { if (!isSearchOptions(args)) { throw new Error('Invalid arguments for firecrawl_search'); } try { const response = await withRetry( async () => client.search(args.query, { ...args, origin: 'mcp-server' }), 'search operation' ); if (!response.success) { throw new Error( `Search failed: ${response.error || 'Unknown error'}` ); } // Format the results const results = response.data .map( (result) => `URL: ${result.url} Title: ${result.title || 'No title'} Description: ${result.description || 'No description'} ${result.markdown ? `\nContent:\n${result.markdown}` : ''}` ) .join('\n\n'); return { content: [{ type: 'text', text: trimResponseText(results) }], isError: false, }; } catch (error) { const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : `Search failed: ${JSON.stringify(error)}`; return { content: [{ type: 'text', text: trimResponseText(errorMessage) }], isError: true, }; } }
- src/index.ts:408-502 (schema)The Tool definition for 'firecrawl_search' including name, detailed description, and comprehensive inputSchema specifying parameters like query, limit, lang, country, scrapeOptions, etc.const SEARCH_TOOL: Tool = { name: 'firecrawl_search', description: ` Search the web and optionally extract content from search results. **Best for:** Finding specific information across multiple websites, when you don't know which website has the information; when you need the most relevant content for a query. **Not recommended for:** When you already know which website to scrape (use scrape); when you need comprehensive coverage of a single website (use map or crawl). **Common mistakes:** Using crawl or map for open-ended questions (use search instead). **Prompt Example:** "Find the latest research papers on AI published in 2023." **Usage Example:** \`\`\`json { "name": "firecrawl_search", "arguments": { "query": "latest AI research papers 2023", "limit": 5, "lang": "en", "country": "us", "scrapeOptions": { "formats": ["markdown"], "onlyMainContent": true } } } \`\`\` **Returns:** Array of search results (with optional scraped content). `, inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { query: { type: 'string', description: 'Search query string', }, limit: { type: 'number', description: 'Maximum number of results to return (default: 5)', }, lang: { type: 'string', description: 'Language code for search results (default: en)', }, country: { type: 'string', description: 'Country code for search results (default: us)', }, tbs: { type: 'string', description: 'Time-based search filter', }, filter: { type: 'string', description: 'Search filter', }, location: { type: 'object', properties: { country: { type: 'string', description: 'Country code for geolocation', }, languages: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'string' }, description: 'Language codes for content', }, }, description: 'Location settings for search', }, scrapeOptions: { type: 'object', properties: { formats: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'string', enum: ['markdown', 'html', 'rawHtml'], }, description: 'Content formats to extract from search results', }, onlyMainContent: { type: 'boolean', description: 'Extract only the main content from results', }, waitFor: { type: 'number', description: 'Time in milliseconds to wait for dynamic content', }, }, description: 'Options for scraping search results', }, }, required: ['query'], }, };
- src/index.ts:955-966 (registration)Registration of all tools including SEARCH_TOOL in the listTools request handler.server.setRequestHandler(ListToolsRequestSchema, async () => ({ tools: [ SCRAPE_TOOL, MAP_TOOL, CRAWL_TOOL, CHECK_CRAWL_STATUS_TOOL, SEARCH_TOOL, EXTRACT_TOOL, DEEP_RESEARCH_TOOL, GENERATE_LLMSTXT_TOOL, ], }));
- src/index.ts:814-821 (helper)Type guard helper function to validate arguments for firecrawl_search tool.function isSearchOptions(args: unknown): args is SearchOptions { return ( typeof args === 'object' && args !== null && 'query' in args && typeof (args as { query: unknown }).query === 'string' ); }