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by Octen-Team
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JavaScript
Remote

News Search

news_search
Read-only

Search recent news to return ranked articles and grouped storylines, answering what is being reported now on a topic, person, or company.

Instructions

Search recent news and return ranked articles (title, url, snippet) — current events, headlines, timely reporting. Alongside the articles it returns subjects: the coverage grouped into storylines, each with a summary and the span it covers, so a "what happened with X" question is answerable without reading every article. Narrow with domain filters, a language filter (ISO 639-1 codes), and a time window (published/crawled start_time/end_time, or a relative time_range). include_domains/exclude_domains narrow the ranked articles only — the storylines are built from the open web either way. When the question restricts its sources ("what is Reuters saying about X"), answer from the articles, not the storylines. Pass highlight for a ranked snippet per article, or full_content for the cleaned article body (heavier — costs more context).

USE FOR what is being reported right now: breaking events, announcements, coverage of a company or person over the last days or weeks. For a company or person profile — financials, key people, career history — use business_search, which returns that as structured cards instead of articles to read. For non-news web pages use search. For a multi-angle question spanning several independent subtopics, use broad_search rather than looping this tool.

keywords: news search, latest news, headlines, current events, breaking news, recent, today, this week, press coverage, storylines

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
countNoNumber of results to return (1-100). Default 5.
queryYesNon-empty search query. Max 500 chars.
timeoutNoRequest timeout in seconds (1-60). Defaults to 30s if unset.
end_timeNoUpper bound for the time window, ISO 8601.
languageNoLanguages to filter results by, as ISO 639-1 codes. Empty = no filter.
subjectsNoGroup the articles into storylines, each with a summary and a time span. On by default — omit to use the server default.
highlightNoReturn a ranked highlighted snippet per result. Omit to use the server default.
start_timeNoLower bound for the time window, ISO 8601 (e.g. '2025-01-01T00:00:00Z').
time_basisNoWhich timestamp the time window filters against: page `published` date, last `crawled` date, or `auto`. Default auto.auto
time_rangeNoRelative time window (e.g. `week`, `month`). Mutually exclusive with `start_time`/`end_time` — if both are given, the absolute range wins.
full_contentNoReturn the cleaned full page body per result. Heavier than `highlight` — use only when the snippet isn't enough. Omit to use the server default (off).
exclude_domainsNoDrop results from these domains. Max 1200, each ≤60 chars.
include_domainsNoOnly return results from these domains (e.g. 'arxiv.org'). Max 1200, each ≤60 chars.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed6 schema fields changedv0.7.1
    • removedInput schema / properties / exclude_text
      Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Drop results whose content contains any of these strings. Max 5, each ≤30 chars.",
-  "items": {
-    "maxLength": 30,
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "maxItems": 5,
-  "type": "array"
-}
    • removedInput schema / properties / format
      Removed value: -{
-  "default": "text",
-  "description": "Format of returned content. Default text.",
-  "enum": [
-    "text",
-    "markdown"
-  ],
-  "type": "string"
-}
    • removedInput schema / properties / include_images
      Removed value: -{
-  "default": false,
-  "description": "Return image URLs (and a cover image) found on each result page.",
-  "type": "boolean"
-}
    • removedInput schema / properties / include_text
      Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Only return results whose content contains all of these strings. Max 5, each ≤30 chars.",
-  "items": {
-    "maxLength": 30,
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "maxItems": 5,
-  "type": "array"
-}
    • removedInput schema / properties / safesearch
      Removed value: -{
-  "default": "strict",
-  "description": "Adult-content filter. Default strict.",
-  "enum": [
-    "off",
-    "strict"
-  ],
-  "type": "string"
-}
    • addedInput schema / properties / subjects
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Group the articles into storylines, each with a summary and a time span. On by default — omit to use the server default.",
+  "properties": {
+    "count": {
+      "default": 2,
+      "description": "How many storylines to return (1-5).",
+      "maximum": 5,
+      "minimum": 1,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "enable": {
+      "default": true,
+      "description": "Whether to return storylines.",
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    "max_sub_news": {
+      "default": 5,
+      "description": "Max supporting articles per storyline (1-20).",
+      "maximum": 20,
+      "minimum": 1,
+      "type": "integer"
+    }
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}
  2. Changed2 schema fields changedv0.5.2
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Search query. Max 500 chars."New value: +"Non-empty search query. Max 500 chars."
    • addedInput schema / properties / query / minLength
      Added value: +1
  3. Changed7 schema fields changedv0.5.0
    • changedInput schema / properties / exclude_domains / description
      Previous value: -"Drop results from these domains. Max 150, each ≤30 chars."New value: +"Drop results from these domains. Max 1200, each ≤60 chars."
    • changedInput schema / properties / exclude_domains / items / maxLength
      Previous value: -30New value: +60
    • changedInput schema / properties / exclude_domains / maxItems
      Previous value: -150New value: +1200
    • changedInput schema / properties / include_domains / description
      Previous value: -"Only return results from these domains (e.g. 'arxiv.org'). Max 1000, each ≤30 chars."New value: +"Only return results from these domains (e.g. 'arxiv.org'). Max 1200, each ≤60 chars."
    • changedInput schema / properties / include_domains / items / maxLength
      Previous value: -30New value: +60
    • changedInput schema / properties / include_domains / maxItems
      Previous value: -1000New value: +1200
    • removedInput schema / properties / include_videos
      Removed value: -{
-  "default": false,
-  "description": "Return video URLs found on each result page.",
-  "type": "boolean"
-}
  4. Changed1 schema field changedv0.4.2
    • changedInput schema / properties / timeout / description
      Previous value: -"Request timeout in seconds (1-60)."New value: +"Request timeout in seconds (1-60). Defaults to 30s if unset."
  5. Addedv0.3.6
  6. Removedv0.3.5
  7. Changed1 schema field changedv0.3.4
    • removedInput schema / properties / country
      Removed value: -{
-  "default": "auto",
-  "description": "Follow ISO 3166, the International Standard for country codes and codes for their subdivisions (e.g. `US`, `JP`); `auto` (default) determines it automatically.",
-  "type": "string"
-}
  8. Changed1 schema field changedv0.3.3
    • addedInput schema / properties / country
      Added value: +{
+  "default": "auto",
+  "description": "Follow ISO 3166, the International Standard for country codes and codes for their subdivisions (e.g. `US`, `JP`); `auto` (default) determines it automatically.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
  9. Addedv0.2.2

TDQS

A4.8/5.0
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnly/openWorld/non-destructive, so the bar is met on safety; the description goes further with non-obvious behavior — that `include_domains`/`exclude_domains` narrow only the ranked articles while storylines are still built from the open web, and that `full_content` is heavier and costs more context than `highlight`. These are exactly the traits an agent cannot infer from structured fields.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Purpose and return shape are front-loaded, and the sibling routing is compact and scannable. It is dense rather than bloated, though a few clauses duplicate the schema (ISO 639-1, time_range precedence) and the trailing keyword list is padding rather than information.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With no output schema, the description carries the burden of describing returns and does so concretely: ranked articles with title/url/snippet, plus `subjects` as storylines with a summary and covered span. Combined with the 13-parameter, nested-object schema, an agent has everything needed to call this correctly and interpret the result.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so baseline is 3, and the description does add value: it explains the semantic difference between the article set and the storyline set under domain filtering, and frames `highlight` vs `full_content` as a cost/context tradeoff. Some of what it repeats (ISO 639-1 codes, the absolute-range-wins rule) is already in the schema, so it lands at 4 rather than 5.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ('Search recent news and return ranked articles') and immediately enumerates the return shape (title, url, snippet) plus the `subjects` storyline layer. It explicitly distinguishes itself from `business_search`, `search`, and `broad_search` by name, so an agent can route correctly without opening any schema.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives an explicit 'USE FOR' scope (breaking events, announcements, coverage over days/weeks) and then names three alternatives with the exact condition that selects each: profile data → `business_search`, non-news pages → `search`, multi-subtopic → `broad_search`. It also adds a within-tool routing rule: source-restricted questions should be answered from articles, not storylines.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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