Capabilities · Live retrieval
Web Search API for AI agents
AnyCap gives AI agents a structured web search API through one CLI. Use it for source discovery and result retrieval; choose grounded web search when the workflow needs a synthesized answer with citations, or web crawl when the URL is already known. Standard web search can constrain trusted domains, filter by recency, and optionally pull source content into the next agent step.
I'll search the web using AnyCap.
✓Search complete — 2 results from go.dev.
1. go.dev/doc/go1.25 — Go 1.25 Release Notes
2. go.dev/doc/devel/release — Release History
Search checked September 9, 2026. Titles and URLs shown; results can change.
Open the release notes for details and the release history for subsequent updates.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Checked against the current CLI contract · CLI contract verified August 24, 2026
Structured retrieval and grounded answers are separate modes.
We checked the current AnyCap search command contract. General mode returns a result set the agent can inspect, filter, and optionally crawl. Grounding mode returns a synthesized answer with source attribution. Keeping those jobs separate prevents a retrieval page from promising an answer workflow it does not perform.
- General mode
- Structured results · 1 credit
- Grounding mode
- Synthesized answer with citations · 5 credits
- Result control
- 1–20 results, with optional full-page crawl
- Filters
- Recency, date range, include domains, exclude domains
anycap search --query "AI agent framework" --max-results 5 --time-range monthGeneral-search response excerpt · checked September 9, 2026
Inspectable output
{
"status": "success",
"data": {
"mode": "general",
"query": "Go 1.25 release notes",
"results": [
{
"title": "Go 1.25 Release Notes - The Go Programming Language",
"url": "https://go.dev/doc/go1.25"
},
{
"title": "Release History - The Go Programming Language",
"url": "https://go.dev/doc/devel/release"
}
]
}
}This is a representative response shape, not a guarantee that every request returns the same content. The content changes with the input and instruction; operational fields may vary by server response.
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 monthHow the workflow usually runs
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.
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.
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.
When 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.
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.
What does a search result contain?
General search returns structured source results with titles, URLs, and descriptions, with full-page crawling enabled by default. Use --no-crawl when you only need titles and URLs. For a synthesized answer with source attribution, use grounding mode instead.
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.