Tavily Search

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name: tavily-best-practices description: "Build production-ready Tavily integrations with best practices baked in. Reference documentation for developers using coding assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) to implement web search, content extraction, crawling, and research in agentic workflows, RAG systems, or autonomous agents."

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Tavily

Tavily is a search API designed for LLMs, enabling AI applications to access real-time web data.

Installation

Python:

pip install tavily-python

JavaScript:

npm install @tavily/core

See references/sdk.md for complete SDK reference.

Client Initialization

from tavily import TavilyClient
Uses TAVILY_API_KEY env var (recommended)
client = TavilyClient()
#With project tracking (for usage organization)
client = TavilyClient(project_id="your-project-id")
Async client for parallel queries
from tavily import AsyncTavilyClient
async_client = AsyncTavilyClient()

Choosing the Right Method

For custom agents/workflows:

| Need | Method | |------|--------| | Web search results | search() | | Content from specific URLs | extract() | | Content from entire site | crawl() | | URL discovery from site | map() |

For out-of-the-box research:

| Need | Method | |------|--------| | End-to-end research with AI synthesis | research() |

Quick Reference

search() - Web Search

response = client.search(
    query="quantum computing breakthroughs",  # Keep under 400 chars
    max_results=10,
    search_depth="advanced"
)
print(response)

Key parameters: query, max_results, search_depth (ultra-fast/fast/basic/advanced), include_domains, exclude_domains, time_range

See references/search.md for complete search reference.

extract() - URL Content Extraction

# Simple one-step extraction
response = client.extract(
    urls=["https://docs.example.com"],
    extract_depth="advanced"
)
print(response)

Key parameters: urls (max 20), extract_depth, query, chunks_per_source (1-5)

See references/extract.md for complete extract reference.

crawl() - Site-Wide Extraction

response = client.crawl(
    url="https://docs.example.com",
    instructions="Find API documentation pages",  # Semantic focus
    extract_depth="advanced"
)
print(response)

Key parameters: url, max_depth, max_breadth, limit, instructions, chunks_per_source, select_paths, exclude_paths

See references/crawl.md for complete crawl reference.

map() - URL Discovery

response = client.map(
    url="https://docs.example.com"
)
print(response)

research() - AI-Powered Research

import time
For comprehensive multi-topic research
result = client.research(
    input="Analyze competitive landscape for X in SMB market",
    model="pro"  # or "mini" for focused queries, "auto" when unsure
)
request_id = result["request_id"]
Poll until completed
response = client.get_research(request_id)
while response["status"] not in ["completed", "failed"]:
    time.sleep(10)
    response = client.get_research(request_id)
print(response["content"])  # The research report

Key parameters: input, model ("mini"/"pro"/"auto"), stream, output_schema, citation_format

See references/research.md for complete research reference.

Detailed Guides

For complete parameters, response fields, patterns, and examples:

references/sdk.md - Python & JavaScript SDK reference, async patterns, Hybrid RAG

references/search.md - Query optimization, search depth selection, domain filtering, async patterns, post-filtering

references/extract.md - One-step vs two-step extraction, query/chunks for targeting, advanced mode

references/crawl.md - Crawl vs Map, instructions for semantic focus, use cases, Map-then-Extract pattern

references/research.md - Prompting best practices, model selection, streaming, structured output schemas

references/integrations.md - LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI, Vercel AI SDK, and framework integrations