Tavily

Purpose

Provide a curl-based interface to Tavily’s REST API for web search, extraction, mapping, crawling, and optional research. Return structured results suitable for LLM workflows and multi-step investigations.

When to Use

Use when a task needs live web information, site extraction, mapping, or crawling.
Use when web searches are needed and no built-in tool is available, or when Tavily’s LLM-friendly output (summaries, chunks, sources, citations) is beneficial.
Use when a task requires structured search results, extraction, or site discovery from Tavily.

Required Environment

Require TAVILY_API_KEY in the environment.
If TAVILY_API_KEY is missing, prompt the user to provide the API key before proceeding.

Base URL and Auth

Base URL: https://api.tavily.com
Authentication: Authorization: Bearer $TAVILY_API_KEY
Content type: Content-Type: application/json
Optional project tracking: add X-Project-ID: <project-id> if project attribution is needed.

Tool Mapping (Tavily REST)

1) search → POST /search

Use for web search with optional answer and content extraction.

Recommended minimal request:

curl -sS -X POST "https://api.tavily.com/search" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAVILY_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "query": "<query>",
    "search_depth": "basic",
    "max_results": 5,
    "include_answer": true,
    "include_raw_content": false,
    "include_images": false
  }'

Key parameters (all optional unless noted):

query (required): search text
search_depth: basic | advanced | fast | ultra-fast
chunks_per_source: 1–3 (advanced only)
max_results: 0–20
topic: general | news | finance
time_range: day|week|month|year|d|w|m|y
start_date, end_date: YYYY-MM-DD
include_answer: false | true | basic | advanced
include_raw_content: false | true | markdown | text
include_images: boolean
include_image_descriptions: boolean
include_favicon: boolean
include_domains, exclude_domains: string arrays
country: country name (general topic only)
auto_parameters: boolean
include_usage: boolean

Expected response fields:

answer (if requested), results[] with title, url, content, score, raw_content (optional), favicon (optional)
response_time, usage, request_id

2) extract → POST /extract

Use for extracting content from specific URLs.

curl -sS -X POST "https://api.tavily.com/extract" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAVILY_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "urls": ["https://example.com/article"],
    "query": "<optional intent for reranking>",
    "chunks_per_source": 3,
    "extract_depth": "basic",
    "format": "markdown",
    "include_images": false,
    "include_favicon": false
  }'

Key parameters:

urls (required): array of URLs
query: rerank chunks by intent
chunks_per_source: 1–5 (only when query provided)
extract_depth: basic | advanced
format: markdown | text
timeout: 1–60 seconds
include_usage: boolean

Expected response fields:

results[] with url, raw_content, images, favicon
failed_results[], response_time, usage, request_id

3) map → POST /map

Use for generating a site map (URL discovery only).

curl -sS -X POST "https://api.tavily.com/map" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAVILY_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://docs.tavily.com",
    "max_depth": 1,
    "max_breadth": 20,
    "limit": 50,
    "allow_external": true
  }'

Key parameters:

url (required)
instructions: natural language guidance (raises cost)
max_depth: 1–5
max_breadth: 1+
limit: 1+
select_paths, select_domains, exclude_paths, exclude_domains: arrays of regex strings
allow_external: boolean
timeout: 10–150 seconds
include_usage: boolean

Expected response fields:

base_url, results[] (list of URLs), response_time, usage, request_id

4) crawl → POST /crawl

Use for site traversal with built-in extraction.

curl -sS -X POST "https://api.tavily.com/crawl" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAVILY_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://docs.tavily.com",
    "instructions": "Find all pages about the Python SDK",
    "max_depth": 1,
    "max_breadth": 20,
    "limit": 50,
    "extract_depth": "basic",
    "format": "markdown",
    "include_images": false
  }'

Key parameters:

url (required)
instructions: optional; raises cost and enables chunks_per_source
chunks_per_source: 1–5 (only with instructions)
max_depth, max_breadth, limit: same as map
extract_depth: basic | advanced
format: markdown | text
include_images, include_favicon, allow_external
timeout: 10–150 seconds
include_usage: boolean

Expected response fields:

base_url, results[] with url, raw_content, favicon
response_time, usage, request_id

Optional Research Workflow (Deep Investigation)

Use when a query needs multi-step analysis and citations.

create research task → POST /research

curl -sS -X POST "https://api.tavily.com/research" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAVILY_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "input": "<research question>",
    "model": "auto",
    "stream": false,
    "citation_format": "numbered"
  }'

Expected response fields:

request_id, created_at, status (pending), input, model, response_time

get research status → GET /research/{request_id}

curl -sS -X GET "https://api.tavily.com/research/<request_id>" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAVILY_API_KEY"

Expected response fields:

status: completed
content: report text or structured object
sources[]: { title, url, favicon }

streaming research (SSE)

Set "stream": true in the POST body and use curl with -N to stream events:

curl -N -X POST "https://api.tavily.com/research" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAVILY_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"input":"<question>","stream":true,"model":"pro"}'

Handle SSE events (tool calls, tool responses, content chunks, sources, done).

Usage Notes

Treat search, extract, map, and crawl as the primary endpoints for discovery and content retrieval.
Return structured results with URLs, titles, and summaries for easy downstream use.
Default to conservative parameters (search_depth: basic, max_results: 5) unless deeper recall is needed.
Reuse consistent request bodies across calls to keep results predictable.

Error Handling

If any request returns 401/403, prompt for or re-check TAVILY_API_KEY.
If timeouts occur, reduce max_depth/limit or use search_depth: basic.
If responses are too large, lower max_results or chunks_per_source.