/firecrawl-search

name: firecrawl-search
description: Find web sources with query-relevant page excerpts and optional full-page content, and discover workflows, data APIs, and indexes. Use for web research or finding structured records, listings, transcripts, and datasets. Supports semantic tool discovery, domain matching, and progressive catalogue browsing.
allowed-tools:
  - Bash(firecrawl *)
  - Bash(npx firecrawl-cli *)

firecrawl search

Search naturally using the user’s actual question. Default search returns web results plus relevant Alexandria tools, with optional web content scraping.

For structured records, filterable listings, transcripts, or datasets, first check `firecrawl search alexandria '<data you need>'` for a suitable workflow or data provider. For a known website, use `firecrawl find-tools <url>`. Inspect a selected contract with `firecrawl list <provider> <capability> --pretty` before executing it through `scrape`; reuse a complete contract already returned by discovery. If no suitable tool exists, continue with web search or Agent. Use ordinary `search` for web research and URL `scrape` for a known page.

Quick start

# Basic search
firecrawl search "your query" -o .firecrawl/result.json --json

# Search and scrape full page content from results
firecrawl search "your query" --scrape -o .firecrawl/scraped.json --json

# News from the past day
firecrawl search "your query" --sources news --tbs qdr:d -o .firecrawl/news.json --json

Use `firecrawl search --help` for search options, `firecrawl list --help` for contract browsing, and `firecrawl scrape --help` for execution options.

`--categories developer` searches an index of public repositories, GitHub issues, merged pull requests, repository READMEs, and curated documentation sites. `--categories gov` searches US federal, state, and local government legal and regulatory sources and cannot be combined with other categories. `--categories research` is a website filter, not the paper index. Dedicated skills: [firecrawl-developer-index](../firecrawl-developer-index/SKILL.md) and [firecrawl-research-index](../firecrawl-research-index/SKILL.md).

Government Index

For US legal or regulatory source discovery, use `firecrawl gov "<question, jurisdiction, and date>" --limit 10`. Use `--limit` for result count; `-k` is the API-key option. `search --categories gov` also uses `--limit` and returns results in `data.web`; run other categories separately rather than combining them with `gov`.

Read a supplied source URL directly with `scrape`. Before citing current governing law, verify the source's issuer, jurisdiction, enacted/effective status, and version. Bill text, agency guidance, historical versions, and third-party reproductions need that verification too. Ask for a missing jurisdiction before selecting a rule; use general search for non-US questions or missing coverage. No hits does not prove that no applicable law exists.

**Done when:** relevant results have been inspected, per-call errors and empty results have been checked, the request has been answered with source links, and feedback is sent within the time window unless opted out.

Go beyond page content with Alexandria

Alexandria is a catalogue of ready-made website workflows, API providers, and specialized indexes. Depending on the tool, it can return structured records, detailed listings, financial data, company information, research, or public records that a search snippet or single scraped page does not contain. Discover current coverage rather than assuming a provider or capability exists.

• **Semantic discovery** matches the meaning of the user's question to tool capabilities, even when no relevant provider website appears in the web results. Use `firecrawl search alexandria '<data you need>'` when you specifically need tools.
• **Domain matching** surfaces tools associated with websites in the web results. A matched tool may retrieve richer details, related records, or structured collections beyond the linked page. Domain matching signals relevance, not proof that the tool covers the requested fields or market.
• **Combined search** uses both paths alongside web results by default: `firecrawl search '<user question>'`. Use the web result when sufficient; inspect a matching tool when it offers a more direct route to the required data.

Inspect before execution

Search defaults to `web,alexandria` with domain-tool matching on. Preserve the user's location, marketplace, and constraints in the query; do not turn normal research into an artificial tool-discovery query. Inspect `data.web` and `data.tools` from the same response.

Search returns compact tool matches by default: only `provider`, `capability`, and `description`. A match is not executed data. Select a candidate, then run `firecrawl list <provider> <capability> --pretty` with its provider and capability IDs to read the contract's inputs, coverage, and access requirements.

Use `--tool-detail summary --json` for discovery metadata and navigation; inspect the selected contract with `list` before execution. Use `--tool-detail full --json` to receive contracts directly in search results and reuse them without another inspection call. Prefer full when several related contracts will be needed immediately. Displayed pricing is informational, not an extra confirmation gate.

After inspecting the contract, execute with `firecrawl scrape <provider/capability> --options '<input JSON>'` (`--alexandria` remains supported). All provider execution goes through Scrape; `search --scrape` only fetches web result content, not provider tools.

Use `list` for category/provider browsing and selected contracts. For a known website, `find-tools <url>` discovers associated tools without executing them. Run `firecrawl find-tools --help` for advanced catalogue selectors; avoid broad expansion unless the task needs it.

If no returned tool covers the country/market/segment or required inputs, continue with ordi