Tavily Search and Extract

Use Tavily MCP tools for web search and content retrieval operations.

Tool Selection

Tavily Search (mcp__tavily__tavily_search)

Use for:

• Keyword-based searches across the web
• Finding relevant pages and content
• Quick answer gathering
• Multiple result discovery

Best for: Initial research, finding sources, broad queries

Tavily Extract (mcp__tavily__tavily-extract)

Use for:

• Getting detailed content from specific URLs
• Deep analysis of page content
• Structured data extraction
• Following up on search results

Best for: In-depth analysis, specific URL content, detailed information

Hook Behavior

tavily_extract_to_advanced.py hook automatically upgrades extract calls to advanced mode for better accuracy when needed.

Integration Pattern

1. Use mcp__tavily__tavily_search for discovery phase
2. Analyze results to find relevant URLs
3. Use mcp__tavily__tavily-extract for detailed content on specific URLs
4. Process extracted content for user needs

Environment Variables

Tavily MCP requires:

• TAVILY_API_KEY – API key from Tavily (tvly-…)

Configure in shell before using the plugin.

Cost Considerations

• Search is cheaper than extract
• Use search to filter relevant URLs first
• Only extract URLs that are likely relevant
• Cache results when possible