Web Search

Qwen Code supports web search capabilities through MCP (Model Context Protocol) integrations. Rather than a built-in search tool, web search is provided by connecting to external MCP servers, giving you full flexibility to choose the search service that best fits your needs.

⚠️ Breaking Change: Built-in web_search Tool Removed

Affected versions: V0.0.7+ through the last release with built-in web search support.

The built-in web_search tool and all its associated configuration have been removed. If you were using any of the following, you should migrate to the MCP-based approach described in this document:

Migration Examples

Before (Tavily via built-in tool):

{
  "webSearch": {
    "provider": [{ "type": "tavily", "apiKey": "tvly-xxx" }],
    "default": "tavily"
  }
}

After (Tavily via MCP):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily": {
      "httpUrl": "https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/?tavilyApiKey=tvly-xxx"
    }
  }
}

Before (DashScope via built-in tool):

{
  "webSearch": {
    "provider": [{ "type": "dashscope", "apiKey": "sk-xxx" }],
    "default": "dashscope"
  }
}

After (Alibaba Cloud Bailian WebSearch via MCP):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "WebSearch": {
      "httpUrl": "https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/api/v1/mcps/WebSearch/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer sk-xxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

Supported MCP Web Search Services

Alibaba Cloud Bailian WebSearch (Recommended)

The official web search MCP service provided by Alibaba Cloud Bailian platform, powered by DashScope.

• MCP Marketplace: https://bailian.console.aliyun.com/cn-beijing?tab=mcp#/mcp-market/detail/WebSearch 
• Cost: Paid (billed via Alibaba Cloud DashScope)
• Get API Key: https://help.aliyun.com/zh/model-studio/get-api-key 
• Best for: Chinese-language queries, access to Chinese web content, integration with the Alibaba Cloud ecosystem

Setup

Method 1: CLI command

qwen mcp add WebSearch \
  -t http \
  "https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/api/v1/mcps/WebSearch/mcp" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${DASHSCOPE_API_KEY}"

Method 2: settings.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "WebSearch": {
      "httpUrl": "https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/api/v1/mcps/WebSearch/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${DASHSCOPE_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace ${DASHSCOPE_API_KEY} with your actual API key, or set it as an environment variable so Qwen Code picks it up automatically.

Tavily WebSearch

A production-ready MCP server providing real-time web search, extract, map, and crawl capabilities.

• Repository: https://github.com/tavily-ai/tavily-mcp 
• Cost: Paid (free tier available)
• Get API Key: https://app.tavily.com/home 
• Best for: General-purpose web search with high-quality AI-generated answers

Available Tools

• tavily_search — Real-time web search
• tavily_extract — Intelligent data extraction from web pages
• tavily_map — Create a structured map of a website
• tavily_crawl — Systematically explore websites

Setup

Method 1: CLI command (Remote MCP)

qwen mcp add tavily \
  -t http \
  "https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/?tavilyApiKey=${TAVILY_API_KEY}"

Method 2: settings.json (Remote MCP)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily": {
      "httpUrl": "https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/?tavilyApiKey=${TAVILY_API_KEY}"
    }
  }
}

Replace ${TAVILY_API_KEY} with your actual API key, or set it as an environment variable.

Method 3: settings.json (Local NPX)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "tavily-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "TAVILY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

GLM WebSearch Prime (ZhipuAI)

The official web search Remote MCP service provided by ZhipuAI (智谱AI), designed for GLM Coding Plan users. Provides real-time web search including news, stock prices, weather, and more.

• Documentation: https://docs.bigmodel.cn/cn/coding-plan/mcp/search-mcp-server 
• Cost: Included in GLM Coding Plan subscription (Lite: 100 calls/month, Pro: 1,000/month, Max: 4,000/month)
• Get API Key: https://open.bigmodel.cn/apikey/platform 
• Best for: Chinese-language queries, real-time information retrieval

Available Tools

• webSearchPrime — Web search returning page title, URL, summary, site name, and favicon

Setup

Method 1: CLI command

qwen mcp add web-search-prime \
  -t http \
  "https://open.bigmodel.cn/api/mcp/web_search_prime/mcp" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${GLM_API_KEY}"

Method 2: settings.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "web-search-prime": {
      "httpUrl": "https://open.bigmodel.cn/api/mcp/web_search_prime/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${GLM_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace ${GLM_API_KEY} with your actual ZhipuAI API key, or set it as an environment variable.