Websearch
Learn how to add web search and page fetch capabilities to your DeepFellow toolboxes using MCP servers installed on DeepFellow Infra.
The Websearch tool type gives a model access to the web. It composes two independently configured MCP operations:
- search – queries a web search engine and returns a list of results.
- fetch – retrieves the full content of a webpage by URL.
Each operation is configured separately, so you can mix providers (for example, use duckduckgo for search and scrapling for fetch). Both operations must be configured when you create the Websearch tool, but you can update either one independently afterward without affecting the other.
MCP Service in Infra
The mcp service in DeepFellow Infra manages MCP servers. Each MCP server runs as a Docker container and is exposed at /mcp/{prefix}/mcp (Streamable HTTP transport).
To use any websearch MCP:
- Install the
mcpservice on your Infra instance (if not already installed). - Install the individual MCP server you want from the
mcpservice's MCP server list. Once installed, the server starts automatically. - Note the prefix assigned during installation. You will need it when configuring the Websearch tool.
Available Websearch MCPs
The table below lists all websearch-related MCP servers built into the mcp service.
| Server | Search | Fetch | Self-hosted | Proxy/VPN routing | Anti-bot handling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
brave-search | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ➖ |
duckduckgo | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
firecrawl | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
ollama-websearch | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
open-websearch | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
scrapling | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
serpapi | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ➖ |
web-search | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Legend:
- ✅ supported
- ❌ not supported
- ➖ not applicable
Anti-bot handling refers to fetching pages from target sites, so it does not apply to search-only servers.
Using a Custom MCP Server
You are not limited to the built-in MCP servers listed above. Any MCP server installed on your DeepFellow Infra instance (including custom or self-hosted ones) can back the search or fetch operation, as long as it exposes a compatible tool.
To use a custom MCP server:
- Install and configure your MCP server on DeepFellow Infra so it is accessible at
/mcp/{prefix}/mcp. - Assign its prefix to your project's MCP Prefixes field. See Authorization.
- When configuring the Websearch tool, select that prefix in the Search or Fetch dropdown and choose the appropriate tool name.
Adding a Websearch Tool to a Toolbox
This section describes how to add a Websearch tool using the DeepFellow Server dashboard. For the API (curl) approach, see Using Tools – Websearch.
Before you begin, make sure:
- The
mcpservice is installed on DeepFellow Infra. - At least one websearch MCP server is installed and running.
- The MCP prefix is listed in your project's MCP Prefixes field (or the field is set to "all"). See Authorization for how to update this.
Open your project in the DeepFellow Server dashboard and click Toolboxes in the sidebar.
Open an existing toolbox or create a new one by clicking New Toolbox.
Inside the toolbox, click Add Tool.
In the Add Tool dialog, select Web Search as the tool type.
Configure the Fetch operation. Select the prefix of the MCP server that provides a fetch tool (for example, open-websearch or scrapling), then select the tool name from the dropdown.
Configure the Search operation. Select the prefix of the MCP server that provides a search tool (for example, duckduckgo or brave-search), then select the tool name.
Click Save. The new Websearch tool appears in the toolbox tool list.
If the prefix dropdown shows no options, the MCP prefix is not assigned to this project. Update the project's MCP Prefixes field in Authorization, then return to this step.
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