How to give Claude real-time web search (2026)
Claude.ai has a built-in search toggle. Claude Desktop and Claude Code don't — they need an external tool. The standard approach is an MCP server, which adds a searchtool Claude can call during any conversation. Here's how to set it up in 30 seconds, and which engine(s) to use.
Does Claude have native web search?
| Claude surface | Web search? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Claude.ai (browser) | Yes — paid plans | Built-in search toggle |
| Claude Desktop (local app) | No — needs MCP | Add an MCP server (see below) |
| Claude Code (CLI) | No — needs MCP | Add an MCP server (see below) |
| Anthropic API / SDK | No — needs tool | Wrap a search API as a tool call |
Add web search to Claude Desktop (30 seconds)
Edit your Claude Desktop config file and add the GroundRoute MCP server block. Get your API key at groundroute.ai/signup.
// ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"groundroute": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@groundroute/mcp"],
"env": {
"GROUNDROUTE_API_KEY": "your-key"
}
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop. You'll see a 🔌 icon — click to confirm the groundroute server is connected. Now ask Claude anything that needs current information; it will call the search tool automatically.
Add web search to Claude Code
Claude Code reads MCP servers from .claude/settings.json (project-level) or ~/.claude/settings.json (global):
// .claude/settings.json (project) or ~/.claude/settings.json (global)
{
"mcpServers": {
"groundroute": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@groundroute/mcp"],
"env": {
"GROUNDROUTE_API_KEY": "your-key"
}
}
}
}The search tool appears in Claude Code's tool list automatically. No restart needed — Claude Code picks up MCP config changes on the next conversation.
Which search engine?
GroundRoute routes across 6engines — Serper, Brave, Exa, Tavily, Firecrawl, Perplexity — picking the cheapest one that clears the quality bar for each query class. You don't have to choose: academic queries go to the best academic engine, web/news to the cheapest web engine.
FAQ
- Does Claude AI have web search?
- Claude.ai (the consumer app) has a built-in web search feature for paid plans. Claude Desktop (the local app) and Claude Code (the CLI) do not have native web search — you need to add it via an MCP server.
- How do I add web search to Claude Desktop?
- Install an MCP server. GroundRoute's MCP server adds multi-engine web search (6 APIs routed per query class) in about 30 seconds — see the config snippet below.
- How do I add web search to Claude Code?
- Claude Code supports MCP servers via its settings. Add the GroundRoute MCP block to .claude/settings.json or run it via npx. The search tool appears automatically in Claude Code's tool list.
- What MCP server should I use for web search?
- Single-engine options (Brave MCP, Exa MCP) are fine for simple cases. GroundRoute's MCP routes across 6 engines — academic to Exa/Firecrawl, web/news to Serper, page content to Firecrawl — and caches repeats, so it's cheaper than a single-engine MCP at scale.
- Is Claude MCP web search free?
- GroundRoute's BYOK tier is free — you bring your own search engine keys. The managed tier has a free credit on signup. You keep ~half the cache savings.