Anthropic has released a new web search API that extends the capabilities of its Claude AI models by enabling access to live internet content.
Highlights
This update allows developers to create applications that respond with current, cited information sourced from the web—supporting use cases that require timely and contextual responses.
The new API enables Claude to autonomously generate and execute search queries, retrieve relevant content, and synthesize results using its language understanding capabilities.
Before performing a search, the model assesses whether a user’s prompt requires updated information—such as questions related to recent news, dynamic technical documentation, or frequently changing data like market conditions.
Streamlined Integration for Developers
Anthropic designed the API to reduce infrastructure complexity. Rather than building and maintaining independent search systems, developers can now enable web search directly through Claude’s API. The feature includes adjustable settings to align with organizational needs:
- Domain Management: Developers can define which websites Claude is allowed or restricted from accessing.
- Access Control: Web search features can be toggled on or off at the organization level.
- Query Iteration Limits: Developers can control how many search attempts Claude should make before responding.
- Autonomous Decision-Making: The API allows developers to choose whether Claude decides when to search or performs searches for all queries.
These controls offer flexibility for teams seeking to manage how and when Claude interacts with external content, ensuring alignment with internal policies and use case requirements.
Pricing and Compatibility
The web search API is priced at $10 per 1,000 searches. Standard token usage costs apply for the content Claude generates from those searches.
Notably, if a search attempt fails, it is not billed, allowing developers to optimize cost without concern over failed retrievals.
The service is available across multiple Claude models, including:
- Claude 3.7 Sonnet
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet
- Claude 3.5 Haiku
This makes the API applicable for a range of applications—such as customer service tools, regulatory monitors, financial dashboards, and other use cases where access to fresh content is critical.
Enhanced Support for Developers Through Claude Code
Claude’s web search functionality is also integrated with Claude Code, Anthropic’s AI coding assistant. With this update, developers can retrieve and cite recent technical content, including:
- API documentation
- Open-source libraries
- Industry standards and technical articles
This integration is intended to streamline software development workflows by ensuring that Claude’s suggestions are informed by the latest available resources, eliminating the need to switch between tools for research and coding support.
Ecosystem Enhancements
The web search API builds on recent updates across the Claude ecosystem. These include the release of application connectors and enterprise research tools that allow Claude to access internal content such as private datasets and internal websites.
While those features support enterprise-specific deployments, the new web search API extends similar functionality to public web content.
Growing Trend in AI-Powered Retrieval
Anthropic’s rollout of real-time search capabilities reflects a wider trend in the AI sector. Leading developers such as OpenAI and Google have also introduced controlled web access in their models to improve relevance and contextuality.
However, delivering fresh information while maintaining response quality remains a challenge across the industry.
To address this, Claude provides citation-based answers and robust developer-level configuration, aiming to balance accuracy, transparency, and data freshness.
Positioning in the AI Search Space
With the release of this API, Anthropic adds competitive momentum to its Claude platform in the AI-assisted search space.
While other companies like Perplexity AI, OpenAI, and Google are expanding in similar directions, Claude’s integration of search with customization and enterprise-friendly controls presents a flexible option for developers and organizations seeking tools beyond static, pre-trained models.
