Anthropic Launches API for AI-Driven Web Search

Anthropic has just rolled out a new API that supercharges its Claude AI models with the power to scour the web for the latest info. This means developers can now craft apps powered by Claude that keep users in the loop with real-time data, according to a press release dropped on Wednesday.

This move is part of a broader trend where AI companies are beefing up their offerings to pull in new users. Just last week, Anthropic introduced a way to hook up apps directly to Claude and rolled out an enhanced "deep research" feature, letting Claude dig into enterprise accounts, websites, and beyond.

“With this new API, developers can blend Claude’s vast knowledge with the freshest data by simply flipping on the web search tool,” Anthropic explained in their release. “Now, you can create AI-powered solutions that stay current without the hassle of managing your own search systems.”

Web search is now available on our API.

Developers can augment Claude's comprehensive knowledge with up-to-date data. pic.twitter.com/pRQf0ZKXUZ

— Anthropic (@AnthropicAI) May 7, 2025

When you enable the web search API, Claude taps into its "reasoning" skills to decide if a query needs the latest scoop or some niche knowledge. If it decides to hit the web, it'll craft a search query, pull in results, sift through them, and spit out an answer complete with citations.

Claude doesn't stop at one search either. It can tweak its queries and run multiple searches, using what it learns from earlier results to refine later ones. Developers have the freedom to tweak this behavior and even set rules on which domains Claude can or can't explore. Plus, they can control whether web search is on or off at the organization level, Anthropic notes.

Devs can block Claude from searching certain domainsImage Credits:Anthropic

In other news, Anthropic is bringing this web search magic to Claude Code, their tool that lets developers use Claude to tackle coding tasks. With web search enabled, Claude Code can now tap into the latest API docs, tech articles, and other resources on development tools and libraries.

Claude Code is still in beta as a research preview.