Skip to content
Claude Code Docs Claude Code Docs

Network & Web Tools

WebFetch

Section titled “WebFetch”
  • Invoked as: WebFetch
  • Source directory: claude-code-main/tools/WebFetchTool/
  • Class: Network
  • Side effect: Read-only
  • Gating: Permission required
  • Documented in public docs?: Yes — https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference
  • Description: “Fetches content from a specified URL and processes it using an AI model.” Converts HTML to markdown, summarizes large content, and includes a self-cleaning 15-minute cache. HTTPS is required; HTTP URLs auto-upgrade. Fails for authenticated or private URLs (use specialized MCP tools instead).
  • Input parameters:
    • url (string, required) — Full URL (must be http:// or https://)
    • prompt (string, required) — Question or instruction for what to extract from the page
  • Returns: Markdown-formatted content or answer based on the prompt.
  • Notes: Permission required. Auto-upgrades HTTP to HTTPS. Includes 15-minute cache. Fails on authenticated/private content (GitHub private repos, Google Docs, Confluence, Jira, etc.)—use GitHub CLI or specialized MCP tools instead. IMPORTANT: URLs that redirect to different hosts will inform you of the redirect and provide the new URL; fetch again with the new URL.

WebSearch

Section titled “WebSearch”
  • Invoked as: WebSearch
  • Source directory: claude-code-main/tools/WebSearchTool/
  • Class: Network
  • Side effect: Read-only
  • Gating: Permission required; US-only
  • Documented in public docs?: Yes — https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference
  • Description: “Performs web searches.” Returns search results with links formatted as markdown hyperlinks. Up-to-date information for current events and recent data beyond the knowledge cutoff.
  • Input parameters:
    • query (string, required) — Search query
    • allowed_domains (string[], optional) — Only include results from these domains
    • blocked_domains (string[], optional) — Never include results from these domains
  • Returns: List of search results, each with title and URL as markdown hyperlinks.
  • Notes: Permission required. US only. Use this for current information, recent events, and data beyond your knowledge cutoff. You must include a “Sources:” section listing all URLs from the search results as markdown links in your response.

← Back to Tools/README.md