tavily-usage

# Tavily Search and Extract

Use Tavily MCP tools for web search and content retrieval operations.

## Tool Selection

### Tavily Search (`mcp__tavily__tavily_search`)

Use for:

- Keyword-based searches across the web
- Finding relevant pages and content
- Quick answer gathering
- Multiple result discovery

**Best for**: Initial research, finding sources, broad queries

### Tavily Extract (`mcp__tavily__tavily-extract`)

Use for:

- Getting detailed content from specific URLs
- Deep analysis of page content
- Structured data extraction
- Following up on search results

**Best for**: In-depth analysis, specific URL content, detailed information

## Hook Behavior

`tavily_extract_to_advanced.py` hook automatically upgrades extract calls to advanced mode for better accuracy when needed.

## Integration Pattern

1. Use `mcp__tavily__tavily_search` for discovery phase
2. Analyze results to find relevant URLs
3. Use `mcp__tavily__tavily-extract` for detailed content on specific URLs
4. Process extracted content for user needs

## Environment Variables

Tavily MCP requires:

- `TAVILY_API_KEY` - API key from Tavily (tvly-...)

Configure in shell before using the plugin.

## Cost Considerations

- Search is cheaper than extract
- Use search to filter relevant URLs first
- Only extract URLs that are likely relevant
- Cache results when possible