Engineering insights
Tutorials, deep dives, and practical guides for building AI agents with real-time web search.
Google Custom Search API Shuts Down Jan 1, 2027: What to Use Instead
Google's Custom Search JSON API closes January 1, 2027. What is changing, why Vertex AI Search is not a drop-in, and how to migrate to a real-time search API.
Tavily Alternatives After the Nebius Acquisition (2026)
Nebius agreed to acquire Tavily for $275M in February 2026. What the deal means for developers and how to evaluate a Tavily alternative.
What Reddit's API Actually Costs in 2026 (and Cheaper Ways to Get the Data)
Verified 2026 Reddit API pricing and rate limits, why there's no self-serve paid tier, and the structured-data alternatives developers actually use.
Why Exa Search Costs So Much (and Cheaper Alternatives) in 2026
Exa is $0.007 per search and $12-15/1k for Deep Search. Audit redundant queries first, then move high-volume lookup to a cheaper backend.
SEO API with no monthly subscription: yes, it exists (2026)
Pay-as-you-go SEO and SERP APIs exist. Verified 2026 prices for DataForSEO, Serper, Brave, Linkup, and Scavio, plus a clear decision rule.
Is MCP dead in 2026?
No, MCP isn't dead in 2026, but the critics had a point. Context bloat, the fixes that shipped, the registry numbers, and when a CLI still wins.
Brave Search API Free Credit: What the Fine Print Actually Means
Brave Search API gives $5 per month in free credit, covering roughly 1,000 queries. The 50 QPS cap and basic result format limit usefulness for agents.
DataForSEO $50 Minimum vs No-Minimum Credit APIs
DataForSEO requires a $50 minimum deposit before you can make any API calls. For small teams evaluating data quality, no-minimum credit APIs offer lower entry friction.
How to Evaluate SERP API Providers: A Practical Framework
Evaluating SERP API providers requires testing five dimensions: latency, parse accuracy, platform coverage, pricing model, and free tier limits. Here is a checklist.
Custom Rank Tracker After Google I/O 2026
Post-I/O rank trackers need organic position AND AI Overview citation tracking. Off-the-shelf tools miss AI Mode. Build your own for under $30/month.
Hermes Agent: Browser Automation vs Search API
Use browser automation for behind-login pages. Use search API for everything else. Most Hermes tasks should default to API search -- faster, cheaper, more reliable.
Local LLM Web Search: Beyond SearXNG in 2026
SearXNG gets blocked under sustained use. MCP search APIs work with Ollama, LM Studio, oMLX without self-hosting. Structured results, multi-platform, no proxy maintenance.
Pi Coding Agent Search: Ketch, SearXNG, APIs Compared
Pi Coding Agent search tool comparison: Ketch for URL extraction, SearXNG for privacy, MCP search APIs for multi-platform reliability. Setup code for each.
SearXNG Keeps Getting Blocked: Why API Search Wins
SearXNG scrapes search engines that actively block automated queries. API search with authorized access delivers consistent results without IP bans or CAPTCHAs.
Tavily MCP Hits Rate Limits in 20 Min: Alternatives
Tavily free tier MCP hits rate limits after 20 minutes of active use. Alternatives: Scavio MCP (250 free, no per-minute cap), Brave ($5/mo), SearXNG (free, fragile).
Walmart Seller Product Research via API
Walmart product data via API: pricing, ratings, review counts, seller info at $0.005/query. No scraping, no proxies. Cross-platform comparison with Amazon included.
GSC + Claude Code: Modern SEO Workflow
Connect Google Search Console to Claude Code for SEO analysis. Pull performance data, cross-reference with SERP API, generate content briefs automatically.
LangGraph Critic Loop: Production Patterns
The researcher-critic-HITL pattern in LangGraph catches hallucinated citations before they ship. Production patterns for medical, financial, and legal agents.
Local LLM Web Search via MCP: oMLX and Pi
Give local Qwen, Gemma, or Llama models internet access via MCP. Config for oMLX and Pi with Tavily, Scavio, and SearXNG search backends.
OpenWebUI Search Shootout: Tavily vs Brave vs SearXNG
Tested all three OpenWebUI search backends. SearXNG free but unreliable. Tavily best summaries. Brave best free tier. API backend best structured data.
DataForSEO: When to Use Queue vs Live
DataForSEO queue at $0.0006 (5min delay) vs live at $0.002 vs Scavio at $0.005 (multi-platform). Decision framework for batch vs real-time SERP data.
MCP Search Server Ecosystem 2026
MCP search landscape: Scavio MCP (multi-platform), Tavily MCP (1K free), SearXNG MCP (self-hosted), custom servers. Setup code and cost comparison.
Reddit Scraping for SaaS Market Research
Reddit data for market research: find pain points, validate ideas, track sentiment. Structured API returns thread data without raw scraping overhead.
Weekly SEO Dashboard with Claude Code
Build SEO dashboard as a Claude Code skill. Type /weekly-report for rank tracking, competitor analysis, and content gaps. Scavio API + SQLite backend.
Coding Agent Web Search Benchmark
Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf all use web search differently. Benchmark: search quality, result freshness, integration depth, cost per coding session.
SearXNG vs Paid Search API for Agents
SearXNG is free but requires server maintenance and returns inconsistent schemas. Paid APIs cost $0.005/query but deliver reliable structured JSON for agents.
TikTok Audience Overlap Analysis via API
Before spending $5K on an influencer, check audience overlap with existing partners. Follower endpoint sampling reveals redundant reach at $0.04/pair.
Hermes v0.14.0 Foundation Release: What It Means for Search Tools
Hermes v0.14.0: 808 commits, pip install, Windows support, xAI Grok, X search, Teams integration. Wider install base means more MCP server users.
TikTok Hashtag Campaign Tracking via API
Track hashtag campaign performance: view counts, video metrics, comment sentiment. Daily pipeline using TikTok API endpoints at 1 credit/request.
TikTok Shop Product Research: API vs Kalodata
Kalodata $59-79/mo for dashboards, 100M+ products. Scavio TikTok API $0.005/request for raw data. Dashboard vs developer API for custom pipelines.