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Remove Search from CLI README #280

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e59a0c1
Remove gated search from CLI overview
chruffins Oct 2, 2026
09eb730
Remove gated search docs from CLI README
chruffins Oct 2, 2026
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98 changes: 0 additions & 98 deletions README.md
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ Kernel provides sandboxed, ready-to-use Chrome browsers for browser automations
- Invoke app actions (sync or async) and stream logs
- Create, list, view, and delete managed browser sessions
- Get a live view URL for visual monitoring and remote control
- Search the web across providers and retrieve page content for results

## Installation

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -138,54 +137,6 @@ Commands with JSON output support:
- **Browser Sub-commands**: `replays list/start`, `process exec/spawn`, `fs file-info/list-files`, `webmcp list`, `webmcp custom-tools list/add` (`webmcp invoke` always prints JSON output)
- **Browser NDJSON streaming**: `telemetry stream`

### Search

Search commands always return the full API response as JSON, including results,
warnings, provider attempts, usage, and expiry. They use the normal API key or
OAuth authentication and global `--project` scope. Your organization must have
Search API access enabled.

```bash
# Discover currently configured providers and capabilities
kernel search providers

# Automatic routing
kernel search "Playwright browser automation" --max-results 5

# Retrieve a retained result without another provider call or search charge
kernel search get srch_01jsearchresult

# Use portable filters or other advanced request fields
kernel search --request '{"query":"browser automation","include_domains":["example.com"],"strict_params":true}'

# Fetch content for the top results of a retained search
kernel search contents srch_01jsearchresult --limit 3 --content-source browser
```

- `--max-results` accepts 1–100; the API may clamp it to the provider cap.
- `--request` accepts the complete Search API JSON object, including `max_results`,
typed strategies (`auto`, `pinned`, or `fallback`), portable filters, `content`,
`include_raw`, date/locale filters, and provider-specific options. It cannot be
combined with a positional query, `--provider`, or `--max-results`. Provider-specific
and advanced request validation is performed by the API.
- Create requests are not automatically retried, to avoid duplicate billable
searches after an ambiguous failure. If a request fails ambiguously, use
`search get` only when the API returned a retained search ID.
- Retained searches return 404 when missing, expired, or inaccessible.
- `search contents <id>` retrieves content for selected results of a retained
search. Provide exactly one of `--result-ids` (in desired response order) or
`--limit` (top N results, 1–100). `--timeout-ms` sets the overall deadline
(1000–120000). Content options: `--content-source` (`auto`, `provider`, or
`browser`; default `auto`), `--content-format` (`markdown` or `text`),
`--content-max-chars`, `--content-max-age-hours`, `--content-timeout-ms`,
`--content-browser-id` (reuse an existing browser session), and
`--content-browser-mode` (`curl` or `render`). When no browser ID is given and a
result needs browser retrieval, Kernel creates a temporary browser for the
request; it is billed like any other browser. Requests are not automatically
retried.
- To search for a literal query equal to a subcommand name (`get` or `providers`),
use `--request '{"query":"providers"}'`.

### Authentication

- `kernel login [--force]` - Login via OAuth 2.0
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -1260,55 +1211,6 @@ Automated authentication for web services. The `run` command orchestrates the fu
- `--default-project-max-concurrent-sessions <n>` - Default maximum concurrent browsers for projects without an explicit override (`0` to remove the default)
- `--output json`, `-o json` - Output raw JSON object

### Search

- `kernel search <query>` - Search the web through Kernel's search providers
- `--country <code>` - ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 search locale preference
- `--language <tag>` - BCP 47 search language preference
- `--max-results <n>` - Requested result count, 1-100 (clamped to the serving provider's cap)
- `--recency <window>` - Relative search window: `hour`, `day`, `week`, `month`, or `year`
- `--safe-search <level>` - Safety preference: `off`, `moderate`, or `strict`
- `--start-date <YYYY-MM-DD>` / `--end-date <YYYY-MM-DD>` - Inclusive publication-date bounds (`--recency` takes precedence)
- `--include-domains <hosts>` / `--exclude-domains <hosts>` - Hostname preferences, matching a hostname and its subdomains
- `--strict-params` - Require every supplied portable parameter to be honored exactly instead of approximated
- `--include-raw` - Include untouched provider payloads in the response's raw fields
- `--timeout-ms <ms>` - Overall deadline across search attempts and inline retrieval
- `--content` - Retrieve page content for each result using portable defaults
- `--show-content` - Print the extracted content text for each result (implies `--content`)
- `--content-source <source>` - Retrieval source: `auto`, `provider`, or `browser`
- `--content-format <format>` - Extracted content format: `markdown` or `text`
- `--content-max-chars <n>` - Per-result Unicode character limit after extraction
- `--content-max-age-hours <n>` - Maximum acceptable age of cached page content; `0` forces a live fetch
- `--content-timeout-ms <ms>` - Per-result retrieval deadline
- `--content-browser-id <id>` - Retrieve through an existing browser session (requires `--content-source browser`)
- `--content-browser-mode <mode>` - Browser retrieval mode: `curl` or `render`
- `--provider <slug>` - Pin a single provider (`brave`, `exa`, `perplexity`, `context`, `parallel`, `valyu`, `octen`, `you`, `tavily`, `serpapi`)
- `--fallback-providers <slugs>` - Ordered provider chain to try in turn
- `--fallback-on <outcomes>` - Outcomes that advance to the next provider: `error`, `timeout`, `empty`
- `--provider-options <json>` - Provider-native options as a JSON object keyed by provider slug
- `--output json`, `-o json` - Output raw JSON object
- `kernel search get <id>` - Re-read a retained search without calling a provider or incurring cost
- `--show-content` - Print the extracted content text for each result
- `--output json`, `-o json` - Output raw JSON object
- `kernel search providers` - List providers, result caps, and content capabilities
- `--slug <slug>` - Filter to a single provider; also prints its portable-parameter support matrix and notes
- `--output json`, `-o json` - Output raw JSON array
- `kernel search contents <id>` - Fetch content for selected results of a retained search
- `--result-ids <ids>` - Result IDs from the retained search, in the desired response order
- `--limit <n>` - Number of results to fetch starting from rank 1 (mutually exclusive with `--result-ids`)
- `--timeout-ms <ms>` - Overall deadline across all selected results
- `--content-source <source>` - `auto` (default), `provider`, or `browser`
- `--content-format <format>` - `markdown` or `text`
- `--content-max-chars <n>` - Per-result character limit after extraction
- `--content-max-age-hours <n>` - For `auto`, maximum age of retained provider content; `0` always uses a browser
- `--content-timeout-ms <ms>` - Per-result deadline
- `--content-browser-id <id>` - Retrieve through an existing browser session
- `--content-browser-mode <mode>` - `curl` or `render`

Searches are retained for 24 hours. Omitting the strategy flags lets Kernel pick an
eligible provider; portable filters a provider cannot honor are approximated or
dropped and reported as warnings unless `--strict-params` is set.

## Examples

### Create a new app
Expand Down
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