## Summary
- Today `WEB_SEARCH_PREFER_NATIVE` forces a **mutual exclusion**: either
the custom Exa tool preloads as `web_search` or the SDK-native
`web_search` binds. Same name, different backends.
- This PR lets them **coexist**. Custom Exa becomes `exa_web_search`;
native keeps `web_search`. The model picks based on tool descriptions.
- `WEB_SEARCH_PREFER_NATIVE` and `shouldUseNativeSearch()` are deleted.
Exa enablement follows `WEB_SEARCH_DRIVER` (existing). Native enablement
follows the agent's `modelConfiguration.webSearch.enabled` (existing).
## Key changes
**Config / service**
- Deleted `WEB_SEARCH_PREFER_NATIVE` (config-variables.ts)
- Deleted `WebSearchService.shouldUseNativeSearch()`
- `WebSearchService.isEnabled()` unchanged — still gates Exa
availability
**Custom tool rename**
- `ActionToolProvider.toolMap`: `'web_search'` → `'exa_web_search'`
- Descriptor name matches
- `WebSearchTool.description` rewritten to position Exa as
structured/entity-aware, complementary to native
**Native tool binder**
- `NativeToolBinder.bind()` drops the `shouldUseNativeSearch` gate.
Per-agent `modelConfiguration.webSearch.enabled` (inside
`getNativeModelTools`) stays authoritative.
**Chat**
- Preload list now always includes `exa_web_search` —
`ActionToolProvider` silently skips the descriptor when Exa is disabled,
so `getToolsByName` degrades gracefully
- Native tools always attempted; returns empty ToolSet when the model
doesn't support them
- `directTools = { ...preloadedTools, ...nativeSearchTools }` — both
present when both enabled
- `billNativeWebSearchUsage` called unconditionally (the function
already short-circuits on count ≤ 0)
**Workflow agent**
- Same unconditional billing pattern
- `WebSearchService` dependency removed
**System prompt**
- Dropped the special-cased `web_search` branch. Preloaded tools list
uniformly now.
**Frontend**
- `exa_web_search` reuses the same "Searching the web for X" display as
native
- Test coverage added
## Billing isolation (verified)
- `countNativeWebSearchCallsFromSteps` counts `toolName ===
'web_search'` only. After the rename, only native calls match. Exa calls
(`exa_web_search`) are billed separately via
`WebSearchService.emitUsageEvent` inside `search()`.
- No double-billing path.
## Behavior deltas (intended)
| Scenario | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic model + Exa enabled + PREFER_NATIVE=true | native only |
**both** |
| Anthropic + Exa enabled + PREFER_NATIVE=false | Exa only (as
`web_search`) | **both** |
| Non-native model + Exa enabled | Exa as `web_search` | Exa as
`exa_web_search` |
| Any model + Exa disabled + native supported | native only | native
only |
| Workflow agent with `webSearch.enabled=true` + Anthropic + Exa enabled
| native only | **both** |
## Known regression (accepted)
Customers who set `WEB_SEARCH_PREFER_NATIVE=false` to force Exa-only
will now **also** see native `web_search` if the model supports it.
There's no chat-level kill switch after this PR. Per discussion, this is
accepted — future model-level capability gating (in the model JSON) will
be the right place for that control.
## Stats
- 10 files, +63 / −73 (net deletion)
- Typecheck clean (server: 7 pre-existing unrelated, front: 13
pre-existing unrelated — zero new either side)
- Prettier clean
## Test plan
- [ ] `npx nx typecheck twenty-server` and `npx nx typecheck
twenty-front` pass
- [ ] With Anthropic + Exa enabled: chat shows both `web_search` and
`exa_web_search` in preloaded list; model can call either
- [ ] With Anthropic + Exa disabled: chat shows only native `web_search`
- [ ] With non-native model + Exa enabled: chat shows only
`exa_web_search`
- [ ] Workflow agent with `modelConfiguration.webSearch.enabled=true` +
Exa enabled: both available
- [ ] Billing: native calls billed via `billNativeWebSearchUsage`; Exa
calls billed via `WebSearchService.emitUsageEvent`; no double-billing
- [ ] Frontend: `exa_web_search` renders "Searching the web for X" the
same as `web_search`
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Félix Malfait
0c929e7903