diff --git a/app/src/components/settings/panels/SearchPanel.test.tsx b/app/src/components/settings/panels/SearchPanel.test.tsx
index 1b833cb5d..0ec5066a9 100644
--- a/app/src/components/settings/panels/SearchPanel.test.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/settings/panels/SearchPanel.test.tsx
@@ -77,6 +77,29 @@ describe('SearchPanel — unified web-access modes', () => {
     expect(radio(ALLOW_ALL)).toHaveAttribute('aria-checked', 'false');
   });
 
+  test('selecting Disabled persists the disabled engine', async () => {
+    renderWithProviders(<SearchPanel embedded />);
+    const disabled = await screen.findByTestId('search-engine-disabled');
+
+    fireEvent.click(disabled);
+
+    await waitFor(() =>
+      expect(hoisted.updateSearchSettings).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ engine: 'disabled' })
+    );
+  });
+
+  test('disabled settings start with Disabled selected and no needs-key badge', async () => {
+    hoisted.getSearchSettings.mockResolvedValue({
+      result: settings({ engine: 'disabled', effective_engine: 'disabled' }),
+    });
+    renderWithProviders(<SearchPanel embedded />);
+
+    const disabled = await screen.findByTestId('search-engine-disabled');
+
+    expect(disabled).toHaveAttribute('aria-checked', 'true');
+    expect(within(disabled).queryByText('settings.search.statusNeedsKey')).toBeNull();
+  });
+
   test('selecting "Allow all" persists allow_all: true and hides the editor', async () => {
     renderWithProviders(<SearchPanel embedded />);
     await screen.findByPlaceholderText(PLACEHOLDER);
@@ -204,6 +227,42 @@ describe('SearchPanel — unified web-access modes', () => {
     expect(braveInput.value).toBe('');
   });
 
+  test('Parallel and Brave key editors can reveal and clear stored keys', async () => {
+    hoisted.getSearchSettings.mockResolvedValue({
+      result: settings({ parallel_configured: true, brave_configured: true }),
+    });
+    renderWithProviders(<SearchPanel embedded />);
+    await screen.findAllByPlaceholderText('settings.search.placeholderStored');
+
+    const parallel = keyEditor('settings.search.parallelKeyLabel');
+    const parallelInput = parallel.getByPlaceholderText(
+      'settings.search.placeholderStored'
+    ) as HTMLInputElement;
+    expect(parallelInput.type).toBe('password');
+
+    fireEvent.click(parallel.getByText('settings.search.show'));
+    expect(parallelInput.type).toBe('text');
+    fireEvent.click(parallel.getByText('settings.search.clear'));
+
+    await waitFor(() =>
+      expect(hoisted.updateSearchSettings).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ parallel_api_key: '' })
+    );
+
+    const brave = keyEditor('settings.search.braveKeyLabel');
+    const braveInput = brave.getByPlaceholderText(
+      'settings.search.placeholderStored'
+    ) as HTMLInputElement;
+    expect(braveInput.type).toBe('password');
+
+    fireEvent.click(brave.getByText('settings.search.show'));
+    expect(braveInput.type).toBe('text');
+    fireEvent.click(brave.getByText('settings.search.clear'));
+
+    await waitFor(() =>
+      expect(hoisted.updateSearchSettings).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ brave_api_key: '' })
+    );
+  });
+
   test('Querit key editor can reveal, save, and clear the stored API key', async () => {
     hoisted.getSearchSettings.mockResolvedValue({ result: settings({ querit_configured: true }) });
     renderWithProviders(<SearchPanel embedded />);
diff --git a/app/src/components/settings/panels/SearchPanel.tsx b/app/src/components/settings/panels/SearchPanel.tsx
index f338cc2c7..a5c30ddd3 100644
--- a/app/src/components/settings/panels/SearchPanel.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/settings/panels/SearchPanel.tsx
@@ -77,6 +77,12 @@ const SearchPanel = ({ embedded = false }: { embedded?: boolean }) => {
   const initializedRef = useRef(false);
 
   const ENGINES: EngineOption[] = [
+    {
+      id: 'disabled',
+      label: t('settings.search.engineDisabledLabel'),
+      description: t('settings.search.engineDisabledDesc'),
+      requiresKey: false,
+    },
     {
       id: 'managed',
       label: t('settings.search.engineManagedLabel'),
@@ -206,6 +212,7 @@ const SearchPanel = ({ embedded = false }: { embedded?: boolean }) => {
 
   const isConfigured = (engine: SearchEngineId): boolean => {
     if (!settings) return false;
+    if (engine === 'disabled') return true;
     if (engine === 'managed') return true;
     if (engine === 'parallel') return settings.parallel_configured;
     if (engine === 'brave') return settings.brave_configured;
@@ -214,7 +221,7 @@ const SearchPanel = ({ embedded = false }: { embedded?: boolean }) => {
   };
 
   return (
-    <div className="z-10 relative">
+    <div className="z-10 relative" data-testid="search-settings-panel">
       {!embedded && (
         <SettingsHeader
           title={t('settings.search.title')}
@@ -255,6 +262,7 @@ const SearchPanel = ({ embedded = false }: { embedded?: boolean }) => {
                   <button
                     key={opt.id}
                     type="button"
+                    data-testid={`search-engine-${opt.id}`}
                     role="radio"
                     aria-checked={selected}
                     onClick={() => void persistEngine(opt.id)}
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ar-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ar-1.ts
index 9474534ba..a86213be7 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ar-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ar-1.ts
@@ -1603,6 +1603,9 @@ const ar1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default ar1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/bn-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/bn-1.ts
index 3395f87a7..fe7c2dc78 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/bn-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/bn-1.ts
@@ -1612,6 +1612,9 @@ const bn1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default bn1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/de-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/de-1.ts
index f6fd0d87f..a80055f56 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/de-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/de-1.ts
@@ -1630,6 +1630,9 @@ const de1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default de1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/en-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/en-1.ts
index f0421e4fa..797f6f7e5 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/en-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/en-1.ts
@@ -1160,8 +1160,11 @@ const en1: TranslationMap = {
   'settings.search.menuDesc':
     'Default to OpenHuman-managed search or wire up your own provider with an API key.',
   'settings.search.description':
-    'Pick the search engine the agent uses. Managed uses OpenHuman’s backend (no setup). Parallel, Brave, and Querit run direct from your machine using your API key.',
+    'Pick the search engine the agent uses, or disable search tools entirely. Managed uses OpenHuman’s backend (no setup). Parallel, Brave, and Querit run direct from your machine using your API key.',
   'settings.search.engineAria': 'Search engine',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
   'settings.search.engineManagedLabel': 'OpenHuman Managed',
   'settings.search.engineManagedDesc':
     'Default. Routed through the OpenHuman backend — no API key required.',
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/es-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/es-1.ts
index 5a93a235c..8c7177c86 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/es-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/es-1.ts
@@ -1627,6 +1627,9 @@ const es1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default es1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/fr-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/fr-1.ts
index 807234858..311b2fd2c 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/fr-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/fr-1.ts
@@ -1632,6 +1632,9 @@ const fr1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default fr1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/hi-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/hi-1.ts
index 3394cdeb2..74fb9b9e1 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/hi-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/hi-1.ts
@@ -1611,6 +1611,9 @@ const hi1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default hi1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/id-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/id-1.ts
index f384fad0b..fd6f1edbc 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/id-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/id-1.ts
@@ -1615,6 +1615,9 @@ const id1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default id1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/it-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/it-1.ts
index 4e4aa6ce1..e7126c98d 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/it-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/it-1.ts
@@ -1620,6 +1620,9 @@ const it1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default it1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ko-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ko-1.ts
index 48f50f677..a58e097a5 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ko-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ko-1.ts
@@ -1612,5 +1612,8 @@ const ko1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 export default ko1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/pt-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/pt-1.ts
index 7d4c4d85e..39365d709 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/pt-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/pt-1.ts
@@ -1625,6 +1625,9 @@ const pt1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default pt1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ru-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ru-1.ts
index 6f6ebc7bc..45bf1cb43 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ru-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/ru-1.ts
@@ -1615,6 +1615,9 @@ const ru1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default ru1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/zh-CN-1.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/zh-CN-1.ts
index 4bf16155d..df471eb75 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/zh-CN-1.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/chunks/zh-CN-1.ts
@@ -1596,6 +1596,9 @@ const zhCN1: TranslationMap = {
   'graphCentrality.bridgeBadge': 'connector',
   'graphCentrality.bridgeTitle': 'Connector — more influential than its link count suggests',
   'graphCentrality.degreeTitle': '{in} in · {out} out',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
 };
 
 export default zhCN1;
diff --git a/app/src/lib/i18n/en.ts b/app/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
index 1c3efbb1e..652362306 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
@@ -769,8 +769,11 @@ const en: TranslationMap = {
   'settings.search.menuDesc':
     'Default to OpenHuman-managed search or wire up your own provider with an API key.',
   'settings.search.description':
-    'Pick the search engine the agent uses. Managed uses OpenHuman’s backend (no setup). Parallel, Brave, and Querit run direct from your machine using your API key.',
+    'Pick the search engine the agent uses, or disable search tools entirely. Managed uses OpenHuman’s backend (no setup). Parallel, Brave, and Querit run direct from your machine using your API key.',
   'settings.search.engineAria': 'Search engine',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledLabel': 'Disabled',
+  'settings.search.engineDisabledDesc':
+    'Remove search tools from the agent context and available tool list.',
   'settings.search.engineManagedLabel': 'OpenHuman Managed',
   'settings.search.engineManagedDesc':
     'Default. Routed through the OpenHuman backend — no API key required.',
diff --git a/app/src/utils/tauriCommands/config.ts b/app/src/utils/tauriCommands/config.ts
index 2b19d3cb9..af08c9837 100644
--- a/app/src/utils/tauriCommands/config.ts
+++ b/app/src/utils/tauriCommands/config.ts
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ export async function openhumanGetMeetSettings(): Promise<
   });
 }
 
-export type SearchEngineId = 'managed' | 'parallel' | 'brave' | 'querit';
+export type SearchEngineId = 'disabled' | 'managed' | 'parallel' | 'brave' | 'querit';
 
 export interface SearchSettingsUpdate {
   engine?: SearchEngineId;
diff --git a/app/test/e2e/specs/settings-search.spec.ts b/app/test/e2e/specs/settings-search.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6577980c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/test/e2e/specs/settings-search.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+// @ts-nocheck
+import { browser, expect } from '@wdio/globals';
+
+import { waitForApp } from '../helpers/app-helpers';
+import { callOpenhumanRpc } from '../helpers/core-rpc';
+import { resetApp } from '../helpers/reset-app';
+import { navigateViaHash } from '../helpers/shared-flows';
+import { startMockServer, stopMockServer } from '../mock-server';
+
+const USER_ID = 'e2e-settings-search';
+
+async function clickSearchEngine(engine: string): Promise<void> {
+  const clicked = await browser.execute(next => {
+    const el = document.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(`[data-testid="search-engine-${next}"]`);
+    if (!el) return false;
+    el.click();
+    return true;
+  }, engine);
+  expect(clicked).toBe(true);
+}
+
+async function selectedSearchEngine(): Promise<string | null> {
+  return await browser.execute(() => {
+    const selected = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>(
+      '[data-testid^="search-engine-"][aria-checked="true"]'
+    );
+    return selected?.getAttribute('data-testid')?.replace('search-engine-', '') ?? null;
+  });
+}
+
+async function getSearchSettings(): Promise<Record<string, unknown>> {
+  const response = await callOpenhumanRpc('openhuman.config_get_search_settings', {});
+  expect(response.ok).toBe(true);
+  return response.result?.result ?? {};
+}
+
+describe('Settings - Search', () => {
+  before(async () => {
+    await startMockServer();
+    await waitForApp();
+    await resetApp(USER_ID);
+  });
+
+  after(async () => {
+    await stopMockServer();
+  });
+
+  it('persists Disabled search engine from the search settings panel', async () => {
+    const reset = await callOpenhumanRpc('openhuman.config_update_search_settings', {
+      engine: 'managed',
+    });
+    expect(reset.ok).toBe(true);
+
+    await navigateViaHash('/settings/search');
+    await browser.waitUntil(
+      async () =>
+        Boolean(
+          await browser.execute(() =>
+            document.querySelector('[data-testid="search-settings-panel"]')
+          )
+        ),
+      { timeout: 15_000, interval: 250, timeoutMsg: 'search settings panel did not render' }
+    );
+
+    expect(await selectedSearchEngine()).toBe('managed');
+
+    await clickSearchEngine('disabled');
+
+    await browser.waitUntil(async () => (await selectedSearchEngine()) === 'disabled', {
+      timeout: 10_000,
+      interval: 250,
+      timeoutMsg: 'disabled search engine did not become selected',
+    });
+
+    await browser.waitUntil(
+      async () => {
+        const settings = await getSearchSettings();
+        return settings.engine === 'disabled' && settings.effective_engine === 'disabled';
+      },
+      {
+        timeout: 10_000,
+        interval: 500,
+        timeoutMsg: 'disabled search engine was not persisted to core config',
+      }
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/openhuman/config/mod.rs b/src/openhuman/config/mod.rs
index f7d7b9521..649caad59 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/config/mod.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/config/mod.rs
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ pub use schema::{
     TelegramConfig, UpdateConfig, UpdateRestartStrategy, VoiceActivationMode, VoiceServerConfig,
     WebSearchConfig, WebhookConfig, DEFAULT_CLOUD_LLM_MODEL, DEFAULT_MODEL, MODEL_AGENTIC_V1,
     MODEL_CHAT_V1, MODEL_CODING_V1, MODEL_REASONING_QUICK_V1, MODEL_REASONING_V1,
-    MODEL_SUMMARIZATION_V1, SEARCH_ENGINE_BRAVE, SEARCH_ENGINE_MANAGED, SEARCH_ENGINE_PARALLEL,
-    SEARCH_ENGINE_QUERIT,
+    MODEL_SUMMARIZATION_V1, SEARCH_ENGINE_BRAVE, SEARCH_ENGINE_DISABLED, SEARCH_ENGINE_MANAGED,
+    SEARCH_ENGINE_PARALLEL, SEARCH_ENGINE_QUERIT,
 };
 pub use schema::{
     clear_active_user, default_projects_dir, default_root_openhuman_dir, pre_login_user_dir,
diff --git a/src/openhuman/config/ops.rs b/src/openhuman/config/ops.rs
index 61f3a3773..7b5f3fbf9 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/config/ops.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/config/ops.rs
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ pub struct MeetSettingsPatch {
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Default)]
 pub struct SearchSettingsPatch {
-    /// One of `managed` | `parallel` | `brave` | `querit`.
+    /// One of `disabled` | `managed` | `parallel` | `brave` | `querit`.
     /// Empty/unknown values are rejected by `apply_search_settings`.
     /// Runtime fallback to `managed` applies only to persisted/legacy config
     /// values resolved by `SearchConfig::effective_engine()`.
@@ -1016,12 +1016,12 @@ pub async fn apply_search_settings(
         // time via `effective_engine()`, but failing fast in the writer keeps
         // the TOML clean.
         match trimmed {
-            "managed" | "parallel" | "brave" | "querit" => {
+            "disabled" | "managed" | "parallel" | "brave" | "querit" => {
                 config.search.engine = trimmed.to_string();
             }
             other => {
                 return Err(format!(
-                    "engine must be one of managed/parallel/brave/querit (got {other:?})"
+                    "engine must be one of disabled/managed/parallel/brave/querit (got {other:?})"
                 ));
             }
         }
@@ -1128,6 +1128,7 @@ pub async fn get_search_settings() -> Result<RpcOutcome<serde_json::Value>, Stri
     let result = serde_json::json!({
         "engine": config.search.requested_engine_str(),
         "effective_engine": match config.search.effective_engine() {
+            crate::openhuman::config::SearchEngine::Disabled => "disabled",
             crate::openhuman::config::SearchEngine::Managed => "managed",
             crate::openhuman::config::SearchEngine::Parallel => "parallel",
             crate::openhuman::config::SearchEngine::Brave => "brave",
diff --git a/src/openhuman/config/ops_tests.rs b/src/openhuman/config/ops_tests.rs
index a4626122c..b193751d0 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/config/ops_tests.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/config/ops_tests.rs
@@ -392,6 +392,46 @@ async fn apply_search_settings_sets_and_clears_allowed_domains() {
     assert!(cfg.http_request.allowed_domains.is_empty());
 }
 
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn apply_search_settings_accepts_disabled_engine() {
+    let tmp = tempdir().unwrap();
+    let mut cfg = tmp_config(&tmp);
+
+    apply_search_settings(
+        &mut cfg,
+        SearchSettingsPatch {
+            engine: Some("disabled".to_string()),
+            ..Default::default()
+        },
+    )
+    .await
+    .expect("apply disabled search engine");
+
+    assert_eq!(cfg.search.engine, "disabled");
+    assert_eq!(
+        cfg.search.effective_engine(),
+        crate::openhuman::config::SearchEngine::Disabled
+    );
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn apply_search_settings_rejects_unknown_search_engine() {
+    let tmp = tempdir().unwrap();
+    let mut cfg = tmp_config(&tmp);
+
+    let err = apply_search_settings(
+        &mut cfg,
+        SearchSettingsPatch {
+            engine: Some("unknown".to_string()),
+            ..Default::default()
+        },
+    )
+    .await
+    .expect_err("unknown engine should be rejected");
+
+    assert!(err.contains("disabled/managed/parallel/brave/querit"));
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn apply_model_settings_stores_api_key_and_clears_when_empty() {
     // #1342: custom OpenAI-compatible providers — api_key must round-trip
diff --git a/src/openhuman/config/schema/load.rs b/src/openhuman/config/schema/load.rs
index d3292c2eb..57396a6bd 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/config/schema/load.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/config/schema/load.rs
@@ -1451,8 +1451,9 @@ impl Config {
             }
         }
 
-        // Unified search engine selector. `OPENHUMAN_SEARCH_ENGINE` picks
-        // the active engine; per-engine API keys auto-route to BYO once set.
+        // Unified search engine selector. `OPENHUMAN_SEARCH_ENGINE` picks the
+        // active engine (`disabled` suppresses search tools); per-engine API
+        // keys auto-route to BYO once set.
         if let Some(engine) = env.get_any(&["OPENHUMAN_SEARCH_ENGINE", "SEARCH_ENGINE"]) {
             let engine = engine.trim().to_ascii_lowercase();
             if !engine.is_empty() {
diff --git a/src/openhuman/config/schema/mod.rs b/src/openhuman/config/schema/mod.rs
index e0f26240c..005e92469 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/config/schema/mod.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/config/schema/mod.rs
@@ -85,8 +85,8 @@ pub use tools::{
     McpClientConfig, McpClientIdentityConfig, McpServerConfig, MultimodalConfig,
     PolymarketClobCredentials, PolymarketConfig, SearchConfig, SearchEngine,
     SearchEngineCredentials, SearxngConfig, SecretsConfig, SeltzConfig, WebSearchConfig,
-    COMPOSIO_MODE_BACKEND, COMPOSIO_MODE_DIRECT, SEARCH_ENGINE_BRAVE, SEARCH_ENGINE_MANAGED,
-    SEARCH_ENGINE_PARALLEL, SEARCH_ENGINE_QUERIT,
+    COMPOSIO_MODE_BACKEND, COMPOSIO_MODE_DIRECT, SEARCH_ENGINE_BRAVE, SEARCH_ENGINE_DISABLED,
+    SEARCH_ENGINE_MANAGED, SEARCH_ENGINE_PARALLEL, SEARCH_ENGINE_QUERIT,
 };
 pub use update::{UpdateConfig, UpdateRestartStrategy};
 mod voice_server;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/config/schema/tools.rs b/src/openhuman/config/schema/tools.rs
index ac4d8850d..4f516bc5d 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/config/schema/tools.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/config/schema/tools.rs
@@ -519,11 +519,12 @@ impl Default for WebSearchConfig {
 //
 // Unified search-engine selector. Only one engine is active at a time
 // (mirrors the LLM-provider API-key flow). The active engine governs
-// which tools are registered: `managed` → backend-proxied `web_search`;
-// `parallel` → direct Parallel API tools (search/extract/chat/research/
-// enrich/dataset); `brave` → direct Brave Search tools (web/news/
-// images/videos); `querit` → direct Querit web search.
+// which tools are registered: `disabled` → no search tools; `managed` →
+// backend-proxied `web_search`; `parallel` → direct Parallel API tools
+// (search/extract/chat/research/enrich/dataset); `brave` → direct Brave Search
+// tools (web/news/images/videos); `querit` → direct Querit web search.
 
+pub const SEARCH_ENGINE_DISABLED: &str = "disabled";
 pub const SEARCH_ENGINE_MANAGED: &str = "managed";
 pub const SEARCH_ENGINE_PARALLEL: &str = "parallel";
 pub const SEARCH_ENGINE_BRAVE: &str = "brave";
@@ -572,16 +573,16 @@ impl SearchEngineCredentials {
 }
 
 /// Unified search-engine configuration. Exactly one engine drives tool
-/// registration at a time. `managed` is the backend-proxied default and
-/// requires no key; `parallel`, `brave`, and `querit` are BYO and require their
-/// own API key in the matching sub-block.
+/// registration at a time. `disabled` suppresses all search tools; `managed` is
+/// the backend-proxied default and requires no key; `parallel`, `brave`, and
+/// `querit` are BYO and require their own API key in the matching sub-block.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
 #[serde(default)]
 pub struct SearchConfig {
-    /// Active search engine. One of [`SEARCH_ENGINE_MANAGED`],
-    /// [`SEARCH_ENGINE_PARALLEL`], [`SEARCH_ENGINE_BRAVE`], or
-    /// [`SEARCH_ENGINE_QUERIT`]. Unknown values fall back to managed at
-    /// registration time.
+    /// Active search engine. One of [`SEARCH_ENGINE_DISABLED`],
+    /// [`SEARCH_ENGINE_MANAGED`], [`SEARCH_ENGINE_PARALLEL`],
+    /// [`SEARCH_ENGINE_BRAVE`], or [`SEARCH_ENGINE_QUERIT`]. Unknown values
+    /// fall back to managed at registration time.
     #[serde(default = "default_search_engine")]
     pub engine: String,
 
@@ -624,6 +625,7 @@ impl Default for SearchConfig {
 /// engines that have no API key configured.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub enum SearchEngine {
+    Disabled,
     Managed,
     Parallel,
     Brave,
@@ -637,6 +639,7 @@ impl SearchConfig {
     /// UI surfaces the misconfiguration separately.
     pub fn effective_engine(&self) -> SearchEngine {
         match self.engine.trim().to_ascii_lowercase().as_str() {
+            SEARCH_ENGINE_DISABLED => SearchEngine::Disabled,
             SEARCH_ENGINE_PARALLEL if self.parallel.has_key() => SearchEngine::Parallel,
             SEARCH_ENGINE_BRAVE if self.brave.has_key() => SearchEngine::Brave,
             SEARCH_ENGINE_QUERIT if self.querit.has_key() => SearchEngine::Querit,
@@ -664,6 +667,15 @@ mod search_config_tests {
         assert_eq!(cfg.effective_engine(), SearchEngine::Managed);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn disabled_stays_disabled() {
+        let cfg = SearchConfig {
+            engine: SEARCH_ENGINE_DISABLED.into(),
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+        assert_eq!(cfg.effective_engine(), SearchEngine::Disabled);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn parallel_requires_key() {
         let mut cfg = SearchConfig {
diff --git a/src/openhuman/integrations/README.md b/src/openhuman/integrations/README.md
index 3bde5daa5..2bc5af8e6 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/integrations/README.md
+++ b/src/openhuman/integrations/README.md
@@ -1,85 +1,61 @@
 # integrations
 
-Agent integration tools — a family of third-party data/action providers (web search, place lookup, market data, web scraping/automation, phone calls) exposed to the agent as `Tool` implementations. Most integrations **proxy through OpenHuman backend endpoints** (`/agent-integrations/*`) authenticated with the user's app-session JWT, so API keys, billing, rate limiting, and provider markup stay server-side. A few (SearXNG, Brave, Querit, Seltz) call user-configured or provider endpoints **directly** with a user-supplied key/URL. The module owns no RPC controllers, no persisted state, and no event-bus subscribers — it is purely a shared HTTP client plus a set of agent tools.
+Shared HTTP client and non-search integration tools for third-party providers.
+
+Search provider implementations live under `src/openhuman/search/`. This module
+keeps the backend-proxied integration client and the remaining non-search tool
+families.
 
 ## Responsibilities
 
-- Provide `IntegrationClient`, a shared `reqwest`-based HTTP client for backend-proxied integrations: backend-URL sanitization, bearer auth, `{success,data,error}` envelope parsing, bounded error-detail extraction, and a lazily-fetched pricing cache.
-- Build the client from root config (`build_client`): resolve the backend API base URL (falling back off local-AI endpoints) and the app-session JWT; return `None` when the user is not signed in.
-- Fetch per-integration pricing from the backend (`/agent-integrations/pricing`), with a Composio-`direct`-mode short-circuit (`pricing_for_config`).
-- Implement and export the concrete agent tools (Apify, Brave, Google Places, Parallel, Querit, SearXNG, Seltz, stock/market data, TinyFish, Twilio).
-- Classify transport- and user-state failures through `core::observability::report_error_or_expected` so user-environment / user-input errors demote to breadcrumbs instead of firing Sentry events.
+- Provide `IntegrationClient`, a shared `reqwest` HTTP client for backend-proxied integrations: backend URL sanitization, bearer auth, `{success,data,error}` envelope parsing, bounded error-detail extraction, and pricing cache.
+- Build the client from root config (`build_client`), resolving backend URL and app-session JWT; return `None` when the user is not signed in.
+- Fetch per-integration pricing from `/agent-integrations/pricing`, with a Composio direct-mode short-circuit (`pricing_for_config`).
+- Implement and export non-search tools: Apify, Google Places, stock/market data, and Twilio.
+- Classify transport and user-state failures through `core::observability::report_error_or_expected`.
 
-## Key files
+## Key Files
 
 | File | Role |
 | --- | --- |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/mod.rs` | Export-only module root. Re-exports `build_client`, `pricing_for_config`, `IntegrationClient`, and the shared pricing/envelope/`ToolScope` types. Module docstring describes the proxy-vs-direct trust model. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/client.rs` | `IntegrationClient` (backend URL, auth token, reusable HTTP client, `OnceCell` pricing cache) + `post`/`get`/`pricing`. Includes `sanitize_backend_url` (strips inference-style paths — issue #2075), `extract_error_detail`, `build_client`, `pricing_for_config`. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/types.rs` | Shared serde types: `IntegrationPricing`, `PricingIntegrations`, `IntegrationPricingEntry`, `BackendResponse<T>` envelope; re-exports `ToolScope` from `tools::traits`. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools.rs` | Tool module aggregator — declares the `tools/` submodules and re-exports every concrete tool struct. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/test_support.rs` | `spawn_fake_integration_backend` — an axum mock of the `/agent-integrations/*` backend routes that records requests; used by integration tool tests. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/apify.rs` | Apify actor run + status + dataset results (`apify_run_actor`, `apify_get_run_status`, `apify_get_run_results`). Backend-proxied. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/brave.rs` | Brave Search direct API (web/news/image/video search). Auth via `X-Subscription-Token`; not backend-proxied. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/google_places.rs` | Google Places search + details. Backend-proxied. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/parallel.rs` | Parallel search/extract/chat/research/enrich/dataset (FindAll). Backend-proxied. Exports `SearchResponse`/`SearchResultItem`. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/querit.rs` | Querit AI web search — direct `POST https://api.querit.ai/v1/search`, bearer auth. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/searxng.rs` | SearXNG self-hosted/private search — direct `GET <base>/search?format=json` against a user-configured endpoint. Normalizes to `{title,url,snippet,source}`. Exports `normalize_categories`, args/response types, `MAX_RESULTS`. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/seltz.rs` | Seltz web search — direct `POST https://api.seltz.ai/v1/search`, `x-api-key` auth. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/stock_prices.rs` | Market data (Alpha Vantage via backend `/agent-integrations/financial-apis/*`): quote, options, exchange-rate, crypto-series, commodity. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/tinyfish.rs` | TinyFish search / page fetch / goal-based browser-automation agent run. Backend-proxied. |
-| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/twilio.rs` | Outbound phone calls via backend Twilio (`twilio_call`, `ToolScope::CliRpcOnly`, `PermissionLevel::Execute`). |
-| `*_tests.rs` / inline `#[cfg(test)]` | Co-located tests for client, mod, test_support, and the apify/parallel/tinyfish tools (others use inline test modules). |
+| `src/openhuman/integrations/mod.rs` | Export-only module root. Re-exports `build_client`, `pricing_for_config`, `IntegrationClient`, pricing/envelope types, and `ToolScope`. |
+| `src/openhuman/integrations/client.rs` | `IntegrationClient` + `post`/`get`/`pricing`, backend URL sanitization, and client construction. |
+| `src/openhuman/integrations/types.rs` | Shared serde types for backend envelopes and pricing. |
+| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools.rs` | Aggregates and re-exports non-search integration tool modules. |
+| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/apify.rs` | Apify actor run + status + dataset results. |
+| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/google_places.rs` | Google Places search + details. |
+| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/stock_prices.rs` | Market data via backend financial APIs. |
+| `src/openhuman/integrations/tools/twilio.rs` | Outbound phone calls via backend Twilio. |
 
-## Public surface
+## Search Boundary
+
+Search-owned tools are in `src/openhuman/search/tools/`, including Parallel,
+Brave, Querit, SearXNG, Seltz, TinyFish, and the managed `WebSearchTool`.
+The search registry in `src/openhuman/search/registry.rs` decides which search
+tool surface is active for `search.engine`.
+
+## Public Surface
 
 From `src/openhuman/integrations/mod.rs`:
 
-- `IntegrationClient` — shared HTTP client; `new(backend_url, auth_token)`, async `post<T>(path, body)`, `get<T>(path)`, `pricing()`.
-- `build_client(&Config) -> Option<Arc<IntegrationClient>>` — constructs the client from resolved backend URL + session JWT, or `None` if signed out.
-- `pricing_for_config(&IntegrationClient, &Config) -> IntegrationPricing` — pricing fetch honouring Composio `direct` mode.
-- Types: `BackendResponse<T>`, `IntegrationPricing`, `IntegrationPricingEntry`, `PricingIntegrations`, `ToolScope` (re-exported from `tools::traits`).
-- Tool structs (via `tools.rs`): `ApifyRunActorTool`, `ApifyGetRunStatusTool`, `ApifyGetRunResultsTool`; `BraveWebSearchTool`, `BraveNewsSearchTool`, `BraveImageSearchTool`, `BraveVideoSearchTool`; `GooglePlacesSearchTool`, `GooglePlacesDetailsTool`; `ParallelSearchTool`, `ParallelExtractTool`, `ParallelChatTool`, `ParallelResearchTool`, `ParallelEnrichTool`, `ParallelDatasetTool` (+ `SearchResponse`, `SearchResultItem`); `QueritSearchTool`; `SearxngSearchTool` (+ `SearxngSearchArgs`, `SearxngSearchResponse`, `normalize_categories`, `SEARXNG_MAX_RESULTS`); `SeltzSearchTool`; `StockQuoteTool`, `StockOptionsTool`, `StockExchangeRateTool`, `StockCryptoSeriesTool`, `StockCommodityTool`; `TinyFishSearchTool`, `TinyFishFetchTool`, `TinyFishAgentRunTool`; `TwilioCallTool`.
+- `IntegrationClient`
+- `build_client(&Config) -> Option<Arc<IntegrationClient>>`
+- `pricing_for_config(&IntegrationClient, &Config) -> IntegrationPricing`
+- Types: `BackendResponse<T>`, `IntegrationPricing`, `IntegrationPricingEntry`, `PricingIntegrations`, `ToolScope`
+- Non-search tool structs via `tools.rs`
 
-## RPC / controllers
+## Agent Tools
 
-None. This module exposes no RPC controllers, `schemas.rs`, or `handle_*` functions. Its capabilities reach callers only as agent `Tool`s registered by the `tools` domain.
+Tools are constructed and registered by `src/openhuman/tools/ops.rs`, gated by
+`config.integrations.<provider>.is_active()` for Apify, Google Places,
+stock/market data, and Twilio. Search tools, including TinyFish, are governed
+by `src/openhuman/search/`.
 
-## Agent tools
+## Notes
 
-Owns the integration tool family listed above (each implements `crate::openhuman::tools::traits::Tool`). Tools are **not** self-registering here — they are constructed and registered by `src/openhuman/tools/ops.rs`, gated per-provider by `config.integrations.<provider>.is_active()` (apify, google_places, tinyfish, stock_prices, twilio) and, for search providers, governed by `search.engine`. `parallel` is parsed but its tools are selected via the search engine setting, not its own toggle. `twilio_call` is `ToolScope::CliRpcOnly` (excluded from the autonomous agent loop). Backend-proxied tools require a signed-in user (`build_client` → `Some`); direct-API tools (searxng/brave/querit/seltz) require their respective user-configured endpoint/key.
-
-## Events
-
-None — no `bus.rs`, no `EventHandler` impls, no `DomainEvent` publishes or subscriptions.
-
-## Persistence
-
-None — no `store.rs`. The only in-memory cache is the per-`IntegrationClient` pricing `OnceCell`, which is process-lifetime, non-persisted, and resets on rebuild.
-
-## Dependencies
-
-- `crate::openhuman::tools::traits` — `Tool`, `ToolResult`, `ToolCallOptions`, `ToolCategory`, `ToolScope`, `PermissionLevel`; the trait surface every integration tool implements.
-- `crate::core::observability` — `report_error_or_expected` / `expected_error_kind`; classify transport and user-state failures so user-environment errors skip Sentry.
-- `crate::openhuman::tls` — `tls_client_builder()` for platform-appropriate TLS (schannel on Windows, rustls elsewhere).
-- `crate::openhuman::util` — string truncation helpers (`truncate_at_byte_boundary`, `truncate_with_ellipsis`, `truncate_with_suffix`, `utf8_safe_prefix_at_byte_boundary`) for bounding error/log bodies.
-- `crate::openhuman::config` — root `Config`; `composio.mode` / `COMPOSIO_MODE_DIRECT` for the pricing short-circuit, and (read by `tools/ops.rs`) the `integrations.*` toggles.
-- `crate::api::config` — `api_url`, `effective_backend_api_url`, `effective_api_url`, `normalize_backend_api_base_url`, `redact_url_for_log`; backend URL resolution/sanitization/redaction.
-- `crate::api::jwt::get_session_token` — the app-session JWT used as the bearer for backend-proxied calls.
-
-## Used by
-
-- `src/openhuman/tools/{ops,mod,schemas}.rs` — registers the integration tools into the agent tool registry, gated by config.
-- `src/openhuman/tools/impl/network/web_search.rs` — web-search tool surface backed by integration providers.
-- `src/openhuman/learning/linkedin_enrichment.rs` — uses an integration (Apify-style enrichment) for LinkedIn data.
-- `src/openhuman/composio/*` — the Composio domain reuses `IntegrationClient` / `build_client` for its backend-proxied OAuth-integration calls.
-- `src/core/observability.rs` — references integration error-classification paths.
-- `src/openhuman/agent/harness/test_support.rs` — test wiring.
-
-## Notes / gotchas
-
-- **Two trust models.** Backend-proxied tools never see provider API keys (the backend holds them). Direct-API tools (searxng/brave/querit/seltz) send requests straight from the local core to a user-configured endpoint/key — callers must keep those base URLs trusted because traffic leaves the local process. The mod docstring calls this out.
-- **`backend_url` invariant.** `IntegrationClient::new` re-runs `sanitize_backend_url` as defense-in-depth (issue #2075 / Sentry `OPENHUMAN-TAURI-H6`/`-HN`): an inference-style `BACKEND_URL` (e.g. `…/openai/v1/chat/completions`) would otherwise concatenate onto every domain path and 404. It `warn!`s once when it has to fix up the input.
-- **Error classification.** Transport failures (DNS/TLS/connect/timeout) and user-state envelope errors (`success:false`, 4xx auth/input) are routed through `report_error_or_expected` and demoted to breadcrumbs; genuine backend bugs and 5xx still surface to Sentry.
-- **Pricing is best-effort.** `IntegrationClient::pricing()` returns a default empty struct on network error so tool registration never fails; in Composio `direct` mode `pricing_for_config` short-circuits to empty (no backend session, logs `[composio-direct]`).
-- **No sidecar / single client per build.** `build_client` returns a fresh `Arc<IntegrationClient>` (and a fresh pricing cache) each call; there is no global singleton.
+- Backend-proxied tools never see provider API keys; the backend holds them.
+- Direct search APIs such as SearXNG, Brave, Querit, and Seltz are intentionally
+  outside this module in `src/openhuman/search/`.
+- `IntegrationClient::new` re-runs backend URL sanitization as defense in depth.
+- `IntegrationClient::pricing()` returns empty pricing on network error so tool
+  registration does not fail.
diff --git a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools.rs b/src/openhuman/integrations/tools.rs
index cc1baf02f..63d2f34e4 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/integrations/tools.rs
@@ -1,34 +1,14 @@
 use super::IntegrationClient;
 
 mod apify;
-mod brave;
 mod google_places;
-mod parallel;
-mod querit;
-mod searxng;
-mod seltz;
 mod stock_prices;
-mod tinyfish;
 mod twilio;
 
 pub use apify::{ApifyGetRunResultsTool, ApifyGetRunStatusTool, ApifyRunActorTool};
-pub use brave::{
-    BraveImageSearchTool, BraveNewsSearchTool, BraveVideoSearchTool, BraveWebSearchTool,
-};
 pub use google_places::{GooglePlacesDetailsTool, GooglePlacesSearchTool};
-pub use parallel::{
-    ParallelChatTool, ParallelDatasetTool, ParallelEnrichTool, ParallelExtractTool,
-    ParallelResearchTool, ParallelSearchTool, SearchResponse, SearchResultItem,
-};
-pub use querit::QueritSearchTool;
-pub use searxng::{
-    normalize_categories, SearxngSearchArgs, SearxngSearchResponse, SearxngSearchTool,
-    MAX_RESULTS as SEARXNG_MAX_RESULTS,
-};
-pub use seltz::SeltzSearchTool;
 pub use stock_prices::{
     StockCommodityTool, StockCryptoSeriesTool, StockExchangeRateTool, StockOptionsTool,
     StockQuoteTool,
 };
-pub use tinyfish::{TinyFishAgentRunTool, TinyFishFetchTool, TinyFishSearchTool};
 pub use twilio::TwilioCallTool;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/mod.rs b/src/openhuman/mod.rs
index 1721c034c..29703cdd8 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/mod.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/mod.rs
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ pub mod runtime_node;
 pub mod runtime_python;
 pub mod scheduler_gate;
 pub mod screen_intelligence;
+pub mod search;
 pub mod security;
 pub mod service;
 pub mod skills;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/search/README.md b/src/openhuman/search/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d3dd8b95a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# Search Domain
+
+Top-level home for web search selection and agent-facing search tool registration.
+
+## Shape
+
+- `registry.rs` builds the active search tool surface from `Config.search`.
+- `engines/` contains one file per search engine (`managed`, `parallel`, `brave`, `querit`, and `disabled`) so provider-specific registration stays isolated.
+- `tools/` contains all search-owned agent tools: `WebSearchTool`, Parallel, Brave, Querit, SearXNG, Seltz, and TinyFish.
+- Search tools may use the shared `IntegrationClient` for backend-proxied requests, but their implementations live in this module.
+
+## Engine Behavior
+
+`search.engine` accepts:
+
+- `disabled` — register no search tools.
+- `managed` — register backend-proxied `web_search_tool`.
+- `parallel` — register the Parallel family plus `web_search_tool` when configured.
+- `brave` — register Brave web/news/image/video search when configured.
+- `querit` — register Querit search plus `web_search_tool` when configured.
+
+When search is disabled, search tools are absent from the agent runtime tool list, so they do not render in agent context.
diff --git a/src/openhuman/search/engines/brave.rs b/src/openhuman/search/engines/brave.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e05708492
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/engines/brave.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+use crate::openhuman::config::Config;
+use crate::openhuman::search::registry::SearchToolParams;
+use crate::openhuman::tools::Tool;
+
+pub(crate) fn build(root_config: &Config, params: SearchToolParams) -> Vec<Box<dyn Tool>> {
+    tracing::debug!("[search] active engine = brave (BYO direct API)");
+
+    let api_key = root_config.search.brave.api_key.clone();
+    vec![
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::BraveWebSearchTool::new(
+            api_key.clone(),
+            params.max_results,
+            params.timeout_secs,
+        )),
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::BraveNewsSearchTool::new(
+            api_key.clone(),
+            params.max_results,
+            params.timeout_secs,
+        )),
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::BraveImageSearchTool::new(
+            api_key.clone(),
+            params.max_results,
+            params.timeout_secs,
+        )),
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::BraveVideoSearchTool::new(
+            api_key,
+            params.max_results,
+            params.timeout_secs,
+        )),
+    ]
+}
diff --git a/src/openhuman/search/engines/disabled.rs b/src/openhuman/search/engines/disabled.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..40a9621aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/engines/disabled.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+use crate::openhuman::config::Config;
+use crate::openhuman::search::registry::SearchToolParams;
+use crate::openhuman::tools::Tool;
+
+pub(crate) fn build(_: &Config, _: SearchToolParams) -> Vec<Box<dyn Tool>> {
+    tracing::debug!("[search] disabled — no search tools registered");
+    Vec::new()
+}
diff --git a/src/openhuman/search/engines/managed.rs b/src/openhuman/search/engines/managed.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c52db94f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/engines/managed.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+use crate::openhuman::config::Config;
+use crate::openhuman::search::registry::SearchToolParams;
+use crate::openhuman::tools::Tool;
+
+pub(crate) fn build(root_config: &Config, params: SearchToolParams) -> Vec<Box<dyn Tool>> {
+    tracing::debug!(
+        requested = %root_config.search.requested_engine_str(),
+        "[search] active engine = managed (backend-proxied web_search)"
+    );
+
+    vec![Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::WebSearchTool::new(
+        crate::openhuman::integrations::build_client(root_config),
+        params.max_results,
+        params.timeout_secs,
+    ))]
+}
diff --git a/src/openhuman/search/engines/mod.rs b/src/openhuman/search/engines/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b14b5304c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/engines/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+pub(crate) mod brave;
+pub(crate) mod disabled;
+pub(crate) mod managed;
+pub(crate) mod parallel;
+pub(crate) mod querit;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/search/engines/parallel.rs b/src/openhuman/search/engines/parallel.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4ee5936d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/engines/parallel.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+use crate::openhuman::config::Config;
+use crate::openhuman::search::registry::SearchToolParams;
+use crate::openhuman::tools::Tool;
+
+pub(crate) fn build(root_config: &Config, params: SearchToolParams) -> Vec<Box<dyn Tool>> {
+    tracing::debug!("[search] active engine = parallel (BYO direct API)");
+
+    let client = crate::openhuman::integrations::build_client(root_config);
+    let Some(client) = client else {
+        tracing::warn!(
+            "[search] engine=parallel but no backend client — falling back to managed surface"
+        );
+        return vec![Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::WebSearchTool::new(
+            None,
+            params.max_results,
+            params.timeout_secs,
+        ))];
+    };
+
+    vec![
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::ParallelSearchTool::new(
+            Arc::clone(&client),
+        )),
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::ParallelExtractTool::new(
+            Arc::clone(&client),
+        )),
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::ParallelChatTool::new(
+            Arc::clone(&client),
+        )),
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::ParallelResearchTool::new(
+            Arc::clone(&client),
+        )),
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::ParallelEnrichTool::new(
+            Arc::clone(&client),
+        )),
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::ParallelDatasetTool::new(
+            Arc::clone(&client),
+        )),
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::WebSearchTool::new(
+            Some(Arc::clone(&client)),
+            params.max_results,
+            params.timeout_secs,
+        )),
+    ]
+}
diff --git a/src/openhuman/search/engines/querit.rs b/src/openhuman/search/engines/querit.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ae4e7cc83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/engines/querit.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+use crate::openhuman::config::Config;
+use crate::openhuman::search::registry::SearchToolParams;
+use crate::openhuman::tools::Tool;
+
+pub(crate) fn build(root_config: &Config, params: SearchToolParams) -> Vec<Box<dyn Tool>> {
+    tracing::debug!("[search] active engine = querit (BYO direct API)");
+
+    let api_key = root_config.search.querit.api_key.clone();
+    vec![
+        Box::new(
+            crate::openhuman::search::tools::QueritSearchTool::new_web_search_tool(
+                api_key.clone(),
+                None,
+                params.max_results,
+                params.timeout_secs,
+            ),
+        ),
+        Box::new(crate::openhuman::search::tools::QueritSearchTool::new(
+            api_key,
+            None,
+            params.max_results,
+            params.timeout_secs,
+        )),
+    ]
+}
diff --git a/src/openhuman/search/mod.rs b/src/openhuman/search/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3012e3ea3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+//! Unified search domain.
+//!
+//! This is the canonical home for web search selection and agent-facing search
+//! tool registration. Search provider implementations live under this module,
+//! even when they call shared backend-proxied integration infrastructure.
+
+pub mod registry;
+pub mod tools;
+
+pub(crate) mod engines;
+
+pub use registry::build_search_tools;
+pub use tools::WebSearchTool;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/search/registry.rs b/src/openhuman/search/registry.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b37d15b18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/registry.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+use crate::openhuman::config::{Config, SearchEngine};
+use crate::openhuman::tools::Tool;
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+use super::engines;
+
+#[derive(Clone, Copy)]
+pub(crate) struct SearchToolParams {
+    pub(crate) max_results: usize,
+    pub(crate) timeout_secs: u64,
+}
+
+/// Build the complete agent-facing search tool surface for the configured
+/// search engine.
+///
+/// Exactly one engine owns the canonical `web_search_tool` slot. When search is
+/// disabled, this returns an empty list so search tools are absent from both the
+/// agent prompt context and the runtime tool map.
+pub fn build_search_tools(root_config: &Config) -> Vec<Box<dyn Tool>> {
+    let search = &root_config.search;
+    let params = SearchToolParams {
+        max_results: search.max_results.clamp(1, 20),
+        timeout_secs: search.timeout_secs.max(1),
+    };
+
+    let engine = search.effective_engine();
+    let mut tools = match engine {
+        SearchEngine::Disabled => engines::disabled::build(root_config, params),
+        SearchEngine::Managed => engines::managed::build(root_config, params),
+        SearchEngine::Parallel => engines::parallel::build(root_config, params),
+        SearchEngine::Brave => engines::brave::build(root_config, params),
+        SearchEngine::Querit => engines::querit::build(root_config, params),
+    };
+
+    if engine != SearchEngine::Disabled {
+        tools.extend(build_backend_search_tools(root_config));
+    }
+
+    tools
+}
+
+fn build_backend_search_tools(root_config: &Config) -> Vec<Box<dyn Tool>> {
+    let Some(client) = crate::openhuman::integrations::build_client(root_config) else {
+        tracing::debug!("[search] no integration client — backend search tools skipped");
+        return Vec::new();
+    };
+
+    let mut tools: Vec<Box<dyn Tool>> = Vec::new();
+    if root_config.integrations.tinyfish.is_active() {
+        tools.push(Box::new(
+            crate::openhuman::search::tools::TinyFishSearchTool::new(Arc::clone(&client)),
+        ));
+        tools.push(Box::new(
+            crate::openhuman::search::tools::TinyFishFetchTool::new(Arc::clone(&client)),
+        ));
+        tools.push(Box::new(
+            crate::openhuman::search::tools::TinyFishAgentRunTool::new(Arc::clone(&client)),
+        ));
+        tracing::debug!("[search] registered tinyfish tools");
+    } else {
+        tracing::debug!("[search] tinyfish disabled — skipping");
+    }
+
+    tools
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use crate::openhuman::config::Config;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn disabled_engine_registers_no_search_tools() {
+        let mut cfg = Config::default();
+        cfg.search.engine = "disabled".to_string();
+
+        let tools = super::build_search_tools(&cfg);
+
+        assert!(tools.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn managed_engine_registers_unified_web_search_tool() {
+        let mut cfg = Config::default();
+        cfg.search.engine = "managed".to_string();
+
+        let tools = super::build_search_tools(&cfg);
+        let names = tools.iter().map(|tool| tool.name()).collect::<Vec<_>>();
+
+        assert_eq!(names, vec!["web_search_tool"]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn brave_engine_registers_brave_search_family() {
+        let mut cfg = Config::default();
+        cfg.search.engine = "brave".to_string();
+        cfg.search.brave.api_key = Some("test-key".to_string());
+
+        let tools = super::build_search_tools(&cfg);
+        let names = tools.iter().map(|tool| tool.name()).collect::<Vec<_>>();
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            names,
+            vec![
+                "web_search_tool",
+                "brave_news_search",
+                "brave_image_search",
+                "brave_video_search"
+            ]
+        );
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools/brave.rs b/src/openhuman/search/tools/brave.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from src/openhuman/integrations/tools/brave.rs
rename to src/openhuman/search/tools/brave.rs
diff --git a/src/openhuman/search/tools/mod.rs b/src/openhuman/search/tools/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a47912dba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/tools/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+mod brave;
+mod parallel;
+mod querit;
+mod searxng;
+mod seltz;
+mod tinyfish;
+mod web_search;
+
+pub use brave::{
+    BraveImageSearchTool, BraveNewsSearchTool, BraveVideoSearchTool, BraveWebSearchTool,
+};
+pub use parallel::{
+    ParallelChatTool, ParallelDatasetTool, ParallelEnrichTool, ParallelExtractTool,
+    ParallelResearchTool, ParallelSearchTool, SearchResponse, SearchResultItem,
+};
+pub use querit::QueritSearchTool;
+pub use searxng::{
+    normalize_categories, SearxngSearchArgs, SearxngSearchResponse, SearxngSearchTool,
+    MAX_RESULTS as SEARXNG_MAX_RESULTS,
+};
+pub use seltz::SeltzSearchTool;
+pub use tinyfish::{TinyFishAgentRunTool, TinyFishFetchTool, TinyFishSearchTool};
+pub use web_search::WebSearchTool;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools/parallel.rs b/src/openhuman/search/tools/parallel.rs
similarity index 99%
rename from src/openhuman/integrations/tools/parallel.rs
rename to src/openhuman/search/tools/parallel.rs
index f01cf1eac..12f8c52c3 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools/parallel.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/tools/parallel.rs
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 //!
 //! The backend handles Parallel API keys, billing, and rate limiting.
 
-use super::IntegrationClient;
+use crate::openhuman::integrations::IntegrationClient;
 use crate::openhuman::tools::traits::{Tool, ToolResult};
 use async_trait::async_trait;
 use serde::Deserialize;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools/parallel_tests.rs b/src/openhuman/search/tools/parallel_tests.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from src/openhuman/integrations/tools/parallel_tests.rs
rename to src/openhuman/search/tools/parallel_tests.rs
diff --git a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools/querit.rs b/src/openhuman/search/tools/querit.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from src/openhuman/integrations/tools/querit.rs
rename to src/openhuman/search/tools/querit.rs
diff --git a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools/searxng.rs b/src/openhuman/search/tools/searxng.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from src/openhuman/integrations/tools/searxng.rs
rename to src/openhuman/search/tools/searxng.rs
diff --git a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools/seltz.rs b/src/openhuman/search/tools/seltz.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from src/openhuman/integrations/tools/seltz.rs
rename to src/openhuman/search/tools/seltz.rs
diff --git a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools/tinyfish.rs b/src/openhuman/search/tools/tinyfish.rs
similarity index 99%
rename from src/openhuman/integrations/tools/tinyfish.rs
rename to src/openhuman/search/tools/tinyfish.rs
index b446f0e6b..33f105b5a 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools/tinyfish.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/tools/tinyfish.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 //! rate limits stay server-side. Search and Fetch are read-oriented tools;
 //! Agent runs execute browser workflows on remote websites.
 
-use super::IntegrationClient;
+use crate::openhuman::integrations::IntegrationClient;
 use crate::openhuman::tools::traits::{PermissionLevel, Tool, ToolCategory, ToolResult};
 use async_trait::async_trait;
 use serde::Deserialize;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/integrations/tools/tinyfish_tests.rs b/src/openhuman/search/tools/tinyfish_tests.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from src/openhuman/integrations/tools/tinyfish_tests.rs
rename to src/openhuman/search/tools/tinyfish_tests.rs
diff --git a/src/openhuman/tools/impl/network/web_search.rs b/src/openhuman/search/tools/web_search.rs
similarity index 99%
rename from src/openhuman/tools/impl/network/web_search.rs
rename to src/openhuman/search/tools/web_search.rs
index 29e6750e5..5e2f31798 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/tools/impl/network/web_search.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/search/tools/web_search.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
+use super::{SearchResponse, SearchResultItem, SeltzSearchTool};
 use crate::openhuman::integrations::IntegrationClient;
 use crate::openhuman::tools::traits::{Tool, ToolCallOptions, ToolResult};
-use crate::openhuman::tools::{SearchResponse, SearchResultItem, SeltzSearchTool};
 use async_trait::async_trait;
 use serde_json::{json, Value};
 use sha2::{Digest, Sha256};
diff --git a/src/openhuman/tools/README.md b/src/openhuman/tools/README.md
index 772ebbde4..7a1a9b9a5 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/tools/README.md
+++ b/src/openhuman/tools/README.md
@@ -34,7 +34,8 @@ The agent tool layer. Defines the core [`Tool`] trait every agent-callable capab
 | `src/openhuman/tools/impl/filesystem/` | `file_read`, `file_write`, `edit_file`, `apply_patch`, `grep`, `glob_search`, `list_files`, `read_diff`, `csv_export`, `git_operations`, `run_linter`, `run_tests`, `update_memory_md`. |
 | `src/openhuman/tools/impl/browser/` | `browser` (full automation, pluggable backend), `browser_open`, `screenshot`, `image_info`, image output, action parser, native backend, security. |
 | `src/openhuman/tools/impl/computer/` | `mouse`, `keyboard` (native control, default-off), human-path resolution. |
-| `src/openhuman/tools/impl/network/` | `http_request`, `web_fetch`, `curl`, `web_search`, `gitbooks` (search/get-page), `mcp` (list servers/tools, call), `mcp_setup` (5 setup-agent tools), `polymarket` (+ orders, CLOB auth), `gmail_unsubscribe`, `url_guard`. |
+| `src/openhuman/tools/impl/network/` | `http_request`, `web_fetch`, `curl`, `gitbooks` (search/get-page), `mcp` (list servers/tools, call), `mcp_setup` (5 setup-agent tools), `polymarket` (+ orders, CLOB auth), `gmail_unsubscribe`, `url_guard`. |
+| `src/openhuman/search/` | Search engine registry and search-owned agent tools such as `web_search`. |
 | `src/openhuman/tools/impl/system/` | `shell`, `node_exec`, `npm_exec`, `install_tool`, `detect_tools`, `current_time`, `schedule`, `proxy_config`, `pushover`, `lsp`, `tool_stats`, `update_check`, `update_apply`, `insert_sql_record`, `workspace_state`. |
 | `*_tests.rs` / `#[cfg(test)] mod tests` | Co-located/sibling unit tests across the module. |
 
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ The agent tool layer. Defines the core [`Tool`] trait every agent-callable capab
 - Policy: `ToolPolicy`, `DefaultToolPolicy`, `PolicyDecision`.
 - Schema: `SchemaCleanr`, `CleaningStrategy`.
 - Controllers: `all_tools_controller_schemas`, `all_tools_registered_controllers`.
-- All built-in tool structs (e.g. `ShellTool`, `FileReadTool`, `EditFileTool`, `GrepTool`, `BrowserTool`, `HttpRequestTool`, `CurlTool`, `WebSearchTool`, `LspTool`, …) via `pub use implementations::*`, plus re-exported domain tool sets.
+- All built-in tool structs (e.g. `ShellTool`, `FileReadTool`, `EditFileTool`, `GrepTool`, `BrowserTool`, `HttpRequestTool`, `CurlTool`, `WebSearchTool`, `LspTool`, …) via `pub use implementations::*`, plus re-exported domain tool sets such as `openhuman::search::tools::*`.
 - `filter_tools_by_user_preference` (crate-internal).
 
 ## RPC / controllers
@@ -71,7 +72,8 @@ This module **owns** the cross-cutting built-in tools (the only ones that belong
 - **Filesystem**: `file_read`, `file_write`, `edit_file`, `apply_patch`, `grep`, `glob`/`glob_search`, `list_files`, `read_diff`, `csv_export`, `git_operations`, `run_linter`, `run_tests`, `update_memory_md`.
 - **System/process**: `shell`, `node_exec`, `npm_exec`, `install_tool`, `detect_tools`, `current_time`, `schedule`, `proxy_config`, `pushover`, `lsp`, `tool_stats`, `update_check`, `update_apply`.
 - **Browser/computer**: `browser`, `browser_open`, `screenshot`, `image_info`, `mouse`, `keyboard`.
-- **Generic network**: `http_request`, `web_fetch`, `curl`, `web_search` (engine-selected), `gitbooks_search`/`gitbooks_get_page`, MCP bridge (`mcp` list/call), `mcp_setup` tools, `gmail_unsubscribe`.
+- **Generic network**: `http_request`, `web_fetch`, `curl`, `gitbooks_search`/`gitbooks_get_page`, MCP bridge (`mcp` list/call), `mcp_setup` tools, `gmail_unsubscribe`.
+- **Search**: `web_search` and provider-specific search families are registered by `openhuman::search::registry`; `search.engine = "disabled"` suppresses this surface entirely.
 
 Domain-owned tools (memory, cron, wallet, composio, codegraph, integrations, whatsapp_data, audio_toolkit, agent sub-dispatch like `spawn_subagent`/`delegate`/`todo`/`plan_exit`/`run_skill`) are **registered** in `all_tools` but implemented in their respective domains and only re-exported through this module.
 
@@ -87,6 +89,7 @@ None. No `store.rs`; the module holds no persisted state. Tools that persist (me
 
 - `openhuman::agent` — `host_runtime` (`RuntimeAdapter`/`NativeRuntime`), `tool_policy::GeneratedToolRuntimeContext`, harness definitions (`AgentDefinition`, `SubagentEntry`) for orchestrator tool synthesis, and the agent-owned dispatch tools re-exported here.
 - `openhuman::config` — `Config`, `BrowserConfig`, `HttpRequestConfig`, `SearchEngine`, `DelegateAgentConfig`; drives all registration gating and `config::rpc::load_config_with_timeout` in RPC handlers.
+- `openhuman::search` — active search engine registry and search-owned tool implementations.
 - `openhuman::security` — `SecurityPolicy` (host/path/command gating threaded into nearly every tool) + `AuditLogger`.
 - `openhuman::memory` — `Memory` trait, injected into memory/preference/stats tools.
 - `openhuman::integrations` — `build_client` backend HTTP client + the integration tool structs (apify, brave, parallel, stock, twilio, tinyfish, google_places, querit, seltz, searxng).
diff --git a/src/openhuman/tools/impl/network/mod.rs b/src/openhuman/tools/impl/network/mod.rs
index 41caf6934..b0cf2dc9a 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/tools/impl/network/mod.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/tools/impl/network/mod.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ mod polymarket;
 mod polymarket_orders;
 mod url_guard;
 mod web_fetch;
-mod web_search;
 
 pub use curl::CurlTool;
 pub use gitbooks::{GitbooksGetPageTool, GitbooksSearchTool};
@@ -22,4 +21,3 @@ pub use mcp_setup::{
 };
 pub use polymarket::PolymarketTool;
 pub use web_fetch::WebFetchTool;
-pub use web_search::WebSearchTool;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/tools/mod.rs b/src/openhuman/tools/mod.rs
index b74df9e9b..506f7658f 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/tools/mod.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/tools/mod.rs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ pub use crate::openhuman::composio::tools::*;
 pub use crate::openhuman::cron::tools::*;
 pub use crate::openhuman::integrations::tools::*;
 pub use crate::openhuman::memory::tools::*;
+pub use crate::openhuman::search::tools::*;
 pub use crate::openhuman::wallet::tools::*;
 pub use crate::openhuman::whatsapp_data::tools::*;
 pub use implementations::*;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/tools/ops.rs b/src/openhuman/tools/ops.rs
index 3735e09e3..eb078afeb 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/tools/ops.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/tools/ops.rs
@@ -351,126 +351,7 @@ pub fn all_tools_with_runtime(
         tracing::debug!("[mcp_client] no MCP servers registered — bridge tools skipped");
     }
 
-    // ── Unified search engine ───────────────────────────────────────
-    //
-    // Exactly one engine drives `web_search_tool` plus any
-    // engine-specific tools (Parallel research/extract/etc., Brave
-    // news/image/video, Querit advanced filters). Mirrors the
-    // LLM-provider API-key model: a single switch, BYO credentials,
-    // layered tool surface.
-    //
-    // Legacy `seltz` / `searxng` config blocks are still parsed but
-    // no longer register tools — they were superseded by this
-    // selector. Use `search.engine = "managed" | "parallel" | "brave"
-    // | "querit"` instead.
-    {
-        use crate::openhuman::config::SearchEngine;
-        let search = &root_config.search;
-        let max_results = search.max_results.clamp(1, 20);
-        let timeout_secs = search.timeout_secs.max(1);
-        match search.effective_engine() {
-            SearchEngine::Managed => {
-                tracing::debug!(
-                    requested = %search.requested_engine_str(),
-                    "[search] active engine = managed (backend-proxied web_search)"
-                );
-                tools.push(Box::new(WebSearchTool::new(
-                    crate::openhuman::integrations::build_client(root_config),
-                    max_results,
-                    timeout_secs,
-                )));
-            }
-            SearchEngine::Parallel => {
-                tracing::debug!("[search] active engine = parallel (BYO direct API)");
-                // Direct-mode Parallel still goes through the
-                // backend-proxy client today; the BYO key is stored on
-                // the integration client so the upstream tools can
-                // pick it up once direct Parallel routing lands.
-                let client = crate::openhuman::integrations::build_client(root_config);
-                if let Some(client) = client {
-                    tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::ParallelSearchTool::new(
-                        Arc::clone(&client),
-                    )));
-                    tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::ParallelExtractTool::new(
-                        Arc::clone(&client),
-                    )));
-                    tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::ParallelChatTool::new(
-                        Arc::clone(&client),
-                    )));
-                    tools.push(Box::new(
-                        crate::openhuman::tools::ParallelResearchTool::new(Arc::clone(&client)),
-                    ));
-                    tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::ParallelEnrichTool::new(
-                        Arc::clone(&client),
-                    )));
-                    tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::ParallelDatasetTool::new(
-                        Arc::clone(&client),
-                    )));
-                    // Layer the unified web_search slot too so the
-                    // agent's default research path keeps working.
-                    tools.push(Box::new(WebSearchTool::new(
-                        Some(Arc::clone(&client)),
-                        max_results,
-                        timeout_secs,
-                    )));
-                } else {
-                    tracing::warn!(
-                        "[search] engine=parallel but no backend client — falling back to managed surface"
-                    );
-                    tools.push(Box::new(WebSearchTool::new(
-                        None,
-                        max_results,
-                        timeout_secs,
-                    )));
-                }
-            }
-            SearchEngine::Brave => {
-                tracing::debug!("[search] active engine = brave (BYO direct API)");
-                let api_key = search.brave.api_key.clone();
-                tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::BraveWebSearchTool::new(
-                    api_key.clone(),
-                    max_results,
-                    timeout_secs,
-                )));
-                tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::BraveNewsSearchTool::new(
-                    api_key.clone(),
-                    max_results,
-                    timeout_secs,
-                )));
-                tools.push(Box::new(
-                    crate::openhuman::tools::BraveImageSearchTool::new(
-                        api_key.clone(),
-                        max_results,
-                        timeout_secs,
-                    ),
-                ));
-                tools.push(Box::new(
-                    crate::openhuman::tools::BraveVideoSearchTool::new(
-                        api_key,
-                        max_results,
-                        timeout_secs,
-                    ),
-                ));
-            }
-            SearchEngine::Querit => {
-                tracing::debug!("[search] active engine = querit (BYO direct API)");
-                tools.push(Box::new(
-                    crate::openhuman::tools::QueritSearchTool::new_web_search_tool(
-                        search.querit.api_key.clone(),
-                        None,
-                        max_results,
-                        timeout_secs,
-                    ),
-                ));
-                tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::QueritSearchTool::new(
-                    search.querit.api_key.clone(),
-                    None,
-                    max_results,
-                    timeout_secs,
-                )));
-            }
-        }
-    }
+    tools.extend(crate::openhuman::search::build_search_tools(root_config));
 
     // Managed Node.js exec tools — gated on `root_config.node.enabled`.
     // Both share the same `NodeBootstrap` as ShellTool so the download +
@@ -569,20 +450,8 @@ pub fn all_tools_with_runtime(
                 "[integrations] parallel toggle is active but tools are governed by search.engine now"
             );
         }
-        if root_config.integrations.tinyfish.is_active() {
-            tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::TinyFishSearchTool::new(
-                Arc::clone(&client),
-            )));
-            tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::TinyFishFetchTool::new(
-                Arc::clone(&client),
-            )));
-            tools.push(Box::new(
-                crate::openhuman::tools::TinyFishAgentRunTool::new(Arc::clone(&client)),
-            ));
-            tracing::debug!("[integrations] registered tinyfish tools");
-        } else {
-            tracing::debug!("[integrations] tinyfish disabled — skipping");
-        }
+        // TinyFish is search-owned and registers through the unified search
+        // surface above so `search.engine = "disabled"` suppresses it too.
         if root_config.integrations.stock_prices.is_active() {
             tools.push(Box::new(crate::openhuman::tools::StockQuoteTool::new(
                 Arc::clone(&client),
diff --git a/src/openhuman/tools/ops_tests.rs b/src/openhuman/tools/ops_tests.rs
index 8ecc32ec1..30e963a0a 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/tools/ops_tests.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/tools/ops_tests.rs
@@ -1019,6 +1019,51 @@ fn all_tools_registers_querit_engine_when_enabled() {
     assert_contains_all(&names, &["web_search_tool", "querit_search"]);
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn all_tools_omits_search_surface_when_search_is_disabled() {
+    let tmp = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let security = Arc::new(SecurityPolicy::default());
+    let mem = test_memory(&tmp);
+    let browser = BrowserConfig::default();
+    let http = crate::openhuman::config::HttpRequestConfig::default();
+    let mut cfg = test_config(&tmp);
+    cfg.api_url = Some("https://backend.example.test".to_string());
+    cfg.search.engine = crate::openhuman::config::SEARCH_ENGINE_DISABLED.into();
+    cfg.search.brave.api_key = Some("test-brave-key".into());
+    cfg.search.querit.api_key = Some("test-querit-key".into());
+    cfg.integrations.tinyfish.enabled = true;
+    store_test_session_token(&cfg);
+
+    let tools = all_tools(
+        Arc::new(cfg.clone()),
+        &security,
+        AuditLogger::disabled(),
+        mem,
+        &browser,
+        &http,
+        tmp.path(),
+        &HashMap::new(),
+        &cfg,
+    );
+    let names = tool_names(&tools);
+
+    for search_tool in [
+        "web_search_tool",
+        "brave_news_search",
+        "brave_image_search",
+        "brave_video_search",
+        "querit_search",
+        "tinyfish_search",
+        "tinyfish_fetch",
+        "tinyfish_agent_run",
+    ] {
+        assert!(
+            !names.iter().any(|name| name == search_tool),
+            "did not expect search tool `{search_tool}` when search is disabled; got: {names:?}"
+        );
+    }
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn all_tools_executes_apify_family_against_fake_backend() {
     let backend = integration_test_support::spawn_fake_integration_backend().await;
diff --git a/src/openhuman/tools/schemas.rs b/src/openhuman/tools/schemas.rs
index bd75b6647..9c29db2da 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/tools/schemas.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/tools/schemas.rs
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ use serde_json::{json, Map, Value};
 use crate::core::all::{ControllerFuture, RegisteredController};
 use crate::core::{ControllerSchema, FieldSchema, TypeSchema};
 use crate::openhuman::config::rpc as config_rpc;
+use crate::openhuman::search::tools::SEARXNG_MAX_RESULTS;
 use crate::openhuman::tools::traits::Tool;
-use crate::openhuman::tools::SEARXNG_MAX_RESULTS;
 use crate::rpc::RpcOutcome;
 
 pub fn all_controller_schemas() -> Vec<ControllerSchema> {
@@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ fn handle_web_search(params: Map<String, Value>) -> ControllerFuture {
         });
 
         let resp = client
-            .post::<crate::openhuman::tools::SearchResponse>(
+            .post::<crate::openhuman::search::tools::SearchResponse>(
                 "/agent-integrations/parallel/search",
                 &body,
             )
@@ -568,7 +568,7 @@ fn handle_seltz_search(params: Map<String, Value>) -> ControllerFuture {
             "[rpc][tools.seltz_search] start"
         );
 
-        let tool = crate::openhuman::tools::SeltzSearchTool::new(
+        let tool = crate::openhuman::search::tools::SeltzSearchTool::new(
             config.seltz.api_key.clone(),
             config.seltz.api_url.clone(),
             max_results,
@@ -650,7 +650,7 @@ fn handle_querit_search(params: Map<String, Value>) -> ControllerFuture {
             "[rpc][tools.querit_search] start"
         );
 
-        let tool = crate::openhuman::tools::QueritSearchTool::new(
+        let tool = crate::openhuman::search::tools::QueritSearchTool::new(
             config.search.querit.api_key.clone(),
             None,
             max_results,
@@ -729,7 +729,7 @@ fn handle_searxng_search(params: Map<String, Value>) -> ControllerFuture {
             "[rpc][tools.searxng_search] start"
         );
 
-        let tool = crate::openhuman::tools::SearxngSearchTool::new(
+        let tool = crate::openhuman::search::tools::SearxngSearchTool::new(
             config.searxng.base_url.clone(),
             config.searxng.max_results,
             config.searxng.default_language.clone(),
@@ -737,7 +737,7 @@ fn handle_searxng_search(params: Map<String, Value>) -> ControllerFuture {
         );
 
         let response = tool
-            .search(crate::openhuman::tools::SearxngSearchArgs {
+            .search(crate::openhuman::search::tools::SearxngSearchArgs {
                 query,
                 categories,
                 language,