---
source_url: "https://github.com/crewAIInc/crewAI/issues/6088"
title: Issue · GitHub
mirrored_at: 2026-08-15T15:04:34.663Z
host: github.com
cited_in_42a: true
mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/github.com/crewAIInc/crewAI/issues/6088"
---

> **Original source:** https://github.com/crewAIInc/crewAI/issues/6088

### Summary

I would like to propose adding an **iFlow Search tool suite** to `lib/crewai-tools/`.

The proposed suite follows the endpoint-specific pattern used by Brave Search:

Tool class

iFlow capability

Proposed CrewAI tool name

`IFlowWebSearchTool`

Web search

`iflow_web_search`

`IFlowImageSearchTool`

Image search

`iflow_image_search`

`IFlowWebFetchTool`

Web page fetch / URL content extraction

`iflow_web_fetch`

iFlow Search provides search APIs for AI agents, including web search, image search, and web page fetching. A standalone CrewAI adapter already exists as [`iflow-search-crewai==0.1.0`](https://pypi.org/project/iflow-search-crewai/0.1.0/); this proposal is for native in-tree tools for `crewai[tools]` users.

### Motivation

CrewAI already supports several search and research tools, including Tavily and Brave Search. iFlow Search fits the same tool category:

-   web search for current information retrieval;
-   image search as a differentiated capability;
-   URL content extraction via web fetch;
-   Python-first integration through the maintained `iflow-search` SDK;
-   lower friction for users who prefer native `crewai_tools` over MCP stdio configuration.

### Non-goals

-   This is **not** a request for an AMP / Studio provider tile.
-   This does not add News, Video, or Research tools because iFlow Search does not expose matching endpoints today.
-   This would not require users to configure MCP.

### Related work

-   Complementary MCP docs PR: [docs(tools/search-research): add iFlow Search MCP (community) #5928](https://github.com/crewAIInc/crewAI/pull/5928) (stdio / MCP route — not a replacement for native `BaseTool` integration).
-   Structural precedent: Brave Search tool suite, for example [Introduce more Brave Search tools #4446](https://github.com/crewAIInc/crewAI/pull/4446).
-   Dependency pattern precedent: Tavily tools + external SDK (`iflow-search` for iFlow).

### Proposed implementation

Add a new tool suite under:

```
lib/crewai-tools/src/crewai_tools/tools/iflow_search_tool/
```

Proposed public imports:

from crewai\_tools import (
    IFlowWebSearchTool,
    IFlowImageSearchTool,
    IFlowWebFetchTool,
)

Proposed configuration:

-   required env var: `IFLOW_API_KEY`
-   optional: `IFLOW_BASE_URL`, defaulting to `https://platform.iflow.cn`
-   package dependency: `iflow-search>=0.1.0,<0.2`

The implementation would use the core `iflow-search` SDK directly rather than depending on the standalone `iflow-search-crewai` adapter.

### Documentation

I can add a single suite page, similar in spirit to the Brave Search docs page:

```
docs/en/tools/search-research/iflowsearchtools.mdx
```

The page would include:

-   a three-tool suite table;
-   install/config instructions;
-   examples for each tool;
-   an Agent + Task example;
-   a note that this is a native CrewAI tool integration, not an AMP provider tile.

### Metadata / specs

I can include or regenerate the relevant `tool.specs.json` changes if maintainers prefer that in the same PR, or leave that to the existing generation workflow (`.github/workflows/generate-tool-specs.yml`) if that is the preferred process.

### Affiliation

I maintain iFlow Search SDK integrations. Relevant links:

-   iFlow API docs: [https://platform.iflow.cn/docs/](https://platform.iflow.cn/docs/)
-   standalone CrewAI adapter: `iflow-search-crewai==0.1.0`
-   core SDK dependency: `iflow-search>=0.1.0,<0.2`

### Questions for maintainers

1.  Would you prefer this as one suite PR, or separate PRs for tools and docs?
2.  Is the Brave-style endpoint-specific suite structure acceptable for iFlow?
3.  Should the CrewAI tool names be snake\_case (`iflow_web_search`) for consistency with existing iFlow adapters, or human-readable (`iFlow Web Search`) for consistency with some existing CrewAI tools?
4.  Should `IFLOW_BASE_URL` be exposed in tool metadata, or only as a constructor option?
5.  Should a small helper such as `create_iflow_search_tools()` be included, or should the upstream PR only export the three tool classes?

cc [@greysonlalonde](https://github.com/greysonlalonde) for tools/docs ownership visibility, if this is the right area.