​
Introduction

Vercel AI SDK provides a comprehensive framework for building AI applications with tools, making it easy to incorporate real-time web search and data extraction into your applications.

​
Step-by-Step Integration Guide

​
Step 1: Install Required Packages

Install the necessary packages: 
npm install ai @ai-sdk/openai @tavily/core zod

​
Step 2: Set Up API Keys

Set these as environment variables: 
export TAVILY_API_KEY=your_tavily_api_key
export OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key

​
Step 3: Initialize Your AI Agent

import { generateText } from 'ai';
import { openai } from '@ai-sdk/openai';

const { text } = await generateText({
  model: openai('gpt-4o-mini'),
  prompt: 'Research the latest trends in renewable energy technology',
  tools: {
    webSearch,
  },
  maxSteps: 3,
});

​
Step 4: Example Use Cases

// Example 1: News research
const newsResult = await generateText({
  model: openai('gpt-4o-mini'),
  prompt: 'What are the top technology news stories from this week?',
  tools: { webSearch },
  maxSteps: 2,
});

// Example 2: Market analysis
const marketResult = await generateText({
  model: openai('gpt-4o-mini'),
  prompt: 'Analyze the current state of the electric vehicle market',
  tools: { advancedWebSearch },
  maxSteps: 3,
});

​
Web Search Tool Implementation

Here’s how to create a web search tool using Tavily with Vercel AI SDK: 
import { generateText, tool, stepCountIs } from 'ai';
import { openai } from '@ai-sdk/openai';
import { z } from 'zod';
import { tavily } from '@tavily/core';

export const tavilyClient = tavily(process.env.TAVILY_API_KEY);

export const webSearch = tool({
  description: 'Search the web for up-to-date information',
  inputSchema: z.object({
    query: z.string().min(1).max(100).describe('The search query')
  }),
  execute: async ({query}) => {
    const response = await tavilyClient.search(query)
    return response.results.map(result => ({
      title: result.title,
      url: result.url,
      content: result.content,
      score: result.score,
    }));
  },
});

const { text } = await generateText({
  model: openai('gpt-4o-mini'), // can be any model that supports tools
  prompt: 'What happened in New York City last week?',
  tools: {
    webSearch,
  },
  stopWhen: stepCountIs(5),
});

console.log(text);

​
Advanced Configuration

For more sophisticated use cases, you can enhance the tool with additional Tavily parameters: 
import { generateText, tool, stepCountIs } from 'ai';
import { openai } from '@ai-sdk/openai';
import { z } from 'zod';
import { tavily } from '@tavily/core';

export const tavilyClient = tavily(process.env.TAVILY_API_KEY);

export const AdvancedwebSearch = tool({
  description: 'Search the web for up-to-date information',
  inputSchema: z.object({
    query: z.string().min(1).max(100).describe('The search query'),
    maxResults: z.number().min(1).max(20).optional().describe('Maximum number of results to return'),
    searchDepth: z.enum(['basic', 'advanced']).optional().describe('Search depth level'),
    timeRange: z.enum(['week']).optional().describe('Time range for search results'),
  }),
  execute: async ({ 
    query, 
    maxResults = 5, 
    searchDepth = 'advanced',
    timeRange = 'week',
  }) => {
    const response = await tavilyClient.search(query, {
      max_results: maxResults,
      search_depth: searchDepth,
      time_range: timeRange,
    });
    return response.results.map(result => ({
      title: result.title,
      url: result.url,
      content: result.content,
      score: result.score,
    }));
  },
});

const { text } = await generateText({
  model: openai('gpt-4o-mini'), // can be any model that supports tools
  prompt: 'What happened in New York City last week?',
  tools: {
    AdvancedwebSearch,
  },
  stopWhen: stepCountIs(5),
});

console.log(text);

​
Benefits of Tavily + Vercel AI SDK

  • Real-time Information: Access up-to-date web content for your AI agents
  • Optimized for LLMs: Search results are specifically formatted for language models
  • Comprehensive Coverage: Search across multiple sources with advanced filtering
  • Easy Integration: Simple tool-based approach that works seamlessly with Vercel AI SDK
  • Flexible Configuration: Customize search parameters to match your specific needs