feat(websearch): finish managed third-party rollout

- steer third-party launches toward the managed WebSearch MCP tool

- add opt-in trace diagnostics across launch, MCP, provider, and headless paths

- extend docs and regression coverage for the first-class runtime

Refs #862

README.md

@@ -147,6 +147,9 @@ The dashboard provides visual management for all account types:
 
 **Ollama Integration**: Run local open-source models (qwen3-coder, gpt-oss:20b) with full privacy. Use `ccs api create --preset ollama` - requires [Ollama v0.14.0+](https://ollama.com) installed. For cloud models, use `ccs api create --preset ollama-cloud`.
 
+> **Third-party WebSearch steering:** Claude-backed third-party launches keep Anthropic's native `WebSearch` disabled, expose `ccs-websearch.WebSearch`, and append a short system hint so Claude prefers that managed tool over ad hoc Bash or `curl` lookups whenever current web information is needed.
+> Setting `websearch.enabled: false` disables the managed local runtime, but CCS still suppresses Anthropic's native `WebSearch` on third-party backends because those providers cannot execute it correctly.
+
 > **Copilot config behavior:** Opening the dashboard or other read-only Copilot endpoints does not rewrite `~/.ccs/copilot.settings.json`. If CCS detects deprecated Copilot model IDs such as `raptor-mini`, it shows warnings immediately and only persists replacements when you explicitly save the Copilot configuration.
 
 **llama.cpp Integration**: Run a local llama.cpp OpenAI-compatible server and create a profile with `ccs api create --preset llamacpp`. CCS defaults to `http://127.0.0.1:8080`, matching the standard llama.cpp server port.
@@ -637,11 +640,11 @@ Third-party profiles (Gemini, Codex, GLM, etc.) cannot use Anthropic's native We
 | Profile Type | WebSearch Method |
 |--------------|------------------|
 | Claude (native) | Anthropic WebSearch API |
-| Third-party profiles | CCS local MCP search tool |
+| Third-party profiles | CCS local MCP `WebSearch` tool |
 
 ### Local Search Backend Chain
 
-For third-party profiles, Claude uses the managed `ccs-websearch` MCP tool. CCS then routes that request through deterministic search providers in this order:
+For third-party profiles, Claude uses the managed `ccs-websearch.WebSearch` MCP tool. The tool is intentionally named to match the native `WebSearch` concept, which helps Claude prefer it over ad hoc Bash or `curl` fetches. CCS then routes that request through deterministic search providers in this order:
 
 | Priority | Provider | Setup | Notes |
 |----------|----------|-------|-------|
@@ -675,6 +678,9 @@ websearch:
 > **DuckDuckGo** still works out of the box. Add **Exa**, **Tavily**, or **Brave Search** if you want API-backed results, then keep Gemini/OpenCode/Grok only if you explicitly want legacy fallback behavior.
 > CCS manages the user-scope MCP entry in `~/.claude.json` and syncs it into isolated account configs when needed.
 
+> [!NOTE]
+> Set `CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE=1` to write correlated launch, MCP, provider, and headless summary records to `~/.ccs/logs/websearch-trace.jsonl`. That trace is designed to answer whether CCS exposed the managed tool, whether Claude called it, which provider won, and when a headless run likely bypassed it via `Bash` or `WebFetch`.
+
 See [docs/websearch.md](./docs/websearch.md) for detailed configuration and troubleshooting.
 
 <br>

docs/websearch.md

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Native Claude subscription accounts still use Anthropic's server-side WebSearch
 
 ### Third-Party Profiles
 
-Third-party profiles cannot execute Anthropic's server-side WebSearch because the tool never reaches their backend. CCS now solves that by provisioning a first-class local MCP tool, suppressing native `WebSearch` for those launches, and running real local search providers directly.
+Third-party profiles cannot execute Anthropic's server-side WebSearch because the tool never reaches their backend. CCS now solves that by provisioning a first-class local MCP tool, suppressing native `WebSearch` for those launches, appending a short launch-time steering hint, and running real local search providers directly.
 
 ## Architecture
 
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ Third-party profiles cannot execute Anthropic's server-side WebSearch because th
 │       └── Third-party Profile? → native WebSearch disabled  │
 │                                   │                          │
 │                                   └── CCS MCP tool           │
-│                                       ccs-websearch.search   │
+│                                    ccs-websearch.WebSearch  │
 │                                              │               │
 │                                              ├── 1. Exa      │
 │                                              ├── 2. Tavily   │
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ The previous design asked another model CLI to perform web search and summarize
 
 The new flow matches the `goclaw` model more closely: web search is treated as a first-class deterministic capability, not an LLM-to-LLM workaround or a denied native tool call.
 
+The managed MCP tool is exposed as `ccs-websearch.WebSearch`, not a generic `search` helper. That naming is deliberate: it gives Claude a tool that matches the native `WebSearch` concept more directly, which should reduce cases where the model reaches for ad hoc Bash or `curl` fetches instead.
+
+CCS also appends a third-party-only `--append-system-prompt` hint telling Claude to prefer that managed `WebSearch` tool for web lookups and current-information requests. This is soft steering only: if the user explicitly asks for shell commands, or the tool is unavailable, Claude can still fall back to Bash/network tools.
+That shared launch helper applies to normal third-party settings profiles, CLIProxy/Copilot-backed Claude launches, and CCS headless/delegation runs that execute through a settings profile.
+
+`websearch.enabled: false` disables the managed local runtime, but CCS still suppresses Anthropic's native `WebSearch` on third-party profiles. That native tool cannot be satisfied by Exa, Tavily, Brave, DuckDuckGo, or other non-Anthropic backends, so CCS avoids sending a broken native-tool request and lets Claude fall back to normal shell/network tools instead.
+
 ## Providers
 
 | Provider | Type | Setup | Default | Notes |
@@ -108,6 +115,8 @@ websearch:
       timeout: 55
 ```
 
+Note: `enabled: false` stops provisioning the managed local `ccs-websearch.WebSearch` runtime. It does not re-enable Anthropic's native `WebSearch` for third-party backends.
+
 ## Environment Variables
 
 | Variable | Description |
@@ -118,6 +127,8 @@ websearch:
 | `GROK_API_KEY` | Required only for legacy Grok CLI fallback |
 | `CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP` | Disable the CCS local WebSearch runtime for the current process |
 | `CCS_DEBUG` | Verbose WebSearch runtime logging |
+| `CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE` | Write opt-in JSONL trace records under `~/.ccs/logs/websearch-trace.jsonl` |
+| `CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_FILE` | Override the trace file path (must stay inside `~/.ccs/`, `/tmp`, or `/var/log`) |
 
 ## Managed Runtime Files
 
@@ -148,12 +159,23 @@ If the dashboard says the key is stored but still not ready, check whether `Sett
 
 Those providers remain supported, but they are no longer the primary path. Enable them explicitly in `config.yaml` if you want them as last-resort fallback.
 
+### I need to see whether CCS exposed WebSearch or the model bypassed it
+
+Run the launch with `CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE=1` (or `CCS_DEBUG=1`). CCS writes a JSONL trace to `~/.ccs/logs/websearch-trace.jsonl` with:
+
+1. source-side launch records from CCS (`ccs_websearch_launch`)
+2. MCP exposure and call records (`mcp_initialize`, `mcp_tools_list`, `mcp_tool_call_*`)
+3. provider attempt and winner records (`websearch_provider_attempt`, `websearch_provider_success`)
+4. session summaries (`mcp_session_summary`, and headless `headless_websearch_summary` when applicable)
+
+Queries are fingerprinted (`queryHash`, `queryLength`) instead of logged raw by default. For headless/delegation runs, `headless_websearch_summary.likelyBypassed=true` means the MCP tool was exposed, no WebSearch call occurred, and Claude fell back to `Bash` or `WebFetch`.
+
 ### WebSearch returns no results
 
 1. Check `websearch.enabled: true`
 2. Keep DuckDuckGo enabled unless you have a strong reason to disable it
 3. If using Exa, Tavily, or Brave, verify the matching API key
-4. Run with `CCS_DEBUG=1` for runtime logs
+4. Run with `CCS_DEBUG=1` for runtime logs, or `CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE=1` for correlated launch/MCP/provider traces
 
 ## Security Considerations
 

lib/hooks/websearch-transformer.cjs

@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@
  */
 
 const { spawnSync } = require('child_process');
+const { createHash } = require('crypto');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
 
 const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
 const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SEC = 55;
@@ -64,12 +67,96 @@ function debug(message) {
   }
 }
 
-function shouldSkipHook() {
+function getCcsDirPath() {
-  if (process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP === '1') return true;
+  if ((process.env.CCS_DIR || '').trim()) {
+    return path.resolve(process.env.CCS_DIR.trim());
+  }
+
+  if ((process.env.CCS_HOME || '').trim()) {
+    return path.join(path.resolve(process.env.CCS_HOME.trim()), '.ccs');
+  }
+
+  const home = (process.env.HOME || process.env.USERPROFILE || '').trim();
+  if (home) {
+    return path.join(home, '.ccs');
+  }
+
+  return path.join(process.cwd(), '.ccs');
+}
+
+function isTraceEnabled() {
+  return process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE === '1' || process.env.CCS_DEBUG === '1';
+}
+
+function getTraceFilePath() {
+  const fallback = path.join(getCcsDirPath(), 'logs', 'websearch-trace.jsonl');
+  const configured = (process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_FILE || '').trim();
+  if (!configured) {
+    return fallback;
+  }
+
+  const resolved = path.resolve(configured);
+  const safePrefixes = [
+    `${path.resolve(getCcsDirPath())}${path.sep}`,
+    `${path.resolve(process.env.HOME || process.env.USERPROFILE || process.cwd())}${path.sep}`,
+    '/tmp/',
+    '/var/log/',
+  ];
+
+  if (safePrefixes.some((prefix) => resolved.startsWith(prefix))) {
+    return resolved;
+  }
+
+  return fallback;
+}
+
+function traceWebSearchEvent(event, payload = {}) {
+  if (!isTraceEnabled()) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const traceFilePath = getTraceFilePath();
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(traceFilePath), { recursive: true });
+    fs.appendFileSync(
+      traceFilePath,
+      JSON.stringify({
+        at: new Date().toISOString(),
+        event,
+        launchId: process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCH_ID || null,
+        launcher: process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCHER || null,
+        profileType: process.env.CCS_PROFILE_TYPE || null,
+        pid: process.pid,
+        ...payload,
+      }) + '\n',
+      'utf8'
+    );
+  } catch {
+    // Best-effort only.
+  }
+}
+
+function getQueryFingerprint(query) {
+  const normalizedQuery = typeof query === 'string' ? query.trim() : '';
+  return {
+    queryHash: normalizedQuery
+      ? createHash('sha256').update(normalizedQuery).digest('hex').slice(0, 16)
+      : null,
+    queryLength: normalizedQuery.length,
+  };
+}
+
+function getSkipReason() {
+  if (process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP === '1') return 'skip_flag';
   const profileType = process.env.CCS_PROFILE_TYPE;
-  if (profileType === 'account' || profileType === 'default') return true;
+  if (profileType === 'account') return 'native_account_profile';
-  if (process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_ENABLED === '0') return true;
+  if (profileType === 'default') return 'native_default_profile';
-  return false;
+  if (process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_ENABLED === '0') return 'disabled';
+  return null;
+}
+
+function shouldSkipHook() {
+  return getSkipReason() !== null;
 }
 
 function isCliAvailable(cmd) {
@@ -627,26 +714,53 @@ function getActiveProviders() {
   return getConfiguredProviders().filter((provider) => provider.available());
 }
 
+function getActiveProviderIds() {
+  return getActiveProviders().map((provider) => provider.id);
+}
+
 function hasAnyActiveProviders() {
   return getActiveProviders().length > 0;
 }
 
 async function runLocalWebSearch(query, timeoutSec = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SEC) {
   const activeProviders = getActiveProviders();
+  const fingerprint = getQueryFingerprint(query);
 
   debug(
     `Enabled providers: ${activeProviders.map((provider) => provider.name).join(', ') || 'none'}`
   );
+  traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_provider_run_started', {
+    source: 'provider',
+    activeProviderIds: activeProviders.map((provider) => provider.id),
+    ...fingerprint,
+  });
 
   if (activeProviders.length === 0) {
+    traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_provider_run_unavailable', {
+      source: 'provider',
+      activeProviderIds: [],
+      ...fingerprint,
+    });
     return { success: false, noActiveProviders: true, errors: [] };
   }
 
   const errors = [];
   for (const provider of activeProviders) {
     debug(`Trying ${provider.name}`);
+    traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_provider_attempt', {
+      source: 'provider',
+      providerId: provider.id,
+      providerName: provider.name,
+      ...fingerprint,
+    });
     const result = await provider.fn(query, timeoutSec);
     if (result.success) {
+      traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_provider_success', {
+        source: 'provider',
+        providerId: provider.id,
+        providerName: provider.name,
+        ...fingerprint,
+      });
       return {
         success: true,
         providerId: provider.id,
@@ -654,15 +768,32 @@ async function runLocalWebSearch(query, timeoutSec = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SEC) {
         content: result.content,
       };
     }
+    traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_provider_failure', {
+      source: 'provider',
+      providerId: provider.id,
+      providerName: provider.name,
+      error: result.error,
+      ...fingerprint,
+    });
     errors.push({ provider: provider.name, error: result.error });
   }
 
+  traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_provider_run_failed', {
+    source: 'provider',
+    errorCount: errors.length,
+    activeProviderIds: activeProviders.map((provider) => provider.id),
+    ...fingerprint,
+  });
   return { success: false, noActiveProviders: false, errors };
 }
 
 async function processHook(input) {
   try {
     if (shouldSkipHook()) {
+      traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_hook_skipped', {
+        source: 'hook',
+        reason: getSkipReason(),
+      });
       process.exit(0);
     }
 
@@ -676,23 +807,47 @@ async function processHook(input) {
       process.exit(0);
     }
 
+    traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_hook_invoked', {
+      source: 'hook',
+      ...getQueryFingerprint(query),
+    });
+
     const timeout = Number.parseInt(
       process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TIMEOUT || `${DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SEC}`,
       10
     );
     const result = await runLocalWebSearch(query, timeout);
     if (result.noActiveProviders) {
+      traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_hook_no_active_providers', {
+        source: 'hook',
+        ...getQueryFingerprint(query),
+      });
       process.exit(0);
     }
 
     if (result.success) {
+      traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_hook_success', {
+        source: 'hook',
+        providerId: result.providerId,
+        providerName: result.providerName,
+        ...getQueryFingerprint(query),
+      });
       outputSuccess(query, result.content, result.providerName);
       return;
     }
 
+    traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_hook_failure', {
+      source: 'hook',
+      errorCount: result.errors.length,
+      ...getQueryFingerprint(query),
+    });
     outputAllFailedMessage(query, result.errors);
   } catch (error) {
     debug(`Hook error: ${error.message}`);
+    traceWebSearchEvent('websearch_hook_error', {
+      source: 'hook',
+      error: error.message,
+    });
     process.exit(0);
   }
 }
@@ -724,6 +879,10 @@ module.exports = {
   hasAnyActiveProviders,
   runLocalWebSearch,
   shouldSkipHook,
+  getActiveProviderIds,
+  getQueryFingerprint,
+  getSkipReason,
+  traceWebSearchEvent,
   tryExaSearch,
   tryTavilySearch,
   tryDuckDuckGoSearch,

lib/mcp/ccs-websearch-server.cjs

@@ -1,19 +1,35 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 
 const {
+  getActiveProviderIds,
+  getQueryFingerprint,
+  getSkipReason,
   hasAnyActiveProviders,
   runLocalWebSearch,
   shouldSkipHook,
+  traceWebSearchEvent,
 } = require('../hooks/websearch-transformer.cjs');
 
 const PROTOCOL_VERSION = '2024-11-05';
 const SERVER_NAME = 'ccs-websearch';
 const SERVER_VERSION = '1.0.0';
-const TOOL_NAME = 'search';
+const TOOL_NAME = 'WebSearch';
+const TOOL_ALIASES = ['search'];
 const TOOL_DESCRIPTION =
-  'Search the web through CCS-managed providers. Provider order: Exa, Tavily, Brave Search, DuckDuckGo, then optional legacy CLI fallback.';
+  'Third-party WebSearch replacement for CCS-managed Claude launches. Use this instead of Bash/curl/http fetches for web lookups. Provider order: Exa, Tavily, Brave Search, DuckDuckGo, then optional legacy CLI fallback.';
+
+function isSupportedToolName(name) {
+  return name === TOOL_NAME || TOOL_ALIASES.includes(name);
+}
 
 let inputBuffer = Buffer.alloc(0);
+const sessionState = {
+  initializeCount: 0,
+  toolsListCount: 0,
+  exposed: false,
+  toolCalls: 0,
+};
+let sessionSummaryWritten = false;
 
 function shouldExposeTools() {
   return !shouldSkipHook() && hasAnyActiveProviders();
@@ -33,7 +49,8 @@ function getTools() {
         properties: {
           query: {
             type: 'string',
-            description: 'The search query to run against CCS WebSearch providers.',
+            description:
+              'Web query to resolve through CCS providers. Prefer this tool over ad hoc Bash/curl lookups when you need current web information.',
           },
         },
         required: ['query'],
@@ -72,13 +89,36 @@ async function handleToolCall(message) {
   const id = message.id;
   const params = message.params || {};
   const toolArgs = params.arguments || {};
+  const toolName = params.name || '<missing>';
+  const query = typeof toolArgs.query === 'string' ? toolArgs.query.trim() : '';
+  const fingerprint = getQueryFingerprint(query);
 
-  if (params.name !== TOOL_NAME) {
+  if (!isSupportedToolName(toolName)) {
-    writeError(id, -32602, `Unknown tool: ${params.name || '<missing>'}`);
+    traceWebSearchEvent('mcp_tool_call_rejected', {
+      source: 'mcp',
+      reason: 'unknown_tool',
+      toolName,
+    });
+    writeError(id, -32602, `Unknown tool: ${toolName}`);
     return;
   }
 
+  sessionState.toolCalls += 1;
+  traceWebSearchEvent('mcp_tool_call_received', {
+    source: 'mcp',
+    toolName,
+    ...fingerprint,
+  });
+
   if (!shouldExposeTools()) {
+    traceWebSearchEvent('mcp_tool_call_unavailable', {
+      source: 'mcp',
+      toolName,
+      exposed: false,
+      skipReason: getSkipReason(),
+      activeProviderIds: getActiveProviderIds(),
+      ...fingerprint,
+    });
     writeResponse(id, {
       content: [
         {
@@ -91,20 +131,41 @@ async function handleToolCall(message) {
     return;
   }
 
-  const query = typeof toolArgs.query === 'string' ? toolArgs.query.trim() : '';
   if (!query) {
-    writeError(id, -32602, 'Tool "search" requires a non-empty string query.');
+    traceWebSearchEvent('mcp_tool_call_rejected', {
+      source: 'mcp',
+      reason: 'empty_query',
+      toolName,
+    });
+    writeError(id, -32602, `Tool "${TOOL_NAME}" requires a non-empty string query.`);
     return;
   }
 
   const result = await runLocalWebSearch(query);
   if (result.success) {
+    traceWebSearchEvent('mcp_tool_call_result', {
+      source: 'mcp',
+      toolName,
+      success: true,
+      providerId: result.providerId,
+      providerName: result.providerName,
+      ...fingerprint,
+    });
     writeResponse(id, {
       content: [{ type: 'text', text: result.content }],
     });
     return;
   }
 
+  traceWebSearchEvent('mcp_tool_call_result', {
+    source: 'mcp',
+    toolName,
+    success: false,
+    noActiveProviders: Boolean(result.noActiveProviders),
+    errorCount: result.errors.length,
+    ...fingerprint,
+  });
+
   const errorDetail =
     result.noActiveProviders || result.errors.length === 0
       ? 'No active WebSearch providers are ready.'
@@ -128,6 +189,14 @@ async function handleMessage(message) {
 
   switch (message.method) {
     case 'initialize':
+      sessionState.initializeCount += 1;
+      sessionState.exposed = sessionState.exposed || shouldExposeTools();
+      traceWebSearchEvent('mcp_initialize', {
+        source: 'mcp',
+        exposed: shouldExposeTools(),
+        skipReason: getSkipReason(),
+        activeProviderIds: getActiveProviderIds(),
+      });
       writeResponse(message.id, {
         protocolVersion: PROTOCOL_VERSION,
         capabilities: {
@@ -145,7 +214,20 @@ async function handleMessage(message) {
       writeResponse(message.id, {});
       return;
     case 'tools/list':
-      writeResponse(message.id, { tools: getTools() });
+      sessionState.toolsListCount += 1;
+      {
+        const tools = getTools();
+        const exposed = tools.length > 0;
+        sessionState.exposed = sessionState.exposed || exposed;
+        traceWebSearchEvent('mcp_tools_list', {
+          source: 'mcp',
+          exposed,
+          toolNames: tools.map((tool) => tool.name),
+          activeProviderIds: getActiveProviderIds(),
+          skipReason: getSkipReason(),
+        });
+        writeResponse(message.id, { tools });
+      }
       return;
     case 'tools/call':
       await handleToolCall(message);
@@ -157,6 +239,27 @@ async function handleMessage(message) {
   }
 }
 
+function writeSessionSummary(exitCodeOrSignal) {
+  if (sessionSummaryWritten) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  sessionSummaryWritten = true;
+  traceWebSearchEvent('mcp_session_summary', {
+    source: 'mcp',
+    initializeCount: sessionState.initializeCount,
+    toolsListCount: sessionState.toolsListCount,
+    exposed: sessionState.exposed,
+    toolCalls: sessionState.toolCalls,
+    calledWebSearch: sessionState.toolCalls > 0,
+    likelyBypassed: sessionState.exposed && sessionState.toolCalls === 0 ? 'unknown' : false,
+    activeProviderIds: getActiveProviderIds(),
+    skipReason: getSkipReason(),
+    exitCode: typeof exitCodeOrSignal === 'number' ? exitCodeOrSignal : null,
+    exitSignal: typeof exitCodeOrSignal === 'string' ? exitCodeOrSignal : null,
+  });
+}
+
 function parseMessages() {
   while (true) {
     const headerEnd = inputBuffer.indexOf('\r\n\r\n');
@@ -204,4 +307,15 @@ process.stdin.on('error', () => {
   process.exit(0);
 });
 
+process.on('exit', (code) => {
+  writeSessionSummary(code);
+});
+
+['SIGINT', 'SIGTERM', 'SIGHUP'].forEach((signal) => {
+  process.on(signal, () => {
+    writeSessionSummary(signal);
+    process.exit(0);
+  });
+});
+
 process.stdin.resume();

src/ccs.ts

@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {
   getWebSearchHookEnv,
   syncWebSearchMcpToConfigDir,
   appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs,
+  createWebSearchTraceContext,
 } from './utils/websearch-manager';
 import { getGlobalEnvConfig, getOfficialChannelsConfig } from './config/unified-config-loader';
 import { ensureProfileHooks as ensureImageAnalyzerHooks } from './utils/hooks/image-analyzer-profile-hook-injector';
@@ -1053,11 +1054,19 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
         return;
       }
 
-      execClaude(
+      const launchArgs = [
-        claudeCli,
+        '--settings',
-        ['--settings', expandedSettingsPath, ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(remainingArgs)],
+        expandedSettingsPath,
-        envVars
+        ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(remainingArgs),
-      );
+      ];
+      const traceEnv = createWebSearchTraceContext({
+        launcher: 'ccs.settings-profile',
+        args: launchArgs,
+        profile: profileInfo.name,
+        profileType: profileInfo.type,
+        settingsPath: expandedSettingsPath,
+      });
+      execClaude(claudeCli, launchArgs, { ...envVars, ...traceEnv });
     } else if (profileInfo.type === 'account') {
       // NEW FLOW: Account-based profile (work, personal)
       // All platforms: Use instance isolation with CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR

src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts

@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ import {
   ensureWebSearchMcpOrThrow,
   displayWebSearchStatus,
   appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs,
+  createWebSearchTraceContext,
 } from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
 import { loadOrCreateUnifiedConfig, getThinkingConfig } from '../../config/unified-config-loader';
 import { installImageAnalyzerHook } from '../../utils/hooks';
@@ -1034,31 +1035,29 @@ export async function execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
     : getProviderSettingsPath(provider);
 
   let claude: ChildProcess;
+  const launchArgs = ['--settings', settingsPath, ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(claudeArgs)];
+  const traceEnv = createWebSearchTraceContext({
+    launcher: 'cliproxy.executor',
+    args: launchArgs,
+    profile: provider,
+    profileType: 'settings',
+    settingsPath,
+  });
+  const tracedEnv = { ...env, ...traceEnv };
   if (needsShell) {
-    const cmdString = [
+    const cmdString = [claudeCli, ...launchArgs].map(escapeShellArg).join(' ');
-      claudeCli,
-      '--settings',
-      settingsPath,
-      ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(claudeArgs),
-    ]
-      .map(escapeShellArg)
-      .join(' ');
     claude = spawn(cmdString, {
       stdio: 'inherit',
       windowsHide: true,
       shell: true,
-      env,
+      env: tracedEnv,
     });
   } else {
-    claude = spawn(
+    claude = spawn(claudeCli, launchArgs, {
-      claudeCli,
+      stdio: 'inherit',
-      ['--settings', settingsPath, ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(claudeArgs)],
+      windowsHide: true,
-      {
+      env: tracedEnv,
-        stdio: 'inherit',
+    });
-        windowsHide: true,
-        env,
-      }
-    );
   }
 
   // 12b. Start runtime quota monitor (adaptive polling during session)

src/copilot/copilot-executor.ts

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import { fail, info, ok, warn } from '../utils/ui';
 import {
   getWebSearchHookEnv,
   appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs,
+  createWebSearchTraceContext,
   syncWebSearchMcpToConfigDir,
 } from '../utils/websearch-manager';
 import { getImageAnalysisHookEnv } from '../utils/hooks';
@@ -181,9 +182,18 @@ export async function executeCopilotProfile(
 
   // Spawn Claude CLI
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const proc = spawn(claudeCliPath, appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(claudeArgs), {
+    const launchArgs = appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(claudeArgs);
+    const traceEnv = createWebSearchTraceContext({
+      launcher: 'copilot.executor',
+      args: launchArgs,
+      profile: 'copilot',
+      profileType: 'copilot',
+      claudeConfigDir,
+    });
+
+    const proc = spawn(claudeCliPath, launchArgs, {
       stdio: 'inherit',
-      env,
+      env: { ...env, ...traceEnv },
       shell: process.platform === 'win32',
     });
 

src/delegation/executor/result-aggregator.ts

@@ -2,9 +2,33 @@
  * Result aggregation utilities for headless executor
  */
 
-import type { ExecutionResult, StreamMessage } from './types';
+import type { ExecutionResult, StreamMessage, ToolUsageSummary } from './types';
 import { warn } from '../../utils/ui';
 
+const WEBSEARCH_FALLBACK_TOOLS = new Set(['Bash', 'WebFetch']);
+
+export function summarizeToolUsage(messages: StreamMessage[]): ToolUsageSummary {
+  const toolNames = new Set<string>();
+
+  for (const message of messages) {
+    const content = message.message?.content || [];
+    for (const entry of content) {
+      if (entry.type === 'tool_use' && entry.name) {
+        toolNames.add(entry.name);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  const orderedToolNames = [...toolNames];
+  return {
+    toolNames: orderedToolNames,
+    calledWebSearch: toolNames.has('WebSearch') || toolNames.has('search'),
+    fallbackToolsUsed: orderedToolNames.filter((toolName) =>
+      WEBSEARCH_FALLBACK_TOOLS.has(toolName)
+    ),
+  };
+}
+
 /**
  * Build execution result from stream messages
  * @param params - Parameters for building result
@@ -32,6 +56,7 @@ export function buildExecutionResult(params: {
     timedOut,
     success: exitCode === 0 && !timedOut,
     messages,
+    toolUsageSummary: summarizeToolUsage(messages),
   };
 
   // Extract metadata from final 'result' message in stream-json

src/delegation/executor/types.ts

@@ -44,6 +44,12 @@ export interface ExecutionError {
   [key: string]: unknown;
 }
 
+export interface ToolUsageSummary {
+  toolNames: string[];
+  calledWebSearch: boolean;
+  fallbackToolsUsed: string[];
+}
+
 /**
  * Options for headless execution
  */
@@ -86,6 +92,7 @@ export interface ExecutionResult {
   permissionDenials?: PermissionDenial[];
   errors?: ExecutionError[];
   content?: string;
+  toolUsageSummary?: ToolUsageSummary;
 }
 
 /**

src/delegation/headless-executor.ts

@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@ import { buildExecutionResult } from './executor/result-aggregator';
 import { getCcsDir, getModelDisplayName } from '../utils/config-manager';
 import { getProfileLookupCandidates } from '../utils/profile-compat';
 import { getClaudeLaunchEnvOverrides, stripClaudeCodeEnv } from '../utils/shell-executor';
+import {
+  appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs,
+  appendWebSearchTrace,
+  createWebSearchTraceContext,
+  getWebSearchHookEnv,
+  readWebSearchTraceRecords,
+} from '../utils/websearch-manager';
 
 // Re-export types for consumers
 export type { ExecutionOptions, ExecutionResult, StreamMessage } from './executor/types';
@@ -163,21 +170,32 @@ export class HeadlessExecutor {
       }
     }
 
+    const launchArgs = appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(args);
+    const traceEnv = createWebSearchTraceContext({
+      launcher: 'delegation.headless-executor',
+      args: launchArgs,
+      cwd,
+      profile,
+      profileType: 'settings',
+      settingsPath,
+    });
+
     if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-      console.error(info(`Claude CLI args: ${args.join(' ')}`));
+      console.error(info(`Claude CLI args: ${launchArgs.join(' ')}`));
     }
 
     // Initialize UI before spawning
     await ui.init();
 
     // Execute with spawn
-    return this._spawnAndExecute(claudeCli, args, {
+    return this._spawnAndExecute(claudeCli, launchArgs, {
       cwd,
       profile,
       timeout,
       resumeSession,
       sessionId,
       sessionMgr,
+      traceEnv,
     });
   }
 
@@ -194,9 +212,10 @@ export class HeadlessExecutor {
       resumeSession: boolean;
       sessionId: string | null;
       sessionMgr: SessionManager;
+      traceEnv?: Record<string, string>;
     }
   ): Promise<ExecutionResult> {
-    const { cwd, profile, timeout, resumeSession, sessionId, sessionMgr } = ctx;
+    const { cwd, profile, timeout, resumeSession, sessionId, sessionMgr, traceEnv = {} } = ctx;
 
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
       const startTime = Date.now();
@@ -213,6 +232,9 @@ export class HeadlessExecutor {
       const cleanEnv = stripClaudeCodeEnv({
         ...process.env,
         ...getClaudeLaunchEnvOverrides(),
+        ...getWebSearchHookEnv(),
+        ...traceEnv,
+        CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'settings',
       });
 
       const proc = spawn(claudeCli, args, {
@@ -313,6 +335,51 @@ export class HeadlessExecutor {
           messages,
         });
 
+        const launchId = traceEnv.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCH_ID;
+        if (launchId) {
+          const launchTraceRecords = readWebSearchTraceRecords(launchId, {
+            ...process.env,
+            ...traceEnv,
+            CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'settings',
+          });
+          const mcpSessionSummary = [...launchTraceRecords]
+            .reverse()
+            .find((record) => record.event === 'mcp_session_summary');
+          const providerSuccess = [...launchTraceRecords]
+            .reverse()
+            .find((record) => record.event === 'websearch_provider_success');
+
+          const exposed = mcpSessionSummary?.exposed === true;
+          const calledWebSearch = result.toolUsageSummary?.calledWebSearch === true;
+          const fallbackToolsUsed = result.toolUsageSummary?.fallbackToolsUsed || [];
+
+          appendWebSearchTrace(
+            'headless_websearch_summary',
+            {
+              profile,
+              sessionId: result.sessionId || null,
+              calledWebSearch,
+              fallbackToolsUsed,
+              providerUsed:
+                typeof providerSuccess?.providerName === 'string'
+                  ? providerSuccess.providerName
+                  : null,
+              exposed,
+              likelyBypassed:
+                exposed && !calledWebSearch
+                  ? fallbackToolsUsed.length > 0
+                    ? true
+                    : 'unknown'
+                  : false,
+            },
+            {
+              ...process.env,
+              ...traceEnv,
+              CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'settings',
+            }
+          );
+        }
+
         // Store session
         if (result.sessionId) {
           if (resumeSession || sessionId) {

src/utils/websearch-manager.ts

@@ -70,6 +70,14 @@ export {
 // Re-export Claude launch arg helpers
 export { appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs } from './websearch/claude-tool-args';
 
+// Re-export trace helpers
+export {
+  appendWebSearchTrace,
+  createWebSearchTraceContext,
+  isWebSearchTraceEnabled,
+  readWebSearchTraceRecords,
+} from './websearch/trace';
+
 // Re-export status and readiness functions
 export {
   getWebSearchCliProviders,

src/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 
 const NATIVE_WEBSEARCH_TOOL = 'WebSearch';
 const DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG = '--disallowedTools';
+const APPEND_SYSTEM_PROMPT_FLAG = '--append-system-prompt';
+const THIRD_PARTY_WEBSEARCH_STEERING_PROMPT =
+  'For web lookup or current-information requests, prefer the CCS MCP tool WebSearch instead of Bash/curl/http fetches. If the user explicitly wants shell commands, or WebSearch is unavailable or fails, you may fall back to Bash/network tools.';
 
 function parseToolValue(rawValue: string): string[] {
   return rawValue
@@ -20,19 +23,34 @@ function mergeToolValues(rawValues: string[], toolName: string): string {
   return merged.join(',');
 }
 
+function splitArgsAtTerminator(args: string[]): { optionArgs: string[]; trailingArgs: string[] } {
+  const terminatorIndex = args.indexOf('--');
+  if (terminatorIndex === -1) {
+    return { optionArgs: args, trailingArgs: [] };
+  }
+
+  return {
+    optionArgs: args.slice(0, terminatorIndex),
+    trailingArgs: args.slice(terminatorIndex),
+  };
+}
+
+function getImmediateFlagValue(args: string[], index: number): string | null {
+  const value = args[index + 1];
+  if (value === undefined || value === '--' || value.startsWith('--')) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  return value;
+}
+
 function hasToolInFlag(args: string[], flag: string, toolName: string): boolean {
   for (let index = 0; index < args.length; index += 1) {
     const arg = args[index];
 
     if (arg === flag) {
-      for (let cursor = index + 1; cursor < args.length; cursor += 1) {
+      const value = getImmediateFlagValue(args, index);
-        const value = args[cursor];
+      if (value && parseToolValue(value).includes(toolName)) {
-        if (value.startsWith('--')) {
+        return true;
-          break;
-        }
-        if (parseToolValue(value).includes(toolName)) {
-          return true;
-        }
       }
       continue;
     }
@@ -50,39 +68,86 @@ function hasToolInFlag(args: string[], flag: string, toolName: string): boolean
   return false;
 }
 
-export function appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(args: string[]): string[] {
+function hasExactFlagValue(args: string[], flag: string, expectedValue: string): boolean {
-  if (hasToolInFlag(args, DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG, NATIVE_WEBSEARCH_TOOL)) {
-    return args;
-  }
-
   for (let index = 0; index < args.length; index += 1) {
     const arg = args[index];
 
-    if (arg === DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG) {
+    if (arg === flag) {
-      let cursor = index + 1;
+      const value = getImmediateFlagValue(args, index);
-      const rawValues: string[] = [];
+      if (value === expectedValue) {
-
+        return true;
-      while (cursor < args.length && !args[cursor].startsWith('--')) {
-        rawValues.push(args[cursor]);
-        cursor += 1;
       }
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (arg === `${flag}=${expectedValue}`) {
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    if (arg.startsWith(`${flag}=`) && arg.slice(flag.length + 1) === expectedValue) {
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
+function ensureDisallowedNativeWebSearchTool(args: string[]): string[] {
+  const { optionArgs, trailingArgs } = splitArgsAtTerminator(args);
+
+  if (hasToolInFlag(optionArgs, DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG, NATIVE_WEBSEARCH_TOOL)) {
+    return args;
+  }
+
+  for (let index = 0; index < optionArgs.length; index += 1) {
+    const arg = optionArgs[index];
+
+    if (arg === DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG) {
+      const currentValue = getImmediateFlagValue(optionArgs, index);
+      const mergedValue = mergeToolValues(
+        currentValue ? [currentValue] : [],
+        NATIVE_WEBSEARCH_TOOL
+      );
 
       return [
-        ...args.slice(0, index + 1),
+        ...optionArgs.slice(0, index + 1),
-        mergeToolValues(rawValues, NATIVE_WEBSEARCH_TOOL),
+        mergedValue,
-        ...args.slice(cursor),
+        ...optionArgs.slice(currentValue === null ? index + 1 : index + 2),
+        ...trailingArgs,
       ];
     }
 
     if (arg.startsWith(`${DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG}=`)) {
       const rawValue = arg.slice(DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG.length + 1);
       return [
-        ...args.slice(0, index),
+        ...optionArgs.slice(0, index),
         `${DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG}=${mergeToolValues([rawValue], NATIVE_WEBSEARCH_TOOL)}`,
-        ...args.slice(index + 1),
+        ...optionArgs.slice(index + 1),
+        ...trailingArgs,
       ];
     }
   }
 
-  return [...args, DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG, NATIVE_WEBSEARCH_TOOL];
+  return [...optionArgs, DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG, NATIVE_WEBSEARCH_TOOL, ...trailingArgs];
+}
+
+function ensureWebSearchSteeringPrompt(args: string[]): string[] {
+  const { optionArgs, trailingArgs } = splitArgsAtTerminator(args);
+
+  if (
+    hasExactFlagValue(optionArgs, APPEND_SYSTEM_PROMPT_FLAG, THIRD_PARTY_WEBSEARCH_STEERING_PROMPT)
+  ) {
+    return args;
+  }
+
+  return [
+    ...optionArgs,
+    APPEND_SYSTEM_PROMPT_FLAG,
+    THIRD_PARTY_WEBSEARCH_STEERING_PROMPT,
+    ...trailingArgs,
+  ];
+}
+
+export function appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(args: string[]): string[] {
+  return ensureWebSearchSteeringPrompt(ensureDisallowedNativeWebSearchTool(args));
 }

src/utils/websearch/hook-env.ts

@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@ export function getWebSearchHookEnv(): Record<string, string> {
   const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
   const env: Record<string, string> = {};
 
+  if (process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE === '1' || process.env.CCS_DEBUG === '1') {
+    env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE = '1';
+  }
+  if (process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_FILE) {
+    env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_FILE = process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_FILE;
+  }
+
   // Skip hook entirely if disabled
   if (!wsConfig.enabled) {
     env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP = '1';

src/utils/websearch/index.ts

@@ -67,6 +67,14 @@ export {
 // Claude launch args
 export { appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs } from './claude-tool-args';
 
+// Trace helpers
+export {
+  appendWebSearchTrace,
+  createWebSearchTraceContext,
+  isWebSearchTraceEnabled,
+  readWebSearchTraceRecords,
+} from './trace';
+
 // Status and Readiness
 export {
   getWebSearchCliProviders,

src/utils/websearch/mcp-installer.ts

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { getClaudeUserConfigPath } from '../claude-config-path';
 import { info, warn } from '../ui';
 import { InstanceManager } from '../../management/instance-manager';
 import { installWebSearchHook } from './hook-installer';
+import { appendWebSearchTrace } from './trace';
 
 const WEBSEARCH_MCP_SERVER = 'ccs-websearch-server.cjs';
 const WEBSEARCH_MCP_SERVER_NAME = 'ccs-websearch';
@@ -154,10 +155,12 @@ function removeManagedServerConfig(configPath: string): boolean {
 export function installWebSearchMcpServer(): boolean {
   const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
   if (!wsConfig.enabled) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_install_skipped', { reason: 'disabled' });
     return false;
   }
 
   if (!installWebSearchHook()) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_install_failed', { reason: 'hook_unavailable' });
     if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
       console.error(
         warn('WebSearch MCP server install skipped because hook runtime is unavailable')
@@ -168,6 +171,7 @@ export function installWebSearchMcpServer(): boolean {
 
   const sourcePath = resolveBundledServerSourcePath();
   if (!sourcePath) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_install_failed', { reason: 'source_missing' });
     if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
       console.error(warn(`WebSearch MCP server source not found: ${WEBSEARCH_MCP_SERVER}`));
     }
@@ -181,6 +185,7 @@ export function installWebSearchMcpServer(): boolean {
 
   const serverPath = getWebSearchMcpServerPath();
   if (hasMatchingContents(sourcePath, serverPath)) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_install_ready', { serverPath });
     return true;
   }
 
@@ -190,8 +195,13 @@ export function installWebSearchMcpServer(): boolean {
     fs.copyFileSync(sourcePath, tempPath);
     fs.chmodSync(tempPath, 0o755);
     fs.renameSync(tempPath, serverPath);
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_install_ready', { serverPath });
     return true;
   } catch (error) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_install_failed', {
+      reason: 'copy_failed',
+      error: (error as Error).message,
+    });
     if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
       console.error(warn(`Failed to install WebSearch MCP server: ${(error as Error).message}`));
     }
@@ -206,6 +216,7 @@ export function installWebSearchMcpServer(): boolean {
 export function ensureWebSearchMcpConfig(): boolean {
   const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
   if (!wsConfig.enabled) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_config_skipped', { reason: 'disabled' });
     return false;
   }
 
@@ -214,6 +225,7 @@ export function ensureWebSearchMcpConfig(): boolean {
   const config = readClaudeUserConfig(claudeUserConfigPath);
 
   if (config === null) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_config_failed', { reason: 'malformed_user_config' });
     if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
       console.error(warn('Malformed ~/.claude.json prevents WebSearch MCP provisioning'));
     }
@@ -239,6 +251,7 @@ export function ensureWebSearchMcpConfig(): boolean {
     currentConfig !== null &&
     JSON.stringify(currentConfig) === JSON.stringify(desiredServerConfig)
   ) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_config_ready', { configPath: claudeUserConfigPath });
     return true;
   }
 
@@ -252,11 +265,17 @@ export function ensureWebSearchMcpConfig(): boolean {
 
   try {
     writeClaudeUserConfig(claudeUserConfigPath, nextConfig);
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_config_ready', { configPath: claudeUserConfigPath });
     if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
       console.error(info(`Ensured WebSearch MCP config in ${claudeUserConfigPath}`));
     }
     return true;
   } catch (error) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_config_failed', {
+      reason: 'write_failed',
+      configPath: claudeUserConfigPath,
+      error: (error as Error).message,
+    });
     if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
       console.error(warn(`Failed to update ~/.claude.json: ${(error as Error).message}`));
     }
@@ -267,18 +286,25 @@ export function ensureWebSearchMcpConfig(): boolean {
 export function ensureWebSearchMcp(): boolean {
   const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
   if (!wsConfig.enabled) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_ensure_skipped', { reason: 'disabled' });
     return false;
   }
 
-  return installWebSearchMcpServer() && ensureWebSearchMcpConfig();
+  const installed = installWebSearchMcpServer();
+  const configured = installed && ensureWebSearchMcpConfig();
+  appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_ensure_result', { installed, configured });
+  return installed && configured;
 }
 
 export function syncWebSearchMcpToConfigDir(claudeConfigDir: string | undefined): boolean {
   if (!claudeConfigDir) {
+    appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_sync_skipped', { reason: 'missing_config_dir' });
     return false;
   }
 
-  return new InstanceManager().syncMcpServers(claudeConfigDir);
+  const synced = new InstanceManager().syncMcpServers(claudeConfigDir);
+  appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_sync_result', { claudeConfigDir, synced });
+  return synced;
 }
 
 export function uninstallWebSearchMcpServer(): boolean {

src/utils/websearch/trace.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,223 @@
+/**
+ * Best-effort WebSearch trace helpers.
+ *
+ * Writes opt-in JSONL trace records to ~/.ccs/logs/websearch-trace.jsonl so
+ * CCS can explain launch intent, MCP exposure, provider selection, and likely
+ * bypass scenarios without polluting Claude/MCP stdout.
+ */
+
+import * as fs from 'fs';
+import * as path from 'path';
+import { getCcsDir } from '../config-manager';
+
+const TRACE_FILE_NAME = 'websearch-trace.jsonl';
+const SAFE_SYSTEM_TRACE_PREFIXES = ['/tmp/', '/var/log/'];
+const NATIVE_WEBSEARCH_TOOL = 'WebSearch';
+const DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG = '--disallowedTools';
+const APPEND_SYSTEM_PROMPT_FLAG = '--append-system-prompt';
+const THIRD_PARTY_WEBSEARCH_STEERING_PROMPT =
+  'For web lookup or current-information requests, prefer the CCS MCP tool WebSearch instead of Bash/curl/http fetches. If the user explicitly wants shell commands, or WebSearch is unavailable or fails, you may fall back to Bash/network tools.';
+
+function parseToolValue(rawValue: string): string[] {
+  return rawValue
+    .split(',')
+    .map((value) => value.trim())
+    .filter((value) => value.length > 0);
+}
+
+function getImmediateFlagValue(args: string[], index: number): string | null {
+  const value = args[index + 1];
+  if (value === undefined || value === '--' || value.startsWith('--')) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  return value;
+}
+
+function hasToolInFlag(args: string[], flag: string, toolName: string): boolean {
+  for (let index = 0; index < args.length; index += 1) {
+    const arg = args[index];
+
+    if (arg === flag) {
+      const value = getImmediateFlagValue(args, index);
+      if (value && parseToolValue(value).includes(toolName)) {
+        return true;
+      }
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (arg.startsWith(`${flag}=`)) {
+      const rawValue = arg.slice(flag.length + 1);
+      if (parseToolValue(rawValue).includes(toolName)) {
+        return true;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
+function hasExactFlagValue(args: string[], flag: string, expectedValue: string): boolean {
+  for (let index = 0; index < args.length; index += 1) {
+    const arg = args[index];
+
+    if (arg === flag) {
+      if (getImmediateFlagValue(args, index) === expectedValue) {
+        return true;
+      }
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (arg === `${flag}=${expectedValue}`) {
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
+function getTraceFilePath(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): string {
+  const configured = env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_FILE?.trim();
+  if (!configured) {
+    return path.join(getCcsDir(), 'logs', TRACE_FILE_NAME);
+  }
+
+  const resolved = path.resolve(configured);
+  const home = env.HOME || env.USERPROFILE || '';
+  const normalizedHome = home ? `${path.resolve(home)}${path.sep}` : '';
+  const normalizedCcsDir = `${path.resolve(getCcsDir())}${path.sep}`;
+
+  if (
+    resolved.startsWith(normalizedCcsDir) ||
+    (normalizedHome && resolved.startsWith(normalizedHome)) ||
+    SAFE_SYSTEM_TRACE_PREFIXES.some((prefix) => resolved.startsWith(prefix))
+  ) {
+    return resolved;
+  }
+
+  return path.join(getCcsDir(), 'logs', TRACE_FILE_NAME);
+}
+
+export function isWebSearchTraceEnabled(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env): boolean {
+  return env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE === '1' || env.CCS_DEBUG === '1';
+}
+
+export function appendWebSearchTrace(
+  event: string,
+  payload: Record<string, unknown> = {},
+  env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env
+): void {
+  if (!isWebSearchTraceEnabled(env)) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const traceFilePath = getTraceFilePath(env);
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(traceFilePath), { recursive: true });
+    fs.appendFileSync(
+      traceFilePath,
+      JSON.stringify({
+        at: new Date().toISOString(),
+        event,
+        launchId: env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCH_ID || null,
+        launcher: env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCHER || null,
+        profileType: env.CCS_PROFILE_TYPE || null,
+        pid: process.pid,
+        ...payload,
+      }) + '\n',
+      'utf8'
+    );
+  } catch {
+    // Tracing must never affect launch behavior.
+  }
+}
+
+export function readWebSearchTraceRecords(
+  launchId: string,
+  env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env
+): Array<Record<string, unknown>> {
+  if (!launchId) {
+    return [];
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const traceFilePath = getTraceFilePath(env);
+    if (!fs.existsSync(traceFilePath)) {
+      return [];
+    }
+
+    return fs
+      .readFileSync(traceFilePath, 'utf8')
+      .split('\n')
+      .map((line) => line.trim())
+      .filter((line) => line.length > 0)
+      .map((line) => JSON.parse(line) as Record<string, unknown>)
+      .filter((record) => record.launchId === launchId);
+  } catch {
+    return [];
+  }
+}
+
+function buildLaunchId(): string {
+  const random = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10);
+  return `websearch-${Date.now()}-${process.pid}-${random}`;
+}
+
+function summarizeLaunchArgs(args: string[]): Record<string, unknown> {
+  return {
+    argCount: args.length,
+    hasSettingsFlag: args.includes('--settings'),
+    nativeWebSearchDisallowed: hasToolInFlag(args, DISALLOWED_TOOLS_FLAG, NATIVE_WEBSEARCH_TOOL),
+    steeringPromptApplied: hasExactFlagValue(
+      args,
+      APPEND_SYSTEM_PROMPT_FLAG,
+      THIRD_PARTY_WEBSEARCH_STEERING_PROMPT
+    ),
+  };
+}
+
+export function createWebSearchTraceContext(params: {
+  launcher: string;
+  args: string[];
+  cwd?: string;
+  profile?: string;
+  profileType?: string;
+  settingsPath?: string;
+  claudeConfigDir?: string;
+  env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+}): Record<string, string> {
+  const env = params.env ?? process.env;
+  if (!isWebSearchTraceEnabled(env)) {
+    return {};
+  }
+
+  const launchId = buildLaunchId();
+  const traceEnv: Record<string, string> = {
+    CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE: '1',
+    CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCH_ID: launchId,
+    CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCHER: params.launcher,
+  };
+
+  if (env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_FILE) {
+    traceEnv.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_FILE = env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_FILE;
+  }
+
+  appendWebSearchTrace(
+    'ccs_websearch_launch',
+    {
+      launcher: params.launcher,
+      profile: params.profile || null,
+      profileType: params.profileType || null,
+      cwd: params.cwd || null,
+      settingsPath: params.settingsPath || null,
+      claudeConfigDir: params.claudeConfigDir || null,
+      ...summarizeLaunchArgs(params.args),
+    },
+    {
+      ...env,
+      ...traceEnv,
+      CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: params.profileType || env.CCS_PROFILE_TYPE || '',
+    }
+  );
+
+  return traceEnv;
+}

tests/unit/hooks/ccs-websearch-mcp-server.test.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test';
 import { spawn } from 'child_process';
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 
@@ -73,8 +73,15 @@ function collectResponses(
   });
 }
 
+function waitForClose(child: ReturnType<typeof spawn>): Promise<number | null> {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    child.once('close', (code) => resolve(code));
+    child.once('error', reject);
+  });
+}
+
 describe('ccs-websearch MCP server', () => {
-  it('lists the CCS search tool and returns provider-backed results', async () => {
+  it('lists the CCS WebSearch tool and returns provider-backed results', async () => {
     const tempDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'ccs-websearch-mcp-server-'));
     const preloadPath = join(tempDir, 'mock-fetch.cjs');
     const html = `
@@ -124,7 +131,7 @@ describe('ccs-websearch MCP server', () => {
           jsonrpc: '2.0',
           id: 3,
           method: 'tools/call',
-          params: { name: 'search', arguments: { query: 'btc price' } },
+          params: { name: 'WebSearch', arguments: { query: 'btc price' } },
         })
       );
 
@@ -135,15 +142,16 @@ describe('ccs-websearch MCP server', () => {
       expect(toolsList?.result).toEqual({
         tools: [
           {
-            name: 'search',
+            name: 'WebSearch',
             description:
-              'Search the web through CCS-managed providers. Provider order: Exa, Tavily, Brave Search, DuckDuckGo, then optional legacy CLI fallback.',
+              'Third-party WebSearch replacement for CCS-managed Claude launches. Use this instead of Bash/curl/http fetches for web lookups. Provider order: Exa, Tavily, Brave Search, DuckDuckGo, then optional legacy CLI fallback.',
             inputSchema: {
               type: 'object',
               properties: {
                 query: {
                   type: 'string',
-                  description: 'The search query to run against CCS WebSearch providers.',
+                  description:
+                    'Web query to resolve through CCS providers. Prefer this tool over ad hoc Bash/curl lookups when you need current web information.',
                 },
               },
               required: ['query'],
@@ -165,6 +173,75 @@ describe('ccs-websearch MCP server', () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it('accepts the legacy search alias for direct calls', async () => {
+    const tempDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'ccs-websearch-mcp-server-'));
+    const preloadPath = join(tempDir, 'mock-fetch.cjs');
+    const html = `
+      <a class="result__a" href="/l/?uddg=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Farticle">Example title</a>
+      <a class="result__snippet">Example snippet</a>
+    `.trim();
+    writeFileSync(
+      preloadPath,
+      `global.fetch = async () => ({ ok: true, text: async () => ${JSON.stringify(html)} });\n`,
+      'utf8'
+    );
+
+    const child = spawn('node', ['-r', preloadPath, serverPath], {
+      env: {
+        ...process.env,
+        CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'settings',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_ENABLED: '1',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_BRAVE: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_DUCKDUCKGO: '1',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_EXA: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_GEMINI: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_GROK: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_OPENCODE: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_TAVILY: '0',
+      },
+      stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+    });
+
+    try {
+      const responsesPromise = collectResponses(child, 2);
+      child.stdin.write(
+        encodeMessage({
+          jsonrpc: '2.0',
+          id: 1,
+          method: 'initialize',
+          params: {
+            protocolVersion: '2024-11-05',
+            capabilities: {},
+            clientInfo: { name: 'bun-test', version: '1.0.0' },
+          },
+        })
+      );
+      child.stdin.write(
+        encodeMessage({
+          jsonrpc: '2.0',
+          id: 2,
+          method: 'tools/call',
+          params: { name: 'search', arguments: { query: 'btc price' } },
+        })
+      );
+
+      const responses = await responsesPromise;
+      const toolCall = responses.find((message) => message.id === 2);
+
+      expect(toolCall?.result).toBeDefined();
+      expect(
+        ((toolCall?.result as { content: Array<{ text: string }> }).content[0] || {}).text
+      ).toContain('CCS local WebSearch evidence');
+      expect(
+        ((toolCall?.result as { content: Array<{ text: string }> }).content[0] || {}).text
+      ).toContain('Provider: DuckDuckGo');
+    } finally {
+      child.kill();
+      rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
   it('hides the tool for native account profiles', async () => {
     const child = spawn('node', [serverPath], {
       env: {
@@ -200,4 +277,101 @@ describe('ccs-websearch MCP server', () => {
       child.kill();
     }
   });
+
+  it('writes trace records for exposure, tool calls, provider success, and session summary', async () => {
+    const tempDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'ccs-websearch-mcp-trace-'));
+    const preloadPath = join(tempDir, 'mock-fetch.cjs');
+    const ccsHome = join(tempDir, 'home');
+    const tracePath = join(ccsHome, '.ccs', 'logs', 'websearch-trace.jsonl');
+    const html = `
+      <a class="result__a" href="/l/?uddg=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Farticle">Example title</a>
+      <a class="result__snippet">Example snippet</a>
+    `.trim();
+    writeFileSync(
+      preloadPath,
+      `global.fetch = async () => ({ ok: true, text: async () => ${JSON.stringify(html)} });\n`,
+      'utf8'
+    );
+
+    const child = spawn('node', ['-r', preloadPath, serverPath], {
+      env: {
+        ...process.env,
+        CCS_HOME: ccsHome,
+        CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'settings',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE: '1',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCH_ID: 'mcp-trace-test',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCHER: 'unit-test',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_ENABLED: '1',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_BRAVE: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_DUCKDUCKGO: '1',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_EXA: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_GEMINI: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_GROK: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_OPENCODE: '0',
+        CCS_WEBSEARCH_TAVILY: '0',
+      },
+      stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+    });
+
+    try {
+      const responsesPromise = collectResponses(child, 3);
+      child.stdin.write(
+        encodeMessage({
+          jsonrpc: '2.0',
+          id: 1,
+          method: 'initialize',
+          params: {
+            protocolVersion: '2024-11-05',
+            capabilities: {},
+            clientInfo: { name: 'bun-test', version: '1.0.0' },
+          },
+        })
+      );
+      child.stdin.write(encodeMessage({ jsonrpc: '2.0', id: 2, method: 'tools/list' }));
+      child.stdin.write(
+        encodeMessage({
+          jsonrpc: '2.0',
+          id: 3,
+          method: 'tools/call',
+          params: { name: 'WebSearch', arguments: { query: 'btc price' } },
+        })
+      );
+
+      await responsesPromise;
+    } finally {
+      child.kill();
+      await waitForClose(child);
+    }
+
+    const traceEvents = readFileSync(tracePath, 'utf8')
+      .trim()
+      .split('\n')
+      .map((line) => JSON.parse(line) as Record<string, unknown>);
+
+    expect(
+      traceEvents.some((event) => event.event === 'mcp_tools_list' && event.exposed === true)
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      traceEvents.some(
+        (event) => event.event === 'mcp_tool_call_received' && event.toolName === 'WebSearch'
+      )
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      traceEvents.some(
+        (event) =>
+          event.event === 'websearch_provider_success' && event.providerName === 'DuckDuckGo'
+      )
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      traceEvents.some(
+        (event) =>
+          event.event === 'mcp_session_summary' &&
+          event.calledWebSearch === true &&
+          event.toolCalls === 1
+      )
+    ).toBe(true);
+
+    rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
 });

tests/unit/hooks/websearch-transformer.test.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test';
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process';
@@ -193,4 +193,78 @@ describe('websearch-transformer hook helpers', () => {
     );
     expect(output).not.toHaveProperty('additionalContext');
   });
+
+  it('writes opt-in trace records with redacted query fingerprints', () => {
+    const tempDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'websearch-hook-trace-'));
+    const preloadPath = join(tempDir, 'mock-fetch.cjs');
+    const ccsHome = join(tempDir, 'home');
+    const tracePath = join(ccsHome, '.ccs', 'logs', 'websearch-trace.jsonl');
+    const html = `
+      <a class="result__a" href="/l/?uddg=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Farticle">Example title</a>
+      <a class="result__snippet">Example snippet</a>
+    `.trim();
+
+    writeFileSync(
+      preloadPath,
+      `global.fetch = async () => ({ ok: true, text: async () => ${JSON.stringify(html)} });\n`,
+      'utf8'
+    );
+
+    try {
+      const result = spawnSync('node', ['-r', preloadPath, hookPath], {
+        encoding: 'utf8',
+        input: JSON.stringify({
+          tool_name: 'WebSearch',
+          tool_input: { query: 'btc price' },
+        }),
+        env: {
+          ...process.env,
+          CCS_HOME: ccsHome,
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE: '1',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCH_ID: 'hook-trace-test',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCHER: 'unit-test',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_ENABLED: '1',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP: '0',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_BRAVE: '0',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_DUCKDUCKGO: '1',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_EXA: '0',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_GEMINI: '0',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_GROK: '0',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_OPENCODE: '0',
+          CCS_WEBSEARCH_TAVILY: '0',
+        },
+      });
+
+      expect(result.status).toBe(0);
+
+      const traceContents = readFileSync(tracePath, 'utf8');
+      expect(traceContents).not.toContain('btc price');
+
+      const traceEvents = traceContents
+        .trim()
+        .split('\n')
+        .map((line) => JSON.parse(line) as Record<string, unknown>);
+
+      expect(traceEvents.some((event) => event.event === 'websearch_hook_invoked')).toBe(true);
+      expect(
+        traceEvents.some(
+          (event) =>
+            event.event === 'websearch_provider_attempt' && event.providerName === 'DuckDuckGo'
+        )
+      ).toBe(true);
+      expect(
+        traceEvents.some(
+          (event) =>
+            event.event === 'websearch_provider_success' && event.providerName === 'DuckDuckGo'
+        )
+      ).toBe(true);
+      const fingerprintEvent = traceEvents.find(
+        (event) => event.event === 'websearch_hook_invoked'
+      ) as { queryHash?: string; queryLength?: number } | undefined;
+      expect(fingerprintEvent?.queryHash).toBeString();
+      expect(fingerprintEvent?.queryLength).toBe(9);
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(tempDir, { force: true, recursive: true });
+    }
+  });
 });

tests/unit/targets/settings-profile-websearch-launch.test.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import * as fs from 'fs';
 import * as os from 'os';
 import * as path from 'path';
 
+const STEERING_PROMPT_SNIPPET = 'prefer the CCS MCP tool WebSearch instead of Bash/curl/http fetches';
+
 interface RunResult {
   status: number | null;
   stdout: string;
@@ -25,6 +27,15 @@ function runCcs(args: string[], env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): RunResult {
   };
 }
 
+function readTraceEvents(tracePath: string): Array<Record<string, unknown>> {
+  return fs
+    .readFileSync(tracePath, 'utf8')
+    .trim()
+    .split('\n')
+    .filter((line) => line.length > 0)
+    .map((line) => JSON.parse(line) as Record<string, unknown>);
+}
+
 describe('settings profile WebSearch launch', () => {
   let tmpHome = '';
   let ccsDir = '';
@@ -119,7 +130,40 @@ exit 0
     expect(result.status).toBe(0);
     expect(result.stderr).not.toContain('could not prepare the local WebSearch tool');
     expect(fs.existsSync(claudeArgsLogPath)).toBe(true);
-    expect(fs.readFileSync(claudeArgsLogPath, 'utf8')).toContain('--disallowedTools');
+    const launchedArgs = fs.readFileSync(claudeArgsLogPath, 'utf8');
-    expect(fs.readFileSync(claudeArgsLogPath, 'utf8')).toContain('WebSearch');
+    expect(launchedArgs).toContain('--disallowedTools');
+    expect(launchedArgs).toContain('WebSearch');
+    expect(launchedArgs).toContain('--append-system-prompt');
+    expect(launchedArgs).toContain(STEERING_PROMPT_SNIPPET);
+  });
+
+  it('writes a source-side launch trace for settings profiles when tracing is enabled', () => {
+    if (process.platform === 'win32') return;
+
+    const tracePath = path.join(ccsDir, 'logs', 'websearch-trace.jsonl');
+    const result = runCcs(['glm', 'smoke'], {
+      ...baseEnv,
+      CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE: '1',
+    });
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(fs.existsSync(tracePath)).toBe(true);
+
+    const traceEvents = readTraceEvents(tracePath);
+    const launchEvent = traceEvents.find(
+      (event) => event.event === 'ccs_websearch_launch'
+    ) as
+      | {
+          launcher?: string;
+          nativeWebSearchDisallowed?: boolean;
+          steeringPromptApplied?: boolean;
+          settingsPath?: string;
+        }
+      | undefined;
+
+    expect(launchEvent?.launcher).toBe('ccs.settings-profile');
+    expect(launchEvent?.nativeWebSearchDisallowed).toBe(true);
+    expect(launchEvent?.steeringPromptApplied).toBe(true);
+    expect(launchEvent?.settingsPath).toBe(settingsPath);
   });
 });

tests/unit/utils/claudecode-env-stripping.test.ts

@@ -21,12 +21,14 @@ type SpawnCall = {
   options: Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
 };
 
+const STEERING_PROMPT_SNIPPET = 'prefer the CCS MCP tool WebSearch instead of Bash/curl/http fetches';
 const spawnCalls: SpawnCall[] = [];
 const originalPlatform = process.platform;
 let baselineSigintListeners: Array<(...args: unknown[]) => void> = [];
 let baselineSigtermListeners: Array<(...args: unknown[]) => void> = [];
 let baselineSighupListeners: Array<(...args: unknown[]) => void> = [];
 let originalCcsHome: string | undefined;
+let originalCcsClaudePath: string | undefined;
 let originalDisableAutoUpdater: string | undefined;
 const realSpawn = childProcess.spawn.bind(childProcess);
 const realSpawnSync = childProcess.spawnSync.bind(childProcess);
@@ -150,6 +152,7 @@ describe('CLAUDECODE environment stripping', () => {
     spawnCalls.length = 0;
     process.env.CCS_QUIET = '1';
     originalCcsHome = process.env.CCS_HOME;
+    originalCcsClaudePath = process.env.CCS_CLAUDE_PATH;
     originalDisableAutoUpdater = process.env.DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER;
     delete process.env.DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER;
     baselineSigintListeners = process.listeners('SIGINT');
@@ -162,8 +165,11 @@ describe('CLAUDECODE environment stripping', () => {
     delete process.env.CLAUDECODE;
     delete process.env.claudecode;
     delete process.env.CCS_QUIET;
+    delete process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE;
     if (originalCcsHome !== undefined) process.env.CCS_HOME = originalCcsHome;
     else delete process.env.CCS_HOME;
+    if (originalCcsClaudePath !== undefined) process.env.CCS_CLAUDE_PATH = originalCcsClaudePath;
+    else delete process.env.CCS_CLAUDE_PATH;
     if (originalDisableAutoUpdater !== undefined) {
       process.env.DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER = originalDisableAutoUpdater;
     } else {
@@ -325,4 +331,47 @@ describe('CLAUDECODE environment stripping', () => {
     expect(Object.keys(env).map((k) => k.toUpperCase())).not.toContain('CLAUDECODE');
     expect(env.DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER).toBe('1');
   });
+
+  it('headless executor adds third-party WebSearch steering args and env', async () => {
+    writeConfigWithAutoUpdatePreference(false);
+    const ccsDir = path.join(process.env.CCS_HOME as string, '.ccs');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(ccsDir, 'glm.settings.json'), '{}\n', 'utf8');
+    process.env.CCS_CLAUDE_PATH = 'claude';
+
+    const result = await HeadlessExecutor.execute('glm', 'latest AI chip news', {
+      permissionMode: 'default',
+      timeout: 1000,
+    });
+
+    expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+    expect(spawnCalls.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    const launch = spawnCalls[0];
+    expect(launch.args).toContain('--disallowedTools');
+    expect(launch.args).toContain('WebSearch');
+    expect(launch.args).toContain('--append-system-prompt');
+    expect(launch.args.join(' ')).toContain(STEERING_PROMPT_SNIPPET);
+    const env = launch.options?.env as NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+    expect(env.CCS_PROFILE_TYPE).toBe('settings');
+    expect(env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_ENABLED || env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP).toBeDefined();
+  });
+
+  it('headless executor propagates a WebSearch trace launch id when tracing is enabled', async () => {
+    writeConfigWithAutoUpdatePreference(false);
+    const ccsDir = path.join(process.env.CCS_HOME as string, '.ccs');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(ccsDir, 'glm.settings.json'), '{}\n', 'utf8');
+    process.env.CCS_CLAUDE_PATH = 'claude';
+    process.env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE = '1';
+
+    const result = await HeadlessExecutor.execute('glm', 'latest AI chip news', {
+      permissionMode: 'default',
+      timeout: 1000,
+    });
+
+    expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+    expect(spawnCalls.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    const env = spawnCalls[0].options?.env as NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+    expect(env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE).toBe('1');
+    expect(env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCH_ID).toBeString();
+    expect(env.CCS_WEBSEARCH_TRACE_LAUNCHER).toBe('delegation.headless-executor');
+  });
 });

tests/unit/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args.test.ts

@@ -1,25 +1,47 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test';
 import { appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs } from '../../../../src/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args';
 
+const STEERING_PROMPT =
+  'For web lookup or current-information requests, prefer the CCS MCP tool WebSearch instead of Bash/curl/http fetches. If the user explicitly wants shell commands, or WebSearch is unavailable or fails, you may fall back to Bash/network tools.';
+
 describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
-  it('appends native WebSearch suppression when no tool flags are present', () => {
+  it('appends native WebSearch suppression and steering prompt when no tool flags are present', () => {
     expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke'])).toEqual([
       'smoke',
       '--disallowedTools',
       'WebSearch',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      STEERING_PROMPT,
     ]);
   });
 
-  it('does not append duplicate suppression when WebSearch is already disallowed', () => {
+  it('does not append duplicate suppression or steering prompt when both are already present', () => {
-    expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke', '--disallowedTools', 'WebSearch'])).toEqual(
+    expect(
-      ['smoke', '--disallowedTools', 'WebSearch']
+      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs([
-    );
+        'smoke',
+        '--disallowedTools',
+        'WebSearch',
+        '--append-system-prompt',
+        STEERING_PROMPT,
+      ])
+    ).toEqual([
+      'smoke',
+      '--disallowedTools',
+      'WebSearch',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      STEERING_PROMPT,
+    ]);
   });
 
   it('detects comma-separated disallowed tool values', () => {
-    expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke', '--disallowedTools=Read,WebSearch'])).toEqual(
+    expect(
-      ['smoke', '--disallowedTools=Read,WebSearch']
+      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke', '--disallowedTools=Read,WebSearch'])
-    );
+    ).toEqual([
+      'smoke',
+      '--disallowedTools=Read,WebSearch',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      STEERING_PROMPT,
+    ]);
   });
 
   it('merges WebSearch into an existing space-separated disallowed tool flag', () => {
@@ -27,6 +49,8 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
       'smoke',
       '--disallowedTools',
       'Read,WebSearch',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      STEERING_PROMPT,
     ]);
   });
 
@@ -34,6 +58,75 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
     expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke', '--disallowedTools=Read'])).toEqual([
       'smoke',
       '--disallowedTools=Read,WebSearch',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      STEERING_PROMPT,
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('preserves user-supplied append-system-prompt values and adds the CCS steering hint once', () => {
+    expect(
+      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs([
+        'smoke',
+        '--append-system-prompt',
+        'User-provided instruction',
+      ])
+    ).toEqual([
+      'smoke',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      'User-provided instruction',
+      '--disallowedTools',
+      'WebSearch',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      STEERING_PROMPT,
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('does not duplicate the steering prompt when it already exists in equals form', () => {
+    expect(
+      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs([
+        'smoke',
+        '--disallowedTools',
+        'WebSearch',
+        `--append-system-prompt=${STEERING_PROMPT}`,
+      ])
+    ).toEqual([
+      'smoke',
+      '--disallowedTools',
+      'WebSearch',
+      `--append-system-prompt=${STEERING_PROMPT}`,
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('does not consume positional args after a disallowed-tools flag value', () => {
+    expect(
+      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['--disallowedTools', 'Read', 'latest AI news'])
+    ).toEqual([
+      '--disallowedTools',
+      'Read,WebSearch',
+      'latest AI news',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      STEERING_PROMPT,
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('injects synthetic flags before an end-of-options marker', () => {
+    expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['--', 'latest AI news'])).toEqual([
+      '--disallowedTools',
+      'WebSearch',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      STEERING_PROMPT,
+      '--',
+      'latest AI news',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('inserts the WebSearch disallow value when the flag is present without one', () => {
+    expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['--disallowedTools', '--verbose'])).toEqual([
+      '--disallowedTools',
+      'WebSearch',
+      '--verbose',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      STEERING_PROMPT,
     ]);
   });
 });