g4f Gemini Web Search — `tools=[["google_search"]]`

Discovery

g4f's Provider.Gemini (URL: https://gemini.google.com, uses COOKIES, not API key) supports Google Search through the tools parameter passed to build_request.

How it works

Gemini.create_async_generator accepts tools=kwargs.get("tools") (line 663)
Gemini.build_request accepts tools: list[list[str]] and sets request[9] = tools (lines 988-1017)
The web protocol expects [["google_search"]] format

Usage

import g4f

response = g4f.ChatCompletion.create(
    model="gemini",
    provider=g4f.Provider.Gemini,
    cookies=cookies_dict,
    tools=[["google_search"]],  # enables Google Search in web interface
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "What's the current Bitcoin price?"}]
)

Verified

g4f version: 8.1.6
Source: g4f/Provider/needs_auth/Gemini.py
build_request parameter: tools: list[list[str]] = None → request[9] = tools
No other g4f providers support this parameter (searched entire g4f/Provider/ directory — 0 matches for google_search)

Pitfalls

The format [["google_search"]] is a best guess — the exact web protocol format is undocumented
Gemini web interface may not always honor the tools parameter
No error is thrown if the format is wrong — Gemini just ignores it silently
Test with a query that requires real-time data to verify it's working

Real-world usage: Calorie-Counter-AI bot (2026-08-16)

Architecture

gemini_web.py (wrapper) → g4f.ChatCompletion.create(
    provider=g4f.Provider.Gemini,
    cookies=gemini_cookies.json,
    tools=[["google_search"]]
) → gemini.google.com

System prompt pattern for structured search results

Instruct Gemini to return search results as structured JSON fields:

{
  "prices": [{"product": "куриное филе", "price_uah": 189, "store": "АТБ"}],
  "promotions": [{"store": "Сільпо", "title": "Скидка 30%", "valid_until": "2026-08-20"}]
}

Prompt snippet:

ИНСТРУМЕНТЫ: У тебя есть доступ к Google Search (google_search). Используй его чтобы:
1. Найти актуальные цены в гривнах на КАЖДЫЙ продукт из shopping_list в 2-3 магазинах
2. Найти текущие АКЦИИ и скидки на продукты

Multi-store comparison pattern

Request multiple store prices per product. Post-process by grouping and sorting:

from collections import defaultdict
by_product = defaultdict(list)
for p in prices:
    by_product[p["product"]].append((p["price_uah"], p["store"]))
# Display best price first, show alternatives

Fallback chain

Gemini Google Search → prices field
If empty → DuckDuckGo scraping (price_search.py)
If both fail → no price block shown

Verified behavior

Gemini with tools=[["google_search"]] returns real-time search results through g4f cookies
The search tool is invoked automatically by Gemini when the prompt asks for current prices
DuckDuckGo fallback catches cases where Gemini doesn't search (rate limits, silent failures)

gemini_web.py in Calorie-Counter-AI project: wraps g4f Gemini with SDK-like interface
Cookie file: gemini_cookies.json (extracted from browser)

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g4f Gemini Web Search — tools=[["google_search"]]