Getting Started

Welcome to GL Smart Search! This guide will help you get started with web search in minutes.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have completed the Prerequisites guide — specifically:

• Python 3.11 or 3.12 installed

• GL Smart Search SDK installed (pip install smart-search-sdk)

• GL Smart Search credentials (Base URL and Token)

💡 Tip: If you haven't set up your credentials yet, follow the instructions in the Prerequisites guide to get your GL Smart Search Token.

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Your First Web Search

Choose one of the integration methods below to get started:

SDK (Python)

Ideal for: Python developers who want a high-level interface with built-in error handling and type safety.

Step 1: Install the SDK

If you haven't already, install the GL Smart Search SDK:

pip install smart-search-sdk

Step 2: Set Environment Variables

Configure your GL Smart Search credentials:

export SMARTSEARCH_BASE_URL="https://search.glair.ai/"
export SMARTSEARCH_TOKEN="your-access-token"

💡 Tip: Get your GL Smart Search Token from the Prerequisites guide.

Step 3: Perform a Web Search

Create a Python script and run your first search:

import asyncio
import os
from smart_search_sdk.web.client import WebSearchClient
from smart_search_sdk.web.models import GetWebSearchResultsRequest

async def main():
    client = WebSearchClient(base_url=os.getenv("SMARTSEARCH_BASE_URL"))
    await client.authenticate(token=os.getenv("SMARTSEARCH_TOKEN"))
    result = await client.search_web(GetWebSearchResultsRequest(query="gdp labs", size=5))
    print(result)

asyncio.run(main())

📚 Next Steps: Learn more about the GL Smart Search SDK for advanced usage.

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MCP

Ideal for: Agentic systems, AI assistants, and MCP-compatible tools that need modular search capabilities.

Integrate GL Smart Search into any MCP-compatible system (Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, etc.) for agent-based workflows.

Step 1: Configure Your Client

Add GL Smart Search MCP to your MCP client configuration. For example, in Cursor:

1. Open Cursor Settings

2. Go to Features > MCP Servers

3. Click + Add new global MCP server

4. Enter the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smart_search_mcp": {
      "url": "https://search.glair.ai/mcp/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <SMARTSEARCH_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace <SMARTSEARCH_TOKEN> with your GL Smart Search Token.

⚠️ Important: Do not omit the Bearer prefix. Authorization: <token> will fail — it must be Authorization: Bearer <token>.

Step 2: Verify It Works

1. Restart your client if needed (some clients require this to pick up configuration changes)

2. Check available tools — Your client should list the available tools from GL Smart Search MCP

3. Test a query — Try sending a message in your client with a query like:

Search the web for information about Python async programming

📚 Next Steps: See the GL Smart Search MCP guide for detailed setup instructions for all supported clients and available tools.

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CLI

Ideal for: Quick searches and testing directly from your terminal without writing code.

Step 1: Install the SDK

If you haven't already, install the GL Smart Search SDK:

pip install smart-search-sdk

Step 2: Set Environment Variables

Configure your GL Smart Search credentials:

export SMARTSEARCH_BASE_URL="https://search.glair.ai/"
export SMARTSEARCH_TOKEN="your-access-token"

Step 3: Run Your First Search

Use the CLI to perform a web search:

smart-search web search --query "gdp labs" --size 5

📚 Next Steps: Learn more about CLI commands for web search and connector operations.

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Next Steps

Now that you've completed your first search, explore more capabilities:

• SDK Guide – Learn advanced GL Smart Search SDK features for web search and connectors

• MCP Guide – Set up GL Smart Search MCP integration for agentic workflows

• CLI Guide – Master command-line operations

• Resources – Access authentication guides and developer references