Benchmarks
First cohort published
See the May 2026 official-docs search API benchmark for Brave Search API, SerpAPI, and Tavily. Read the results → View the buyer guide →
Independent findings · 2026
Find the best tools for your AI agents.
Rankings, benchmark results, comparisons, and practical notes for teams choosing software their AI agents can use reliably.
Start with a 10-minute tool scorecard
Most teams do not need another generic AI newsletter. They need a quick way to decide whether a specific API, CLI, SaaS product, MCP server, or internal workflow is safe for agents to use. The Agent-First Tool Scorecard now includes an in-browser calculator for the six evidence checks: inspectability, scriptability, bounded action, verification, recovery, and composability.
Want a quick fit check?
If you already have a tool, shortlist, scorecard result, or agent workflow in mind, send a short safe summary. I will reply only when there is enough context for a useful next step: a lightweight recommendation, a scoped private benchmark, or a paid audit outline.
Categories
Compare like with like
AI search APIs, SERP wrappers, and web extraction tools solve different problems. Benchmarks keep those categories separate.
Audits
Need a tool decision?
Get an evidence-backed audit for a specific tool, workflow, or shortlist before agents depend on it. Ask about an audit →
New: official docs search API benchmark
We tested three search APIs on 30 official-documentation retrieval tasks and published Success@k, MRR, latency, and downloadable evidence tables. A new playbook turns those findings into a practical docs-retrieval loop for agents.
Get our latest findings by email
Occasional notes on tool rankings, benchmark results, comparisons, and implementation patterns. No generic AI commentary.
What makes a tool agent-friendly?
Tool recommendations come first. These criteria explain why some tools rank well for agent use and others need constraints or workarounds.
Define
Name the job
Start with a concrete workflow: search, deploy, update CRM, triage inbox, file tickets, run reports, or manage infrastructure.
Check
Compare the tool surface
Score candidate APIs, CLIs, SaaS products, MCP servers, and internal platforms before agents depend on them.
Use
Keep the loop verifiable
Prefer tools with status endpoints, scoped tokens, dry runs, receipts, idempotency, logs, and rollback paths.