diff --git a/packages/core/src/v1/config/config.ts b/packages/core/src/v1/config/config.ts
index bd9baab123..0ef9d1ffc7 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/v1/config/config.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/v1/config/config.ts
@@ -227,7 +227,8 @@ export const Info = Schema.Struct({
   permission: Schema.optional(ConfigPermissionV1.Info),
   tools: Schema.optional(Schema.Record(Schema.String, Schema.Boolean)),
   web_search: Schema.optional(Schema.Boolean).annotate({
-    description: "Make web search available to models from all providers",
+    description:
+      "Make web search available to models from all providers (default: true). Set to false to limit it to managed providers.",
   }), // kilocode_change
   attachment: Schema.optional(ConfigAttachmentV1.Info).annotate({
     description: "Attachment processing configuration, including image size limits and resizing behavior",
diff --git a/packages/kilo-console/src/routes/config/ToolsRoute.tsx b/packages/kilo-console/src/routes/config/ToolsRoute.tsx
index 9dcb20b6e0..fae54f6b8c 100644
--- a/packages/kilo-console/src/routes/config/ToolsRoute.tsx
+++ b/packages/kilo-console/src/routes/config/ToolsRoute.tsx
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ export function ToolsRoute() {
   const [search, setSearch] = createSignal("")
   const snap = () => ctx.data()
   const websearch = createMemo(() => snap()?.overlay.fields.web_search)
-  const searchEnabled = createMemo(() => websearch()?.value === true)
+  const searchEnabled = createMemo(() => websearch()?.value !== false)
   const rows = createMemo(() => {
     const data = snap()
     if (!data) return []
diff --git a/packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/components/settings/BrowserTab.tsx b/packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/components/settings/BrowserTab.tsx
index fabc7858b8..ca870fef21 100644
--- a/packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/components/settings/BrowserTab.tsx
+++ b/packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/components/settings/BrowserTab.tsx
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ const BrowserTab: Component = () => {
             description={t("settings.webTools.webSearch.description")}
             last
           >
-            <Switch checked={config().web_search ?? false} onChange={updateWebsearch} hideLabel>
+            <Switch checked={config().web_search ?? true} onChange={updateWebsearch} hideLabel>
               {t("settings.webTools.webSearch.title")}
             </Switch>
           </SettingsRow>
diff --git a/packages/opencode/src/tool/registry.ts b/packages/opencode/src/tool/registry.ts
index 4df567dd6b..4f7c275cfa 100644
--- a/packages/opencode/src/tool/registry.ts
+++ b/packages/opencode/src/tool/registry.ts
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ export const layer: Layer.Layer<
       const filtered = (yield* all()).filter((tool) => {
         if (!KiloToolRegistry.available(tool, input.agent)) return false // kilocode_change
         if (tool.id === WebSearchTool.id) {
-          if (cfg.web_search === true) return true // kilocode_change
+          if (cfg.web_search !== false) return true // kilocode_change
           return webSearchEnabled(input.providerID, { exa: flags.enableExa, parallel: flags.enableParallel })
         }
 
diff --git a/packages/opencode/test/kilocode/config/config.test.ts b/packages/opencode/test/kilocode/config/config.test.ts
index 51902e1514..3938950306 100644
--- a/packages/opencode/test/kilocode/config/config.test.ts
+++ b/packages/opencode/test/kilocode/config/config.test.ts
@@ -152,10 +152,10 @@ describe("global config updates", () => {
 })
 
 describe("kilocode web search config", () => {
-  test("accepts the websearch availability setting", () => {
-    const config = Schema.decodeUnknownSync(Config.Info)({ web_search: true })
+  test("accepts explicitly limiting web search to managed providers", () => {
+    const config = Schema.decodeUnknownSync(Config.Info)({ web_search: false })
 
-    expect(config.web_search).toBe(true)
+    expect(config.web_search).toBe(false)
   })
 })
 
diff --git a/packages/opencode/test/tool/registry.test.ts b/packages/opencode/test/tool/registry.test.ts
index 97e4e6c51c..2420506b9d 100644
--- a/packages/opencode/test/tool/registry.test.ts
+++ b/packages/opencode/test/tool/registry.test.ts
@@ -125,7 +125,21 @@ const websearch = testEffect(
       config: {
         get: () =>
           Effect.succeed({
-            web_search: true,
+            provider: { openai: { options: { apiKey: "test-openai-key" } } },
+          }),
+      },
+    }),
+    node,
+    Agent.defaultLayer,
+  ),
+)
+const websearchOff = testEffect(
+  Layer.mergeAll(
+    registryLayer({
+      config: {
+        get: () =>
+          Effect.succeed({
+            web_search: false,
             provider: { openai: { options: { apiKey: "test-openai-key" } } },
           }),
       },
@@ -155,23 +169,7 @@ function sandboxProfile(): Profile {
 
 describe("tool.registry", () => {
   // kilocode_change start
-  it.instance("hides websearch for a third-party provider by default", () =>
-    Effect.gen(function* () {
-      const registry = yield* ToolRegistry.Service
-      const agent = yield* Agent.Service
-      const build = yield* agent.get("build")
-      if (!build) return yield* Effect.die(new Error("build agent not found"))
-      const tools = yield* registry.tools({
-        providerID: ProviderV2.ID.openai,
-        modelID: ModelV2.ID.make("test"),
-        agent: build,
-      })
-
-      expect(tools.map((tool) => tool.id)).not.toContain("websearch")
-    }),
-  )
-
-  websearch.instance("shows websearch for a configured third-party provider when enabled", () =>
+  websearch.instance("shows websearch by default for a configured third-party provider", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
       const registry = yield* ToolRegistry.Service
       const agent = yield* Agent.Service
@@ -187,6 +185,22 @@ describe("tool.registry", () => {
     }),
   )
 
+  websearchOff.instance("hides websearch for a configured third-party provider when disabled", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const registry = yield* ToolRegistry.Service
+      const agent = yield* Agent.Service
+      const build = yield* agent.get("build")
+      if (!build) return yield* Effect.die(new Error("build agent not found"))
+      const tools = yield* registry.tools({
+        providerID: ProviderV2.ID.openai,
+        modelID: ModelV2.ID.make("test"),
+        agent: build,
+      })
+
+      expect(tools.map((tool) => tool.id)).not.toContain("websearch")
+    }),
+  )
+
   sandboxed.instance("preserves built-in network classification through production tool definition processing", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
       const registry = yield* ToolRegistry.Service