URL context

You can use the URL context tool to provide Gemini with URLs as additional context for your prompt. The model can then retrieve content from the URLs and use that content to inform and shape its response.

This tool is useful for tasks like the following:

  • Extracting key data points or talking points from articles
  • Comparing information across multiple links
  • Synthesizing data from several sources
  • Answering questions based on the content of a specific page or pages
  • Analyzing content for specific purposes (like writing a job description or creating test questions)

This guide explains how to use the URL context tool in the Gemini API in Vertex AI.

Supported models

The following models provide support for URL Context:

Use URL context

You can use the URL context tool in two main ways, by itself or in conjunction with Grounding with Google Search.

URL context only

You can provide specific URLs that you want the model to analyze directly in your prompt:

Summarize this document: YOUR_URLs

Extract the key features from the product description on this page: YOUR_URLs

Python

from google import genai
from google.genai.types import Tool, GenerateContentConfig, HttpOptions, UrlContext

client = genai.Client(http_options=HttpOptions(api_version="v1"))
model_id = "gemini-2.5-flash"

url_context_tool = Tool(
    url_context = UrlContext
)

response = client.models.generate_content(
    model=model_id,
    contents="Compare recipes from YOUR_URL1 and YOUR_URL2",
    config=GenerateContentConfig(
        tools=[url_context_tool],
        response_modalities=["TEXT"],
    )
)

for each in response.candidates[0].content.parts:
    print(each.text)
# get URLs retrieved for context
print(response.candidates[0].url_context_metadata)

Javascript

# Replace the `GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT` and `GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION` values
# with appropriate values for your project.
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT=GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION=global
export GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI=True

import { GoogleGenAI } from "@google/genai";

const ai = new GoogleGenAI({
  vertexai: true,
  project: process.env.GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT,
  location: process.env.GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION,
  apiVersion: 'v1',
});

async function main() {
  const response = await ai.models.generateContent({
    model: "gemini-2.5-flash",
    contents: [
        "Compare recipes from YOUR_URL1 and YOUR_URL2",
    ],
    config: {
      tools: [{urlContext: {}}],
    },
  });
  console.log(response.text);
  // To get URLs retrieved for context
  console.log(response.candidates[0].urlContextMetadata)
}

await main();

REST

curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  https://aiplatform.googleapis.com/v1beta1/projects/GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT/locations/global/publishers/google/models/gemini-2.5-flash:generateContent \
  -d '{
      "contents": [
          {
              "role": "user",
              "parts": [
                  {"text": "Compare recipes from YOUR_URL1 and YOUR_URL2"}
              ]
          }
      ],
      "tools": [
          {
              "url_context": {}
          }
      ]
  }' > result.json

cat result.json

Grounding with Google Search with URL context

You can also enable both URL context and Grounding with Google Search together. You can enter a prompt with or without URLs. The model may first search for relevant information and then use the URL context tool to read the content of the search results for a more in-depth understanding.

This feature is experimental and available in API version v1beta1.

Example prompts:

Give me a three day event schedule based on YOUR_URL. Also let me know what needs to taken care of considering weather and commute.

Recommend 3 books for beginners to read to learn more about the latest YOUR_SUBJECT.

Python

from google import genai
from google.genai.types import Tool, GenerateContentConfig, HttpOptions, UrlContext, GoogleSearch

client = genai.Client(http_options=HttpOptions(api_version="v1beta1"))
model_id = "gemini-2.5-flash"

tools = []
tools.append(Tool(url_context=UrlContext))
tools.append(Tool(google_search=GoogleSearch))

response = client.models.generate_content(
    model=model_id,
    contents="Give me three day events schedule based on YOUR_URL. Also let me know what needs to taken care of considering weather and commute.",
    config=GenerateContentConfig(
        tools=tools,
        response_modalities=["TEXT"],
    )
)

for each in response.candidates[0].content.parts:
    print(each.text)
# get URLs retrieved for context
print(response.candidates[0].url_context_metadata)

Javascript

# Replace the `GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT` and `GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION` values
# with appropriate values for your project.
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT=GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION=global
export GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI=True

import { GoogleGenAI } from "@google/genai";

const ai = new GoogleGenAI({
  vertexai: true,
  project: process.env.GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT,
  location: process.env.GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION,
  apiVersion: 'v1beta1',
});

async function main() {
  const response = await ai.models.generateContent({
    model: "gemini-2.5-flash",
    contents: [
        "Give me a three day event schedule based on YOUR_URL. Also let me know what needs to taken care of considering weather and commute.",
    ],
    config: {
      tools: [{urlContext: {}}, {googleSearch: {}}],
    },
  });
  console.log(response.text);
  // To get URLs retrieved for context
  console.log(response.candidates[0].urlContextMetadata)
}

await main();

REST

curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  https://aiplatform.googleapis.com/v1beta1/projects/GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT/locations/global/publishers/google/models/gemini-2.5-flash:generateContent \
  -d '{
      "contents": [
          {
              "role": "user",
              "parts": [
                  {"text": "Give me a three day event schedule based on YOUR_URL. Also let me know what needs to taken care of considering weather and commute."}
              ]
          }
      ],
      "tools": [
          {
              "url_context": {}
          },
          {
              "google_search": {}
          }
      ]
  }' > result.json

cat result.json

For more details about Grounding with Google Search, see the overview page.

Contextual response

The model's response will be based on the content it retrieved from the URLs. If the model retrieved content from URLs, the response will include url_context_metadata. Such a response might look something like the following (parts of the response have been omitted for brevity):

{
  "candidates": [
    {
      "content": {
        "parts": [
          {
            "text": "... \n"
          }
        ],
        "role": "model"
      },
      ...
      "url_context_metadata":
      {
          "url_metadata":
          [
            {
              "retrieved_url": "https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/docs/multimodal/code-execution",
              "url_retrieval_status": <UrlRetrievalStatus.URL_RETRIEVAL_STATUS_SUCCESS: "URL_RETRIEVAL_STATUS_SUCCESS">
            },
            {
              "retrieved_url": "https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/docs/grounding/grounding-with-google-search",
              "url_retrieval_status": <UrlRetrievalStatus.URL_RETRIEVAL_STATUS_SUCCESS: "URL_RETRIEVAL_STATUS_SUCCESS">
            },
          ]
        }
    }
  ]
}

Limitations

  • The tool will consume up to 20 URLs per request for analysis.
  • The tool does not fetch live versions of web pages, so there may be some issues with freshness or potentially out-of-date information.
  • For best results during experimental phase, use the tool on standard web pages rather than multimedia content such as YouTube videos.