diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 12403ae..b2dce36 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ Async SQLAlchemy + aiosqlite. `MemoryStore`: schema init (+ lightweight SQLite `
 
 - **`ChatClient`** Protocol for `chat_completions` (agent history stays chat-shaped).
 - **OpenAI Responses integration**: `ResponsesChatClient` adapts platform `OpenAIClient.responses` to `ChatClient`; selected automatically for `OpenAIProvider` in `create_client`. Compat/DeepSeek stay on chat completions.
-- **Provider-side tools**: `OpenAIProvider.provider_tools` (list of dicts, e.g. `{type="web_search"}`) merged into Responses `tools` alongside local function tools; never executed by `ToolRegistry`.
+- **Provider-side tools**: `OpenAIProvider.provider_tools` (list of dicts; default `[{type="web_search"}]` when omitted; `[]` disables) merged into Responses `tools` alongside local function tools; never executed by `ToolRegistry`.
 - **`@tool` / `ToolRegistry`**: decorator infers JSON Schema from type hints; execute tools by name.
 - **`run_chat_loop`**: multi-round tool loop; default **streaming** text deltas + stream tool-call merge; parallel tools; tool-result char budget; soft context compact on request (**API-calibrated** after first usage when available); cooperative cancel points; optional `on_limit`.
 - **`ChatAgent`**: optional `MemoryStore` (user message persisted immediately; **completed tool batches checkpointed** mid-turn; unfinished assistant suffix rolled back on failure); `stream`; system prompt; `retry()` continues incomplete turns (user-only **or** after committed tools — does not re-run those tools).
diff --git a/doc/plyngent.example.toml b/doc/plyngent.example.toml
index fa5926f..0873dd8 100644
--- a/doc/plyngent.example.toml
+++ b/doc/plyngent.example.toml
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ access_key_or_token = "sk-replace-me"
 # access_key_or_token = "sk-replace-me"
 # url = "https://api.openai.com/v1"
 # # Hosted/provider-side tools (OpenAI runs them; not local ToolRegistry).
+# # Default if omitted: [{ type = "web_search" }]. Use [] to disable.
 # # Examples: web_search, file_search (+ vector_store_ids), code_interpreter, mcp.
 # provider_tools = [
 #   { type = "web_search" },
diff --git a/src/plyngent/config/models.py b/src/plyngent/config/models.py
index 48e84f3..cdc89c5 100644
--- a/src/plyngent/config/models.py
+++ b/src/plyngent/config/models.py
@@ -62,6 +62,11 @@ def _default_openai_models() -> dict[str, ModelConfig]:
     }
 
 
+def _default_openai_provider_tools() -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
+    """Hosted tools when TOML omits ``provider_tools``."""
+    return [{"type": "web_search"}]
+
+
 class OpenAIProvider(ProviderConfig, tag="openai"):
     """OpenAI platform provider (agent uses Responses API).
 
@@ -71,10 +76,12 @@ class OpenAIProvider(ProviderConfig, tag="openai"):
 
     When ``models`` is omitted in TOML, seeds a small default catalog (same idea
     as DeepSeek). Explicit ``models = {}`` stays empty (recoverable / free-form).
+    When ``provider_tools`` is omitted, defaults to web_search; use
+    ``provider_tools = []`` to disable hosted tools.
     """
 
     models: dict[str, ModelConfig] = field(default_factory=_default_openai_models)
-    provider_tools: list[dict[str, Any]] = field(default_factory=list)
+    provider_tools: list[dict[str, Any]] = field(default_factory=_default_openai_provider_tools)
 
 
 class OpenAICompatibleProvider(ProviderConfig, tag="openai-compatible"):
diff --git a/tests/test_config/test_config.py b/tests/test_config/test_config.py
index 92ae82d..c402f54 100644
--- a/tests/test_config/test_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_config/test_config.py
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ def test_deepseek_default_models_on_construct() -> None:
 def test_openai_default_models_on_construct() -> None:
     provider = OpenAIProvider(access_key_or_token="sk-test")
     assert set(provider.models) == {"gpt-5.4", "gpt-5.4-mini", "gpt-5.4-nano"}
+    assert provider.provider_tools == [{"type": "web_search"}]
+
+
+def test_openai_explicit_empty_provider_tools() -> None:
+    provider = OpenAIProvider(access_key_or_token="sk-test", provider_tools=[])
+    assert provider.provider_tools == []
 
 
 def test_openai_omitted_preset_and_models_from_toml(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
diff --git a/tests/test_runtime/test_client_factory.py b/tests/test_runtime/test_client_factory.py
index 8eb4558..b8f199b 100644
--- a/tests/test_runtime/test_client_factory.py
+++ b/tests/test_runtime/test_client_factory.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ def test_openai_provider_defaults_base_url() -> None:
     client = create_client(provider)
     assert isinstance(client, ResponsesChatClient)
     assert hasattr(client, "chat_completions")
-    assert client._provider_tools == []
+    assert client._provider_tools == [{"type": "web_search"}]
 
 
 def test_openai_provider_tools_passed_to_wrapper() -> None: