diff --git a/docs/reports/hardening-inventory.json b/docs/reports/hardening-inventory.json
index 59ee2800..547ba845 100644
--- a/docs/reports/hardening-inventory.json
+++ b/docs/reports/hardening-inventory.json
@@ -573,8 +573,8 @@
     },
     "loggerCoverage": {
       "filesWithCreateLogger": 65,
-      "totalSourceFiles": 753,
-      "coverageRatio": 0.0863,
+      "totalSourceFiles": 754,
+      "coverageRatio": 0.0862,
       "subdomainsWithZeroCreateLogger": [
         "api",
         "bin",
@@ -605,7 +605,7 @@
         },
         {
           "subdomain": "utils",
-          "count": 89,
+          "count": 90,
           "withLogger": 1
         },
         {
diff --git a/docs/reports/hardening-inventory.md b/docs/reports/hardening-inventory.md
index 734ddef6..0b264adb 100644
--- a/docs/reports/hardening-inventory.md
+++ b/docs/reports/hardening-inventory.md
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ Scope: `src/**/*.{ts,tsx,js,jsx,mjs,cjs}`
 | typed-error adoption (P4 locked subdomains) | 91.7% (22/24), target 40% |
 | hotpath console.error/warn occurrences | 266 (571 total, 305 CLI-UX exempt) |
 | hotpath console.error/warn files | 82 |
-| files with createLogger | 65/753 |
+| files with createLogger | 65/754 |
 | subdomains with zero createLogger | 15 (api, bin, channels, cliproxy, cliproxy/accounts, cliproxy/ai-providers, cliproxy/binary, cliproxy/config, cliproxy/management, cliproxy/sync, cliproxy/types, config, dispatcher, shared, types) |
 | files > 400 LOC | 91 |
 | files > 600 LOC | 42 |
diff --git a/docs/websearch.md b/docs/websearch.md
index a254f8ef..4cac685e 100644
--- a/docs/websearch.md
+++ b/docs/websearch.md
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ For a third-party Claude launch, CCS:
 
 1. suppresses the native `WebSearch` tool because the third-party backend cannot
    execute it;
-2. adds a short steering prompt that prefers the CCS MCP `WebSearch` tool;
+2. when WebSearch is enabled, adds a short steering prompt that prefers the CCS
+   MCP `WebSearch` tool;
 3. when WebSearch is enabled, installs the managed MCP server and adds the
    `ccs-websearch` entry to the applicable Claude configuration;
 4. searches enabled and ready providers in deterministic order.
diff --git a/eslint-rules/throw-error-baseline.json b/eslint-rules/throw-error-baseline.json
index e95bfe53..9fa25647 100644
--- a/eslint-rules/throw-error-baseline.json
+++ b/eslint-rules/throw-error-baseline.json
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
   "src/cliproxy/executor/auth-coordinator.ts:176",
   "src/cliproxy/executor/auth-coordinator.ts:317",
   "src/cliproxy/executor/browser-launch-setup.ts:120",
-  "src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts:391",
+  "src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts:390",
   "src/cliproxy/executor/lifecycle-manager.ts:129",
   "src/cliproxy/executor/lifecycle-manager.ts:162",
   "src/cliproxy/executor/lifecycle-manager.ts:59",
@@ -161,14 +161,14 @@
   "src/cursor/cursor-translator.ts:189",
   "src/delegation/headless-executor.ts:126",
   "src/delegation/headless-executor.ts:141",
-  "src/delegation/headless-executor.ts:270",
-  "src/delegation/headless-executor.ts:679",
+  "src/delegation/headless-executor.ts:272",
+  "src/delegation/headless-executor.ts:683",
   "src/dispatcher/cli-argument-parser.ts:310",
   "src/dispatcher/cli-argument-parser.ts:314",
   "src/dispatcher/cli-argument-parser.ts:324",
   "src/dispatcher/cli-argument-parser.ts:328",
   "src/dispatcher/flows/default-flow.ts:76",
-  "src/dispatcher/flows/settings-flow.ts:135",
+  "src/dispatcher/flows/settings-flow.ts:133",
   "src/docker/docker-assets.ts:35",
   "src/docker/docker-executor.ts:154",
   "src/docker/docker-executor.ts:435",
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@
   "src/utils/shell-completion.ts:269",
   "src/utils/shell-completion.ts:288",
   "src/utils/shell-completion.ts:74",
-  "src/utils/websearch/mcp-installer.ts:438",
+  "src/utils/websearch/mcp-installer.ts:443",
   "src/utils/websearch/profile-hook-injector.ts:206",
   "src/web-server/index.ts:266",
   "src/web-server/services/claude-extension-binding-service.ts:144",
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/claude-launcher.test.ts b/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/claude-launcher.test.ts
index 3e587ca9..2afe136f 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/claude-launcher.test.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/claude-launcher.test.ts
@@ -47,7 +47,10 @@ mock.module('../../config/config-generator', () => ({
 }));
 
 mock.module('../../../utils/websearch-manager', () => ({
-  appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs: (args: string[]) => args,
+  appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs: (args: string[], enabled = true) =>
+    enabled
+      ? [...args, '--append-system-prompt', 'CCS WebSearch steering']
+      : [...args, '--disallowedTools', 'WebSearch'],
   createWebSearchTraceContext: jest.fn().mockReturnValue({}),
   ensureWebSearchMcpOrThrow: jest.fn(),
   displayWebSearchStatus: jest.fn(),
@@ -124,6 +127,11 @@ function baseContext(overrides: object = {}) {
     skipLocalAuth: true,
     sessionId: undefined,
     imageAnalysisMcpReady: false,
+    webSearchLaunch: {
+      config: { enabled: true },
+      enabled: true,
+      hookEnv: { CCS_WEBSEARCH_ENABLED: '1' },
+    },
     browserRuntimeEnv: undefined,
     inheritedClaudeConfigDir: undefined,
     codexReasoningProxy: null,
@@ -193,6 +201,22 @@ describe('launchClaude', () => {
     expect(spawnArgs).toContain('--browser');
   });
 
+  it('disallows native WebSearch without CCS steering when the launch snapshot is disabled', async () => {
+    await launchClaude(
+      baseContext({
+        webSearchLaunch: {
+          config: { enabled: false },
+          enabled: false,
+          hookEnv: { CCS_WEBSEARCH_ENABLED: '0', CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP: '1' },
+        },
+      })
+    );
+    const spawnArgs = mockSpawn.mock.calls[0][1] as string[];
+    expect(spawnArgs).toContain('--disallowedTools');
+    expect(spawnArgs).toContain('WebSearch');
+    expect(spawnArgs).not.toContain('CCS WebSearch steering');
+  });
+
   it('registers cleanup handlers after spawn', async () => {
     await launchClaude(baseContext());
     expect(mockSetupCleanupHandlers).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/executor/claude-launcher.ts b/src/cliproxy/executor/claude-launcher.ts
index ff189bbf..4f03938a 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/executor/claude-launcher.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/executor/claude-launcher.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
   appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs,
   createWebSearchTraceContext,
 } from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
+import type { WebSearchLaunchState } from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
 import { appendThirdPartyImageAnalysisToolArgs } from '../../utils/image-analysis';
 import { appendBrowserToolArgs } from '../../utils/browser';
 import { getDefaultAccount } from '../accounts/account-manager';
@@ -51,6 +52,8 @@ export interface ClaudeLaunchContext {
   sessionId: string | undefined;
   /** Whether image analysis MCP is ready */
   imageAnalysisMcpReady: boolean;
+  /** WebSearch state captured when launch provisioning ran */
+  webSearchLaunch: WebSearchLaunchState;
   /** Browser runtime environment variables (undefined if browser not active) */
   browserRuntimeEnv: NodeJS.ProcessEnv | undefined;
   /** Inherited Claude config dir for continuity */
@@ -82,6 +85,7 @@ export async function launchClaude(context: ClaudeLaunchContext): Promise<ChildP
     skipLocalAuth,
     sessionId,
     imageAnalysisMcpReady,
+    webSearchLaunch,
     browserRuntimeEnv,
     inheritedClaudeConfigDir,
     codexReasoningProxy,
@@ -124,8 +128,12 @@ export async function launchClaude(context: ClaudeLaunchContext): Promise<ChildP
     ? appendBrowserToolArgs(imageAnalysisArgs)
     : imageAnalysisArgs;
   const launchArgs = isSubcommand
-    ? appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(browserArgs)
-    : ['--settings', settingsPath, ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(browserArgs)];
+    ? appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(browserArgs, webSearchLaunch.enabled)
+    : [
+        '--settings',
+        settingsPath,
+        ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(browserArgs, webSearchLaunch.enabled),
+      ];
 
   // Inject web search trace context into env
   const traceEnv = createWebSearchTraceContext({
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/executor/env-resolver.ts b/src/cliproxy/executor/env-resolver.ts
index 1883f2f1..d94c4f5a 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/executor/env-resolver.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/executor/env-resolver.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ import {
 import { applyExtendedContextConfig } from '../config/extended-context-config';
 import { CLIProxyProvider } from '../types';
 import { CompositeTierConfig } from '../../config/unified-config-types';
-import { getWebSearchHookEnv } from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
 import {
   applyImageAnalysisRuntimeOverrides,
   getImageAnalysisHookEnv,
@@ -78,6 +77,8 @@ export interface ProxyChainConfig {
   claudeConfigDir?: string;
   /** Execution-aware image analysis env prepared by the caller */
   imageAnalysisEnv?: Record<string, string>;
+  /** WebSearch hook env captured from the launch configuration snapshot. */
+  webSearchEnv?: Record<string, string>;
   /** Optional browser runtime env for Claude browser MCP reuse. */
   browserRuntimeEnv?: Record<string, string>;
 }
@@ -246,6 +247,7 @@ export function buildClaudeEnvironment(config: ProxyChainConfig): Record<string,
     compositeDefaultTier,
     claudeConfigDir,
     imageAnalysisEnv: resolvedImageAnalysisEnv,
+    webSearchEnv = {},
     browserRuntimeEnv,
   } = config;
 
@@ -386,7 +388,6 @@ export function buildClaudeEnvironment(config: ProxyChainConfig): Record<string,
   };
 
   // Add hook environment variables
-  const webSearchEnv = getWebSearchHookEnv();
   const imageAnalysisEnv = resolvedImageAnalysisEnv ?? getImageAnalysisHookEnv(provider);
 
   // Merge all environment variables (filter undefined values)
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts b/src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts
index d2fc4c76..99737b49 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ import {
   resolveCliproxyImageAnalysisEnv,
 } from './env-resolver';
 import { checkOrJoinProxy, registerProxySession } from './session-bridge';
-import { getWebSearchHookEnv } from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
+import { resolveWebSearchLaunchState } from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
 import {
   handleLogout,
   handleImport,
@@ -276,10 +276,9 @@ export async function execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
   await handleImport(authCtx);
 
   // Setup first-class CCS WebSearch runtime for non-strict user launches.
-  const shouldDisplayWebSearchStatus = ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch();
-  if (shouldDisplayWebSearchStatus) {
-    displayWebSearchStatus();
-  }
+  const webSearchLaunch = resolveWebSearchLaunchState();
+  ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch(webSearchLaunch.config);
+  displayWebSearchStatus(webSearchLaunch.config);
 
   // 3. Ensure OAuth completed (if provider requires it)
   const remoteAuthToken = proxyConfig.authToken?.trim();
@@ -483,6 +482,7 @@ export async function execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
     compositeDefaultTier: cfg.compositeDefaultTier,
     claudeConfigDir: inheritedClaudeConfigDir,
     imageAnalysisEnv,
+    webSearchEnv: webSearchLaunch.hookEnv,
   });
 
   // 9b. Build env-dependent proxy chain (tool-sanitization + codex-reasoning)
@@ -527,6 +527,7 @@ export async function execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
     compositeDefaultTier: cfg.compositeDefaultTier,
     claudeConfigDir: inheritedClaudeConfigDir,
     imageAnalysisEnv,
+    webSearchEnv: webSearchLaunch.hookEnv,
     browserRuntimeEnv,
   });
 
@@ -542,7 +543,7 @@ export async function execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
     );
   }
 
-  const webSearchEnv = getWebSearchHookEnv();
+  const webSearchEnv = webSearchLaunch.hookEnv;
   if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
     logger.info('browser-env-keys', 'CCS_BROWSER_* keys in environment', {
       keys: Object.keys(env)
@@ -580,6 +581,7 @@ export async function execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
     skipLocalAuth,
     sessionId,
     imageAnalysisMcpReady,
+    webSearchLaunch,
     browserRuntimeEnv,
     inheritedClaudeConfigDir,
     codexReasoningProxy,
diff --git a/src/copilot/copilot-executor.ts b/src/copilot/copilot-executor.ts
index 011414d2..0fd667c6 100644
--- a/src/copilot/copilot-executor.ts
+++ b/src/copilot/copilot-executor.ts
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ import { normalizeCopilotConfigWithWarnings } from './copilot-model-normalizer';
 import { CopilotStatus } from './types';
 import { fail, info, ok, warn } from '../utils/ui';
 import {
-  getWebSearchHookEnv,
   appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs,
   createWebSearchTraceContext,
   syncWebSearchMcpToConfigDir,
 } from '../utils/websearch-manager';
+import type { WebSearchLaunchState } from '../utils/websearch-manager';
 import {
   appendThirdPartyImageAnalysisToolArgs,
   ensureImageAnalysisMcpOrThrow,
@@ -71,6 +71,17 @@ export async function getCopilotStatus(config: CopilotConfig): Promise<CopilotSt
   };
 }
 
+export function buildCopilotClaudeLaunchArgs(
+  claudeArgs: string[],
+  imageAnalysisMcpReady: boolean,
+  webSearchEnabled: boolean
+): string[] {
+  const imageAnalysisArgs = imageAnalysisMcpReady
+    ? appendThirdPartyImageAnalysisToolArgs(claudeArgs)
+    : claudeArgs;
+  return appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(imageAnalysisArgs, webSearchEnabled);
+}
+
 /**
  * Generate environment variables for Claude Code to use copilot-api.
  * Uses model mapping for opus/sonnet/haiku tiers if configured.
@@ -185,7 +196,8 @@ export async function executeCopilotProfile(
   config: CopilotConfig,
   claudeArgs: string[],
   claudeConfigDir?: string,
-  claudeCliPath: string = 'claude'
+  claudeCliPath: string = 'claude',
+  webSearchLaunch?: WebSearchLaunchState
 ): Promise<number> {
   const { config: normalizedConfig, warnings } = normalizeCopilotConfigWithWarnings(config);
 
@@ -276,7 +288,7 @@ export async function executeCopilotProfile(
   syncImageAnalysisMcpToConfigDir(claudeConfigDir);
 
   // Merge with current environment (global env first, copilot overrides, then hook env vars)
-  const webSearchEnv = getWebSearchHookEnv();
+  const webSearchEnv = webSearchLaunch?.hookEnv ?? {};
   const imageAnalysisResolution = await resolveCopilotImageAnalysisEnv();
   const imageAnalysisProvisioningFailed =
     !imageAnalysisMcpReady && imageAnalysisResolution.env.CCS_IMAGE_ANALYSIS_ENABLED === '1';
@@ -305,10 +317,11 @@ export async function executeCopilotProfile(
   // Spawn Claude CLI
   const spawnStartedAt = Date.now();
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const imageAnalysisArgs = imageAnalysisMcpReady
-      ? appendThirdPartyImageAnalysisToolArgs(claudeArgs)
-      : claudeArgs;
-    const launchArgs = appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(imageAnalysisArgs);
+    const launchArgs = buildCopilotClaudeLaunchArgs(
+      claudeArgs,
+      imageAnalysisMcpReady,
+      webSearchLaunch?.enabled ?? true
+    );
     const traceEnv = createWebSearchTraceContext({
       launcher: 'copilot.executor',
       args: launchArgs,
diff --git a/src/cursor/cursor-profile-executor.ts b/src/cursor/cursor-profile-executor.ts
index 5716ace2..e88a59e0 100644
--- a/src/cursor/cursor-profile-executor.ts
+++ b/src/cursor/cursor-profile-executor.ts
@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@ import { fail, info, ok } from '../utils/ui';
 import {
   appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs,
   createWebSearchTraceContext,
-  getWebSearchHookEnv,
   syncWebSearchMcpToConfigDir,
 } from '../utils/websearch-manager';
+import type { WebSearchLaunchState } from '../utils/websearch-manager';
 import { getImageAnalysisHookEnv, resolveImageAnalysisRuntimeStatus } from '../utils/hooks';
 import { stripClaudeCodeEnv } from '../utils/shell-executor';
 import { checkAuthStatus } from './cursor-auth';
@@ -106,11 +106,19 @@ export async function resolveCursorImageAnalysisEnv(
   return { env, warning: null };
 }
 
+export function buildCursorClaudeLaunchArgs(
+  claudeArgs: string[],
+  webSearchEnabled: boolean
+): string[] {
+  return appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(claudeArgs, webSearchEnabled);
+}
+
 export async function executeCursorProfile(
   config: CursorConfig,
   claudeArgs: string[],
   claudeConfigDir?: string,
-  claudeCliPath = 'claude'
+  claudeCliPath = 'claude',
+  webSearchLaunch?: WebSearchLaunchState
 ): Promise<number> {
   if (!config.enabled) {
     process.stderr.write(fail('Cursor integration is not enabled.') + '\n');
@@ -163,7 +171,7 @@ export async function executeCursorProfile(
   const cursorEnv = generateCursorEnv(config, daemonToken, claudeConfigDir);
   const globalEnvConfig = getGlobalEnvConfig();
   const globalEnv = globalEnvConfig.enabled ? globalEnvConfig.env : {};
-  const webSearchEnv = getWebSearchHookEnv();
+  const webSearchEnv = webSearchLaunch?.hookEnv ?? {};
   const { env: imageAnalysisEnv, warning: imageAnalysisWarning } =
     await resolveCursorImageAnalysisEnv();
   const env = stripClaudeCodeEnv({
@@ -184,7 +192,7 @@ export async function executeCursorProfile(
   syncWebSearchMcpToConfigDir(claudeConfigDir);
 
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const launchArgs = appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(claudeArgs);
+    const launchArgs = buildCursorClaudeLaunchArgs(claudeArgs, webSearchLaunch?.enabled ?? true);
     const traceEnv = createWebSearchTraceContext({
       launcher: 'cursor.executor',
       args: launchArgs,
diff --git a/src/delegation/headless-executor.ts b/src/delegation/headless-executor.ts
index 3bb0d813..58d43b01 100644
--- a/src/delegation/headless-executor.ts
+++ b/src/delegation/headless-executor.ts
@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@ import {
   appendWebSearchTrace,
   createWebSearchTraceContext,
   ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch,
-  getWebSearchHookEnv,
   readWebSearchTraceRecords,
+  resolveWebSearchLaunchState,
   syncWebSearchMcpToConfigDir,
 } from '../utils/websearch-manager';
 import { getCcsDir, getGlobalEnvConfig, loadSettings } from '../config/config-loader-facade';
@@ -159,7 +159,8 @@ export class HeadlessExecutor {
       );
     }
 
-    ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch();
+    const webSearchLaunch = resolveWebSearchLaunchState();
+    ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch(webSearchLaunch.config);
     const imageAnalysisMcpReady = ensureImageAnalysisMcpOrThrow();
     syncWebSearchMcpToConfigDir(inheritedClaudeConfigDir);
     syncImageAnalysisMcpToConfigDir(inheritedClaudeConfigDir);
@@ -257,6 +258,7 @@ export class HeadlessExecutor {
 
     let runtimeEnvVars: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = {
       ...stripAnthropicRoutingEnv({ ...globalEnv, ...settingsEnv }, settingsEnv),
+      ...webSearchLaunch.hookEnv,
       ...(inheritedClaudeConfigDir ? { CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR: inheritedClaudeConfigDir } : {}),
       CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'settings',
       CCS_STRIP_INHERITED_ANTHROPIC_ENV: '1',
@@ -380,7 +382,10 @@ export class HeadlessExecutor {
     const imageAnalysisArgs = imageAnalysisMcpReady
       ? appendThirdPartyImageAnalysisToolArgs(args)
       : args;
-    const launchArgs = appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(imageAnalysisArgs);
+    const launchArgs = appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(
+      imageAnalysisArgs,
+      webSearchLaunch.enabled
+    );
     const traceEnv = createWebSearchTraceContext({
       launcher: 'delegation.headless-executor',
       args: launchArgs,
@@ -467,7 +472,6 @@ export class HeadlessExecutor {
       const cleanEnv = stripClaudeCodeEnv({
         ...stripAnthropicRoutingEnv(process.env),
         ...getClaudeLaunchEnvOverrides(),
-        ...getWebSearchHookEnv(),
         ...runtimeEnvVars,
         ...imageAnalysisEnv,
         ...traceEnv,
diff --git a/src/dispatcher/flows/copilot-flow.ts b/src/dispatcher/flows/copilot-flow.ts
index d92d31e8..7afb9874 100644
--- a/src/dispatcher/flows/copilot-flow.ts
+++ b/src/dispatcher/flows/copilot-flow.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,10 @@
  */
 
 import { fail, info } from '../../utils/ui';
-import { ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch } from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
+import {
+  ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch,
+  resolveWebSearchLaunchState,
+} from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
 import { ensureImageAnalysisMcpOrThrow } from '../../utils/image-analysis';
 import {
   ensureProfileHooks as ensureImageAnalyzerHooks,
@@ -23,7 +26,8 @@ export async function runCopilotFlow(ctx: ProfileDispatchContext): Promise<void>
     resolveProfileContinuityInheritance,
   } = ctx;
 
-  ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch();
+  const webSearchLaunch = resolveWebSearchLaunchState();
+  ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch(webSearchLaunch.config);
   const imageAnalysisMcpReady = ensureImageAnalysisMcpOrThrow();
   if (resolvedTarget === 'claude') {
     if (imageAnalysisMcpReady) {
@@ -60,7 +64,8 @@ export async function runCopilotFlow(ctx: ProfileDispatchContext): Promise<void>
     copilotConfig,
     remainingArgs,
     continuityInheritance.claudeConfigDir,
-    claudeCli
+    claudeCli,
+    webSearchLaunch
   );
   process.exit(exitCode);
 }
diff --git a/src/dispatcher/flows/cursor-flow.ts b/src/dispatcher/flows/cursor-flow.ts
index 0d703e52..cc5af5ae 100644
--- a/src/dispatcher/flows/cursor-flow.ts
+++ b/src/dispatcher/flows/cursor-flow.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,10 @@
  */
 
 import { fail, info } from '../../utils/ui';
-import { ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch } from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
+import {
+  ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch,
+  resolveWebSearchLaunchState,
+} from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
 import { ensureProfileHooks as ensureImageAnalyzerHooks } from '../../utils/hooks/image-analyzer-profile-hook-injector';
 import { installImageAnalyzerHook } from '../../utils/hooks';
 import type { ProfileDispatchContext } from '../dispatcher-context';
@@ -19,7 +22,8 @@ export async function runCursorFlow(ctx: ProfileDispatchContext): Promise<void>
     resolveProfileContinuityInheritance,
   } = ctx;
 
-  ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch();
+  const webSearchLaunch = resolveWebSearchLaunchState();
+  ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch(webSearchLaunch.config);
   installImageAnalyzerHook();
   ensureImageAnalyzerHooks({
     profileName: profileInfo.name,
@@ -48,7 +52,8 @@ export async function runCursorFlow(ctx: ProfileDispatchContext): Promise<void>
     cursorConfig,
     remainingArgs,
     continuityInheritance.claudeConfigDir,
-    claudeCli
+    claudeCli,
+    webSearchLaunch
   );
   process.exit(exitCode);
 }
diff --git a/src/dispatcher/flows/settings-flow.ts b/src/dispatcher/flows/settings-flow.ts
index 83b8dc26..ef08ca51 100644
--- a/src/dispatcher/flows/settings-flow.ts
+++ b/src/dispatcher/flows/settings-flow.ts
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ import {
 import {
   ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch,
   displayWebSearchStatus,
-  getWebSearchHookEnv,
   syncWebSearchMcpToConfigDir,
   appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs,
   createWebSearchTraceContext,
+  resolveWebSearchLaunchState,
 } from '../../utils/websearch-manager';
 import {
   ensureImageAnalysisMcpOrThrow,
@@ -94,18 +94,16 @@ export async function runSettingsFlow(ctx: ProfileDispatchContext): Promise<void
   if (browserAttachRuntime?.warning) {
     process.stderr.write(`${warn(browserAttachRuntime.warning)}\n`);
   }
-  let shouldDisplayWebSearchStatus = true;
+  const webSearchLaunch = resolveWebSearchLaunchState();
   if (resolvedTarget === 'claude') {
-    shouldDisplayWebSearchStatus = ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch();
+    ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch(webSearchLaunch.config);
     if (browserRuntimeEnv) {
       ensureBrowserMcpOrThrow();
     }
   }
 
   // Display WebSearch status (single line, equilibrium UX)
-  if (shouldDisplayWebSearchStatus) {
-    displayWebSearchStatus();
-  }
+  displayWebSearchStatus(webSearchLaunch.config);
 
   const continuityInheritance =
     resolvedTarget === 'claude'
@@ -275,7 +273,7 @@ export async function runSettingsFlow(ctx: ProfileDispatchContext): Promise<void
     targetRemainingArgs,
   });
 
-  const webSearchEnv = getWebSearchHookEnv();
+  const webSearchEnv = webSearchLaunch.hookEnv;
 
   // Get global env vars (DISABLE_TELEMETRY, etc.) for third-party profiles
   const globalEnvConfig = getGlobalEnvConfig();
@@ -395,11 +393,11 @@ export async function runSettingsFlow(ctx: ProfileDispatchContext): Promise<void
       ? stripClaudeSubcommandSessionArgs(browserArgs)
       : browserArgs;
     const launchArgs = isSubcommand
-      ? appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(subcommandArgs)
+      ? appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(subcommandArgs, webSearchLaunch.enabled)
       : [
           '--settings',
           launchSettings.settingsPath,
-          ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(browserArgs),
+          ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(browserArgs, webSearchLaunch.enabled),
         ];
     const traceEnv = createWebSearchTraceContext({
       launcher: 'ccs.settings-profile.proxy',
@@ -418,8 +416,12 @@ export async function runSettingsFlow(ctx: ProfileDispatchContext): Promise<void
   const isSubcommand = isClaudeSubcommandInvocation(browserArgs);
   const subcommandArgs = isSubcommand ? stripClaudeSubcommandSessionArgs(browserArgs) : browserArgs;
   const launchArgs = isSubcommand
-    ? appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(subcommandArgs)
-    : ['--settings', expandedSettingsPath, ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(browserArgs)];
+    ? appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(subcommandArgs, webSearchLaunch.enabled)
+    : [
+        '--settings',
+        expandedSettingsPath,
+        ...appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(browserArgs, webSearchLaunch.enabled),
+      ];
   const traceEnv = createWebSearchTraceContext({
     launcher: 'ccs.settings-profile',
     args: launchArgs,
diff --git a/src/utils/websearch-manager.ts b/src/utils/websearch-manager.ts
index 8b021ca2..b542cb2e 100644
--- a/src/utils/websearch-manager.ts
+++ b/src/utils/websearch-manager.ts
@@ -73,6 +73,8 @@ export {
 
 // Re-export Claude launch arg helpers
 export { appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs } from './websearch/claude-tool-args';
+export { resolveWebSearchLaunchState } from './websearch/launch-state';
+export type { WebSearchConfigSnapshot, WebSearchLaunchState } from './websearch/launch-state';
 
 // Re-export trace helpers
 export {
diff --git a/src/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args.ts b/src/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args.ts
index 0ff85d04..6a860c39 100644
--- a/src/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args.ts
+++ b/src/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args.ts
@@ -135,9 +135,14 @@ function ensureWebSearchSteeringPrompt(args: string[]): string[] {
   return [...optionArgs, ...steeringArgs, ...trailingArgs];
 }
 
-export function appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(args: string[]): string[] {
+export function appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(
+  args: string[],
+  webSearchEnabled = true
+): string[] {
   // Claude subcommands (agents, doctor, mcp, ...) reject top-level session flags
   // like `--append-system-prompt` and `--disallowedTools`. Issue #1218.
   if (isClaudeSubcommandInvocation(args)) return args;
-  return ensureWebSearchSteeringPrompt(ensureDisallowedNativeWebSearchTool(args));
+
+  const disallowedArgs = ensureDisallowedNativeWebSearchTool(args);
+  return webSearchEnabled ? ensureWebSearchSteeringPrompt(disallowedArgs) : disallowedArgs;
 }
diff --git a/src/utils/websearch/hook-config.ts b/src/utils/websearch/hook-config.ts
index c1342df4..7640dd02 100644
--- a/src/utils/websearch/hook-config.ts
+++ b/src/utils/websearch/hook-config.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { getCcsHooksDir } from '../config-manager';
 import { getClaudeSettingsPath } from '../claude-config-path';
 import { isCcsWebSearchHook, deduplicateCcsHooks } from './hook-utils';
 import { getWebSearchConfig } from '../../config/config-loader-facade';
+import type { WebSearchConfigSnapshot } from './launch-state';
 
 // Hook file name
 const WEBSEARCH_HOOK = 'websearch-transformer.cjs';
@@ -35,9 +36,10 @@ export function getHookPath(): string {
  * Get WebSearch hook configuration for settings.json
  * Timeout is computed from max provider timeout in config.yaml + buffer
  */
-export function getWebSearchHookConfig(): Record<string, unknown> {
+export function getWebSearchHookConfig(
+  wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot = getWebSearchConfig()
+): Record<string, unknown> {
   const hookPath = getHookPath();
-  const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
 
   // Compute max timeout from enabled providers
   const timeouts: number[] = [];
diff --git a/src/utils/websearch/hook-env.ts b/src/utils/websearch/hook-env.ts
index 8a95bcbe..8eb5a83e 100644
--- a/src/utils/websearch/hook-env.ts
+++ b/src/utils/websearch/hook-env.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import { normalizeSearxngBaseUrl } from './types';
 import { resolveAllowedWebSearchTraceFile } from './trace';
 import { getWebSearchConfig } from '../../config/config-loader-facade';
+import type { WebSearchConfigSnapshot } from './launch-state';
 
 /**
  * Get environment variables for WebSearch hook configuration.
@@ -17,8 +18,9 @@ import { getWebSearchConfig } from '../../config/config-loader-facade';
  *
  * @returns Record of environment variables to set before spawning Claude
  */
-export function getWebSearchHookEnv(): Record<string, string> {
-  const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
+export function getWebSearchHookEnv(
+  wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot = getWebSearchConfig()
+): Record<string, string> {
   const env: Record<string, string> = {
     CCS_WEBSEARCH_ENABLED: '0',
     CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP: '0',
diff --git a/src/utils/websearch/hook-installer.ts b/src/utils/websearch/hook-installer.ts
index 64a18797..02d1429c 100644
--- a/src/utils/websearch/hook-installer.ts
+++ b/src/utils/websearch/hook-installer.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { info, warn } from '../ui';
 import { getCcsDir, getCcsHooksDir } from '../config-manager';
 import { getHookPath } from './hook-config';
 import { getWebSearchConfig } from '../../config/config-loader-facade';
+import type { WebSearchConfigSnapshot } from './launch-state';
 
 // Re-export from hook-config for backward compatibility
 export { getHookPath, getWebSearchHookConfig } from './hook-config';
@@ -76,10 +77,10 @@ export function hasWebSearchHook(): boolean {
  *
  * @returns true if hook installed successfully
  */
-export function installWebSearchHook(): boolean {
+export function installWebSearchHook(
+  wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot = getWebSearchConfig()
+): boolean {
   try {
-    const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
-
     // Skip if disabled
     if (!wsConfig.enabled) {
       if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
diff --git a/src/utils/websearch/index.ts b/src/utils/websearch/index.ts
index 8d746801..c69b9b7f 100644
--- a/src/utils/websearch/index.ts
+++ b/src/utils/websearch/index.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,8 @@ export {
 
 // Claude launch args
 export { appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs } from './claude-tool-args';
+export { resolveWebSearchLaunchState } from './launch-state';
+export type { WebSearchConfigSnapshot, WebSearchLaunchState } from './launch-state';
 
 // Trace helpers
 export {
diff --git a/src/utils/websearch/launch-state.ts b/src/utils/websearch/launch-state.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1d1c606b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/websearch/launch-state.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { getWebSearchConfig } from '../../config/config-loader-facade';
+import { getWebSearchHookEnv } from './hook-env';
+
+export type WebSearchConfigSnapshot = ReturnType<typeof getWebSearchConfig>;
+
+export interface WebSearchLaunchState {
+  config: WebSearchConfigSnapshot;
+  enabled: boolean;
+  hookEnv: Record<string, string>;
+}
+
+export function resolveWebSearchLaunchState(): WebSearchLaunchState {
+  const config = getWebSearchConfig();
+  return {
+    config,
+    enabled: config.enabled,
+    hookEnv: getWebSearchHookEnv(config),
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/websearch/mcp-installer.ts b/src/utils/websearch/mcp-installer.ts
index 5944e500..e8965756 100644
--- a/src/utils/websearch/mcp-installer.ts
+++ b/src/utils/websearch/mcp-installer.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import {
   isClaudeUserConfigLockUnavailableError as isLockUnavailableError,
   withClaudeUserConfigLock,
 } from '../claude-user-config-lock';
+import type { WebSearchConfigSnapshot } from './launch-state';
 
 const WEBSEARCH_MCP_SERVER = 'ccs-websearch-server.cjs';
 const WEBSEARCH_MCP_SERVER_NAME = 'ccs-websearch';
@@ -189,14 +190,15 @@ function removeManagedServerConfig(configPath: string): boolean {
   }
 }
 
-export function installWebSearchMcpServer(): boolean {
-  const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
+export function installWebSearchMcpServer(
+  wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot = getWebSearchConfig()
+): boolean {
   if (!wsConfig.enabled) {
     appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_install_skipped', { reason: 'disabled' });
     return false;
   }
 
-  if (!installWebSearchHook()) {
+  if (!installWebSearchHook(wsConfig)) {
     appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_install_failed', { reason: 'hook_unavailable' });
     if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
       process.stderr.write(
@@ -267,8 +269,9 @@ export function installWebSearchMcpServer(): boolean {
   }
 }
 
-export function ensureWebSearchMcpConfig(): boolean {
-  const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
+export function ensureWebSearchMcpConfig(
+  wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot = getWebSearchConfig()
+): boolean {
   if (!wsConfig.enabled) {
     appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_config_skipped', { reason: 'disabled' });
     return false;
@@ -366,15 +369,16 @@ export function ensureWebSearchMcpConfig(): boolean {
   }
 }
 
-export function ensureWebSearchMcp(): boolean {
-  const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
+export function ensureWebSearchMcp(
+  wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot = getWebSearchConfig()
+): boolean {
   if (!wsConfig.enabled) {
     appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_ensure_skipped', { reason: 'disabled' });
     return false;
   }
 
-  const installed = installWebSearchMcpServer();
-  const configured = installed && ensureWebSearchMcpConfig();
+  const installed = installWebSearchMcpServer(wsConfig);
+  const configured = installed && ensureWebSearchMcpConfig(wsConfig);
   appendWebSearchTrace('websearch_mcp_ensure_result', { installed, configured });
   return installed && configured;
 }
@@ -428,13 +432,14 @@ export function uninstallWebSearchMcp(): boolean {
   return removedConfig || removedServer;
 }
 
-export function ensureWebSearchMcpOrThrow(): void {
-  const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
+export function ensureWebSearchMcpOrThrow(
+  wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot = getWebSearchConfig()
+): void {
   if (!wsConfig.enabled) {
     return;
   }
 
-  if (!ensureWebSearchMcp()) {
+  if (!ensureWebSearchMcp(wsConfig)) {
     throw new Error('WebSearch is enabled, but CCS could not prepare the local WebSearch tool.');
   }
 }
@@ -447,7 +452,6 @@ export function ensureWebSearchMcpOrThrow(): void {
  * native WebSearch and inject fallback steering while the constrained MCP
  * search path is unavailable.
  */
-export function ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch(): boolean {
-  ensureWebSearchMcpOrThrow();
-  return true;
+export function ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch(wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot): void {
+  ensureWebSearchMcpOrThrow(wsConfig);
 }
diff --git a/src/utils/websearch/status.ts b/src/utils/websearch/status.ts
index af16138c..946fd28f 100644
--- a/src/utils/websearch/status.ts
+++ b/src/utils/websearch/status.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { getOpenCodeCliStatus } from './opencode-cli';
 import { getWebSearchApiKeyStates } from './provider-secrets';
 import { normalizeSearxngBaseUrl, type WebSearchCliInfo, type WebSearchStatus } from './types';
 import { getWebSearchConfig } from '../../config/config-loader-facade';
+import type { WebSearchConfigSnapshot } from './launch-state';
 
 const PROVIDER_STATE_FILE = 'websearch-provider-state.json';
 
@@ -112,8 +113,7 @@ function applyCooldownStatus(
   };
 }
 
-function getLegacyProviderStatuses(): WebSearchCliInfo[] {
-  const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
+function getLegacyProviderStatuses(wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot): WebSearchCliInfo[] {
   const agyStatus = getAgyCliStatus();
   const geminiStatus = getGeminiCliStatus();
   const grokStatus = getGrokCliStatus();
@@ -197,8 +197,9 @@ function getLegacyProviderStatuses(): WebSearchCliInfo[] {
 /**
  * Get all WebSearch providers with their current status.
  */
-export function getWebSearchCliProviders(): WebSearchCliInfo[] {
-  const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
+export function getWebSearchCliProviders(
+  wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot = getWebSearchConfig()
+): WebSearchCliInfo[] {
   const apiKeyStates = getWebSearchApiKeyStates();
   const cooldowns = readProviderCooldowns();
   const providers: WebSearchCliInfo[] = [
@@ -283,7 +284,7 @@ export function getWebSearchCliProviders(): WebSearchCliInfo[] {
     },
   ];
 
-  return [...providers, ...getLegacyProviderStatuses()].map((provider) =>
+  return [...providers, ...getLegacyProviderStatuses(wsConfig)].map((provider) =>
     applyCooldownStatus(provider, cooldowns)
   );
 }
@@ -355,17 +356,20 @@ export function buildWebSearchReadiness(
 /**
  * Get WebSearch readiness status for display.
  */
-export function getWebSearchReadiness(): WebSearchStatus {
-  const wsConfig = getWebSearchConfig();
-  const providers = getWebSearchCliProviders();
+export function getWebSearchReadiness(
+  wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot = getWebSearchConfig()
+): WebSearchStatus {
+  const providers = getWebSearchCliProviders(wsConfig);
   return buildWebSearchReadiness(wsConfig.enabled, providers);
 }
 
 /**
  * Display WebSearch status (single line, equilibrium UX).
  */
-export function displayWebSearchStatus(): void {
-  const status = getWebSearchReadiness();
+export function displayWebSearchStatus(
+  wsConfig: WebSearchConfigSnapshot = getWebSearchConfig()
+): void {
+  const status = getWebSearchReadiness(wsConfig);
 
   switch (status.readiness) {
     case 'ready':
diff --git a/tests/unit/copilot/copilot-executor-env.test.ts b/tests/unit/copilot/copilot-executor-env.test.ts
index 982287eb..3b4f7289 100644
--- a/tests/unit/copilot/copilot-executor-env.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/copilot/copilot-executor-env.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test';
 import {
+  buildCopilotClaudeLaunchArgs,
   generateCopilotEnv,
   resolveCopilotImageAnalysisEnv,
 } from '../../../src/copilot/copilot-executor';
@@ -15,6 +16,13 @@ const baseConfig: CopilotConfig = {
   model: 'gpt-4.1',
 };
 
+it('disallows native WebSearch without CCS steering when the Copilot snapshot is disabled', () => {
+  const args = buildCopilotClaudeLaunchArgs(['smoke'], false, false);
+  expect(args).toContain('--disallowedTools');
+  expect(args).toContain('WebSearch');
+  expect(args).not.toContain('--append-system-prompt');
+});
+
 describe('generateCopilotEnv', () => {
   it('normalizes deprecated raptor-mini model selections to the safe default', () => {
     const env = generateCopilotEnv({
diff --git a/tests/unit/cursor/cursor-profile-executor.test.ts b/tests/unit/cursor/cursor-profile-executor.test.ts
index 1f144896..40c6fdd6 100644
--- a/tests/unit/cursor/cursor-profile-executor.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/cursor/cursor-profile-executor.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import * as os from 'os';
 import * as path from 'path';
 
 import {
+  buildCursorClaudeLaunchArgs,
   executeCursorProfile,
   generateCursorEnv,
   resolveCursorImageAnalysisEnv,
@@ -19,6 +20,13 @@ const BASE_CONFIG: CursorConfig = {
   model: 'gpt-5.3-codex',
 };
 
+it('disallows native WebSearch without CCS steering when the Cursor snapshot is disabled', () => {
+  const args = buildCursorClaudeLaunchArgs(['smoke'], false);
+  expect(args).toContain('--disallowedTools');
+  expect(args).toContain('WebSearch');
+  expect(args).not.toContain('--append-system-prompt');
+});
+
 describe('cursor-profile-executor', () => {
   let originalCcsHome: string | undefined;
   let tempDir: string;
diff --git a/tests/unit/targets/settings-profile-websearch-launch.test.ts b/tests/unit/targets/settings-profile-websearch-launch.test.ts
index 7e3f5346..feabb164 100644
--- a/tests/unit/targets/settings-profile-websearch-launch.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/targets/settings-profile-websearch-launch.test.ts
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ exit 0
     expect(fs.existsSync(claudeArgsLogPath)).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it('keeps launch non-fatal when WebSearch is disabled', () => {
+  it('keeps native WebSearch disallowed without CCS steering when WebSearch is disabled', () => {
     if (process.platform === 'win32') return;
 
     fs.writeFileSync(
@@ -154,8 +154,26 @@ exit 0
     const launchedArgs = fs.readFileSync(claudeArgsLogPath, 'utf8');
     expect(launchedArgs).toContain('--disallowedTools');
     expect(launchedArgs).toContain('WebSearch');
-    expect(launchedArgs).toContain('--append-system-prompt');
-    expect(launchedArgs).toContain(STEERING_PROMPT_SNIPPET);
+    expect(launchedArgs).not.toContain(STEERING_PROMPT_SNIPPET);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps native WebSearch disallowed without CCS steering for disabled headless launches', () => {
+    if (process.platform === 'win32') return;
+
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(ccsDir, 'config.yaml'),
+      ['version: 12', 'websearch:', '  enabled: false', ''].join('\n'),
+      'utf8'
+    );
+
+    const result = runCcs(['glm', '-p', 'smoke'], baseEnv);
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(fs.existsSync(claudeArgsLogPath)).toBe(true);
+    const launchedArgs = fs.readFileSync(claudeArgsLogPath, 'utf8');
+    expect(launchedArgs).toContain('--disallowedTools');
+    expect(launchedArgs).toContain('WebSearch');
+    expect(launchedArgs).not.toContain(STEERING_PROMPT_SNIPPET);
   });
 
   it('writes a source-side launch trace for settings profiles when tracing is enabled', () => {
@@ -187,7 +205,7 @@ exit 0
 
     expect(launchEvent?.launcher).toBe('ccs.settings-profile');
     expect(launchEvent?.nativeWebSearchDisallowed).toBe(true);
-    expect(launchEvent?.steeringPromptApplied).toBe(true);
+    expect(launchEvent?.steeringPromptApplied).toBe(false);
     expect(launchEvent?.settingsPath).toBe(settingsPath);
   });
 });
diff --git a/tests/unit/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args.test.ts b/tests/unit/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args.test.ts
index 59d484c0..6b3ed3df 100644
--- a/tests/unit/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args.test.ts
@@ -4,9 +4,13 @@ import { appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs } from '../../../../src/utils/websear
 const STEERING_PROMPT =
   'For web lookup or current-information requests, prefer the CCS MCP tool WebSearch instead of Bash/curl/http fetches. If the user explicitly wants shell commands, or WebSearch is unavailable or fails, you may fall back to Bash/network tools.';
 
+function appendEnabledWebSearchArgs(args: string[]): string[] {
+  return appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(args, true);
+}
+
 describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
   it('appends native WebSearch suppression and inline steering prompt when no prompt flags are present', () => {
-    expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke'])).toEqual([
+    expect(appendEnabledWebSearchArgs(['smoke'])).toEqual([
       'smoke',
       '--disallowedTools',
       'WebSearch',
@@ -17,7 +21,7 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
 
   it('does not append duplicate suppression or steering prompt when both are already present', () => {
     expect(
-      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs([
+      appendEnabledWebSearchArgs([
         'smoke',
         '--disallowedTools',
         'WebSearch',
@@ -34,9 +38,7 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
   });
 
   it('detects comma-separated disallowed tool values', () => {
-    expect(
-      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke', '--disallowedTools=Read,WebSearch'])
-    ).toEqual([
+    expect(appendEnabledWebSearchArgs(['smoke', '--disallowedTools=Read,WebSearch'])).toEqual([
       'smoke',
       '--disallowedTools=Read,WebSearch',
       '--append-system-prompt',
@@ -45,7 +47,7 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
   });
 
   it('merges WebSearch into an existing space-separated disallowed tool flag', () => {
-    expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke', '--disallowedTools', 'Read'])).toEqual([
+    expect(appendEnabledWebSearchArgs(['smoke', '--disallowedTools', 'Read'])).toEqual([
       'smoke',
       '--disallowedTools',
       'Read,WebSearch',
@@ -55,7 +57,7 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
   });
 
   it('merges WebSearch into an existing equals-form disallowed tool flag', () => {
-    expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke', '--disallowedTools=Read'])).toEqual([
+    expect(appendEnabledWebSearchArgs(['smoke', '--disallowedTools=Read'])).toEqual([
       'smoke',
       '--disallowedTools=Read,WebSearch',
       '--append-system-prompt',
@@ -65,11 +67,7 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
 
   it('preserves user-supplied append-system-prompt values and adds the CCS steering hint once', () => {
     expect(
-      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs([
-        'smoke',
-        '--append-system-prompt',
-        'User-provided instruction',
-      ])
+      appendEnabledWebSearchArgs(['smoke', '--append-system-prompt', 'User-provided instruction'])
     ).toEqual([
       'smoke',
       '--append-system-prompt',
@@ -83,7 +81,7 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
 
   it('does not duplicate the steering prompt when it already exists in equals form', () => {
     expect(
-      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs([
+      appendEnabledWebSearchArgs([
         'smoke',
         '--disallowedTools',
         'WebSearch',
@@ -98,9 +96,7 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
   });
 
   it('does not consume positional args after a disallowed-tools flag value', () => {
-    expect(
-      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['--disallowedTools', 'Read', 'latest AI news'])
-    ).toEqual([
+    expect(appendEnabledWebSearchArgs(['--disallowedTools', 'Read', 'latest AI news'])).toEqual([
       '--disallowedTools',
       'Read,WebSearch',
       'latest AI news',
@@ -110,7 +106,7 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
   });
 
   it('injects synthetic flags before an end-of-options marker', () => {
-    expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['--', 'latest AI news'])).toEqual([
+    expect(appendEnabledWebSearchArgs(['--', 'latest AI news'])).toEqual([
       '--disallowedTools',
       'WebSearch',
       '--append-system-prompt',
@@ -121,7 +117,7 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
   });
 
   it('inserts the WebSearch disallow value when the flag is present without one', () => {
-    expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['--disallowedTools', '--verbose'])).toEqual([
+    expect(appendEnabledWebSearchArgs(['--disallowedTools', '--verbose'])).toEqual([
       '--disallowedTools',
       'WebSearch',
       '--verbose',
@@ -133,7 +129,7 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
   // File mode: --append-system-prompt-file when user passes --append-system-prompt-file
 
   it('uses --append-system-prompt-file when user passes --append-system-prompt-file', () => {
-    const result = appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs([
+    const result = appendEnabledWebSearchArgs([
       'smoke',
       '--append-system-prompt-file',
       '/tmp/user-prompt.txt',
@@ -147,26 +143,54 @@ describe('appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs', () => {
   });
 
   it('uses --append-system-prompt-file when user passes --append-system-prompt-file= form', () => {
-    const result = appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs([
+    const result = appendEnabledWebSearchArgs([
       'smoke',
       '--append-system-prompt-file=/tmp/user-prompt.txt',
     ]);
     const fileFlags = result.filter(
-      (arg) => arg === '--append-system-prompt-file' || arg.startsWith('--append-system-prompt-file=')
+      (arg) =>
+        arg === '--append-system-prompt-file' || arg.startsWith('--append-system-prompt-file=')
     );
     expect(fileFlags.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2);
     expect(result).not.toContain('--append-system-prompt');
   });
 
   it('does not treat unrelated user prompt files as the managed CCS steering prompt', () => {
-    const result = appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs([
+    const result = appendEnabledWebSearchArgs([
       'smoke',
       '--append-system-prompt-file',
       '/tmp/user-ccs-prompt-websearch-tool-notes.txt',
     ]);
 
-    const filePaths = result.filter((arg, index) => result[index - 1] === '--append-system-prompt-file');
+    const filePaths = result.filter(
+      (arg, index) => result[index - 1] === '--append-system-prompt-file'
+    );
     expect(filePaths).toContain('/tmp/user-ccs-prompt-websearch-tool-notes.txt');
-    expect(filePaths.some((filePath) => filePath.endsWith('/ccs-prompt-websearch-tool.txt'))).toBe(true);
+    expect(filePaths.some((filePath) => filePath.endsWith('/ccs-prompt-websearch-tool.txt'))).toBe(
+      true
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('keeps native WebSearch disallowed but skips CCS steering when WebSearch is disabled', () => {
+    expect(appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke'], false)).toEqual([
+      'smoke',
+      '--disallowedTools',
+      'WebSearch',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('preserves user prompt args when WebSearch is disabled', () => {
+    expect(
+      appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(
+        ['smoke', '--append-system-prompt', 'User-provided instruction'],
+        false
+      )
+    ).toEqual([
+      'smoke',
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      'User-provided instruction',
+      '--disallowedTools',
+      'WebSearch',
+    ]);
   });
 });
diff --git a/tests/unit/utils/websearch/launch-state.test.ts b/tests/unit/utils/websearch/launch-state.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b56061ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/utils/websearch/launch-state.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test';
+import * as fs from 'fs';
+import * as os from 'os';
+import * as path from 'path';
+
+import { appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs } from '../../../../src/utils/websearch/claude-tool-args';
+import { resolveWebSearchLaunchState } from '../../../../src/utils/websearch/launch-state';
+import { ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch } from '../../../../src/utils/websearch/mcp-installer';
+
+describe('WebSearch launch state', () => {
+  let originalCcsHome: string | undefined;
+  let tempHome = '';
+  let configPath = '';
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    originalCcsHome = process.env.CCS_HOME;
+    tempHome = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'ccs-websearch-launch-state-'));
+    const ccsDir = path.join(tempHome, '.ccs');
+    configPath = path.join(ccsDir, 'config.yaml');
+    fs.mkdirSync(ccsDir, { recursive: true });
+    process.env.CCS_HOME = tempHome;
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    if (originalCcsHome === undefined) {
+      delete process.env.CCS_HOME;
+    } else {
+      process.env.CCS_HOME = originalCcsHome;
+    }
+    fs.rmSync(tempHome, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  it('keeps provisioning, hook env, and steering on one snapshot when config changes', () => {
+    fs.writeFileSync(configPath, 'version: 12\nwebsearch:\n  enabled: false\n', 'utf8');
+    const launch = resolveWebSearchLaunchState();
+
+    ensureWebSearchMcpForLaunch(launch.config);
+    fs.writeFileSync(configPath, 'version: 12\nwebsearch:\n  enabled: true\n', 'utf8');
+
+    const args = appendThirdPartyWebSearchToolArgs(['smoke'], launch.enabled);
+    expect(launch.enabled).toBe(false);
+    expect(launch.hookEnv.CCS_WEBSEARCH_ENABLED).toBe('0');
+    expect(launch.hookEnv.CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP).toBe('1');
+    expect(args).toContain('--disallowedTools');
+    expect(args).toContain('WebSearch');
+    expect(args).not.toContain('--append-system-prompt');
+  });
+});