diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8bf3edc5..f8fa9cdb 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1481,7 +1481,7 @@ Automated authentication for web services. The `run` command orchestrates the fu
   - `--show-content` - Print the extracted content text for each result (implies `--content`)
   - `--content-source <source>` - Retrieval source: `auto`, `provider`, or `browser`
   - `--content-format <format>` - Extracted content format: `markdown` or `text`
-  - `--content-max-chars <n>` - Per-result Unicode character limit after extraction
+  - `--content-max-chars <n>` - Per-result Unicode character limit after extraction (100–100000; default 10000)
   - `--content-max-age-hours <n>` - Maximum acceptable age of cached page content; `0` forces a live fetch
   - `--content-timeout-ms <ms>` - Per-result retrieval deadline
   - `--content-browser-id <id>` - Retrieve through an existing browser session (requires `--content-source browser`)
diff --git a/cmd/search.go b/cmd/search.go
index 6184282b..1e6b15d2 100644
--- a/cmd/search.go
+++ b/cmd/search.go
@@ -62,13 +62,17 @@ func newSearchCommand() *cobra.Command {
 	contents.Flags().Int("timeout-ms", 0, "Overall deadline across all selected results in milliseconds (1000–120000; default 60000)")
 	contents.Flags().String("content-source", "", "Content source: auto, provider, or browser (default auto)")
 	contents.Flags().String("content-format", "", "Content format: markdown or text")
-	contents.Flags().Int("content-max-chars", 0, "Per-result Unicode character limit after extraction")
+	contents.Flags().Int("content-max-chars", 0, "Per-result Unicode character limit after extraction (100–100000; default 10000)")
 	contents.Flags().Int("content-max-age-hours", 0, "For source auto, maximum age of retained provider content; 0 fetches every result through a browser")
 	contents.Flags().Int("content-timeout-ms", 0, "Per-result deadline in milliseconds, including capacity acquisition, retrieval, and extraction")
 	contents.Flags().String("content-browser-id", "", "Existing browser session to retrieve through (requires source auto or browser)")
 	contents.Flags().String("content-browser-mode", "", "Browser retrieval mode: curl or render")
 	contents.MarkFlagsMutuallyExclusive("result-ids", "limit")
 	contents.MarkFlagsOneRequired("result-ids", "limit")
+	addJSONOutputFlag(cmd)
+	addJSONOutputFlag(get)
+	addJSONOutputFlag(providers)
+	addJSONOutputFlag(contents)
 	cmd.AddCommand(get, providers, contents)
 	return cmd
 }
@@ -211,6 +215,10 @@ func validateSearchQuery(query string) error {
 }
 
 func executeSearchRequest(cmd *cobra.Command, method, path string, body json.RawMessage) error {
+	output, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("output")
+	if err := validateJSONOutput(output); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	client := getKernelClient(cmd)
 	var response json.RawMessage
 	var opts []option.RequestOption
diff --git a/cmd/search_test.go b/cmd/search_test.go
index c6dc7dd9..c9aae4f1 100644
--- a/cmd/search_test.go
+++ b/cmd/search_test.go
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ func TestSearchReadCommands(t *testing.T) {
 		{[]string{"get", "srch_test"}, "/search/srch_test", "", `{"id":"srch_test","results":[]}`},
 		{[]string{"providers"}, "/search/providers", "", `[]`},
 		{[]string{"providers", "--slug", "exa&other=1"}, "/search/providers", "slug=exa%26other%3D1", `[]`},
+		{[]string{"get", "srch_test", "-o", "json"}, "/search/srch_test", "", `{"id":"srch_test","results":[]}`},
+		{[]string{"providers", "-o", "json"}, "/search/providers", "", `[]`},
 	} {
 		t.Run(strings.Join(tc.args, " "), func(t *testing.T) {
 			stdout, err := executeSearchCommand(t, func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
@@ -99,6 +101,7 @@ func TestSearchContents(t *testing.T) {
 		want string
 	}{
 		{"limit", []string{"--limit", "3"}, `{"limit":3}`},
+		{"limit with json output", []string{"--limit", "3", "-o", "json"}, `{"limit":3}`},
 		{"result ids", []string{"--result-ids", "res_2,res_1", "--timeout-ms", "30000"}, `{"result_ids":["res_2","res_1"],"timeout_ms":30000}`},
 		{"content options", []string{"--limit", "1", "--content-source", "browser", "--content-format", "text", "--content-max-chars", "500", "--content-max-age-hours", "0", "--content-timeout-ms", "5000", "--content-browser-id", "br_1", "--content-browser-mode", "render"},
 			`{"limit":1,"content":{"source":"browser","format":"text","max_chars":500,"max_age_hours":0,"timeout_ms":5000,"browser":{"browser_id":"br_1","mode":"render"}}}`},
@@ -127,6 +130,7 @@ func TestSearchInvalidInput(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, args := range [][]string{
 		{}, {" "}, {strings.Repeat("x", 2049)}, {"a", "b"}, {"test", "--provider", ""},
 		{"test", "--max-results", "0"}, {"test", "--max-results", "101"},
+		{"test", "-o", "yaml"}, {"get", "srch_test", "-o", "yaml"}, {"contents", "srch_test", "--limit", "1", "-o", "yaml"},
 		{"--request", "null"}, {"--request", "[]"}, {"--request", "{"}, {"--request", `{}`}, {"--request", `{"query":1}`},
 		{"test", "--request", `{"query":"test"}`}, {"--request", `{}`, "--provider", "exa"},
 		{"--request", `{}`, "--max-results", "5"}, {"--request-file", "request.json"},