NLWeb
Turns a website into a conversational, queryable endpoint by combining Schema.org data, a vector store and an LLM — and every NLWeb endpoint is also an MCP server.
- name
- NLWeb
- full_name
- Natural Language Web
- layer
- discovery
- creator
- Microsoft (R.V. Guha)
- status
- emerging
- year
- 2025
- one_liner
- Turns a website into a conversational, queryable endpoint by combining Schema.org data, a vector store and an LLM — and every NLWeb endpoint is also an MCP server.
- spec_url
- https://github.com/nlweb-ai/NLWeb
- snippet
POST /ask { "query": "..." } → grounded natural-language answer + structured sources- abbreviation
- NLWeb
- also_known_as
Natural Language Web- canonical_spec_url
- https://github.com/nlweb-ai/NLWeb
- entity_uri
- https://github.com/nlweb-ai/NLWeb
- taxonomy_layer
- discovery
- sub_layer
- conversational-endpoint
- protocol_type
- declaration
- central_problem
- Turns a website into a conversational, queryable endpoint so agents can ask natural-language questions and get grounded, source-backed answers.
- maintainer
- Microsoft (project led by R.V. Guha) + community (nlweb-ai/NLWeb)
- governance_body
- vendor (Microsoft) + open-source community
- license
- MIT verify-against-primary-at-build ↗ https://github.com/nlweb-ai/NLWeb
- maturity_tag
- emerging
- current_spec_version
- — verify-against-primary-at-build ↗ https://github.com/nlweb-ai/NLWeb
- spec_date
- — verify-against-primary-at-build ↗ https://github.com/nlweb-ai/NLWeb
- launch_date
- 2025 verify-against-primary-at-build ↗ https://github.com/nlweb-ai/NLWeb
- last_verified
- 2026-06-15
- transport
- HTTP (POST /ask); each NLWeb endpoint is also exposed as an MCP server
- core_mechanism
- NLWeb combines a site's Schema.org structured data, a vector store, and an LLM behind a /ask endpoint; a query returns a grounded natural-language answer plus structured sources, and every NLWeb endpoint is simultaneously an MCP server.
- discovery_endpoint
- POST /ask (and MCP server interface)
- settlement_type
- —
- adoption_metric
- — verify-against-primary-at-build ↗ https://github.com/nlweb-ai/NLWeb
- notable_adopters
{"value":"Microsoft","source":"https://github.com/nlweb-ai/NLWeb"}- relationships
{"predicate":"built_on","target":"schema-org","note":"NLWeb -built_on-> schema.org (research §2 seed triple). schema.org-for-agents is not a separate record in this 12-record pass; edge documented for the build-out."}{"predicate":"complements","target":"mcp","note":"Every NLWeb endpoint is also an MCP server, so it pairs with the capability layer."}- ideal_use_case
- Giving a content-rich site a conversational, agent-queryable answer endpoint grounded in its own structured data.
- when_to_use
- When you have Schema.org data and want agents to ask questions and get cited, grounded answers from your site.
- when_not_to_use
- When a static curated link map (llms.txt) is enough, or when you need cross-agent coordination (A2A) rather than Q&A.
- code_example
- POST /ask HTTP/1.1 Content-Type: application/json { "query": "What does Acme sell under $50?" } // → { "answer": "...", "sources": [ { "url": "...", "schema": "Product" } ] }
- source
- Project (Microsoft / R.V. Guha), built on schema.org, MCP-server duality: https://github.com/nlweb-ai/NLWeb ; seed triple research §2.
- agent_readiness_link
- agent-readiness/discoverability
- layer_legacy
- content