diff --git a/templates/book_research.yml b/templates/book_research.yml
index f9e92858..271207b0 100644
--- a/templates/book_research.yml
+++ b/templates/book_research.yml
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ steps:
   - type: tool
     capability: Tool_WebSearcher
     input_from: last_text
+    optional: true
 
   - type: think
     hint: |