diff --git a/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/community/groundroute/AGENTS.md b/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/community/groundroute/AGENTS.md
index 55f6f0f2de..ae74289dc9 100644
--- a/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/community/groundroute/AGENTS.md
+++ b/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/community/groundroute/AGENTS.md
@@ -11,6 +11,23 @@ truncating to the snippet limit, and renders a missing or falsy title as empty,
 well-formed result object whose leaf fields are not strings still returns text rather
 than raising.
 
+Both tools are coroutines and send their request through `httpx.AsyncClient`. A
+sync client would run the whole tool on the default executor and hold one of that
+pool's threads for the network round-trip, so several providers queried in parallel
+queued behind each other. Resolve the config in the same coroutine, but keep the
+config file read off the event loop: the tool body now runs on the loop, so a file
+read left in it would block it. `backend/tests/blocking_io/test_groundroute_search_async.py`
+pins all three — the request is awaited on the loop thread, the config lookup does
+not run there, and the request goes out through the async client. That last one
+matters because a `MockTransport` runs its handler on the calling thread without
+real blocking I/O, so a provider that stayed async but fell back to a sync client
+would satisfy the thread assertion; the anchor records which client factory the
+provider reached for.
+
+Both tools resolve the key and `max_results` through `_resolve_tool_settings`, one
+config read per call. Do not add a second seam around that read: a wrapper with no
+production caller can drift from the real call path.
+
 `web_search` returns the structured `{"error": ..., "query": ...}` response; `web_fetch`
 returns the `Error: ...` string. Log the malformed container's type, or that no usable
 result objects remain, before returning — never the query, URL, credentials, or payload
diff --git a/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/community/groundroute/tools.py b/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/community/groundroute/tools.py
index bbb3f9fa20..d7f158c5d5 100644
--- a/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/community/groundroute/tools.py
+++ b/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/community/groundroute/tools.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ Langflow component:
 `web_fetch` reads one URL via GroundRoute mode=page and returns its extracted text.
 """
 
+import asyncio
 import json
 import logging
 import os
@@ -37,19 +38,29 @@ _FETCH_SNIPPET_LIMIT = 4096
 _api_key_warned: set[str] = set()
 
 
-def _get_api_key(tool_name: str) -> str | None:
-    """Resolve the GroundRoute key from a given tool's config block, then the env var.
+def _resolve_tool_settings(tool_name: str) -> tuple[str | None, object]:
+    """Resolve the API key and the configured `max_results` in one config read.
 
-    `tool_name` is the config section to read (web_search vs web_fetch) so a flow that
-    runs GroundRoute for fetch but a different engine for search still reads the right
-    key. Mirrors serper/exa/firecrawl, which all take the tool name.
+    Config resolution stats the config file, so callers must run this off the
+    agent event loop. Reading the key and the result count from a single
+    resolution keeps the tool from touching the config file twice per call.
+
+    `tool_name` is the config section to read (web_search vs web_fetch) so a
+    flow that runs GroundRoute for fetch but a different engine for search
+    still reads the right key.
     """
-    config = get_app_config().get_tool_config(tool_name)
-    if config is not None:
-        api_key = (config.model_extra or {}).get("api_key")
-        if isinstance(api_key, str) and api_key.strip():
-            return api_key.strip()
-    return os.getenv("GROUNDROUTE_API_KEY")
+    tool_config = get_app_config().get_tool_config(tool_name)
+    max_results = None
+    api_key = None
+    if tool_config is not None:
+        extra = tool_config.model_extra or {}
+        max_results = extra.get("max_results")
+        candidate = extra.get("api_key")
+        if isinstance(candidate, str) and candidate.strip():
+            api_key = candidate.strip()
+    if api_key is None:
+        api_key = os.getenv("GROUNDROUTE_API_KEY")
+    return api_key, max_results
 
 
 def _coerce_max_results(value: object, *, default: int = _DEFAULT_MAX_RESULTS) -> int:
@@ -99,9 +110,9 @@ def _response_results(data: object) -> list[dict] | None:
     return usable
 
 
-def _post_search(api_key: str, body: dict) -> dict:
-    with httpx.Client(timeout=_TIMEOUT_S) as client:
-        response = client.post(
+async def _post_search(api_key: str, body: dict) -> dict:
+    async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=_TIMEOUT_S) as client:
+        response = await client.post(
             _GROUNDROUTE_ENDPOINT,
             json=body,
             headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}"},
@@ -111,7 +122,7 @@ def _post_search(api_key: str, body: dict) -> dict:
 
 
 @tool("web_search", parse_docstring=True)
-def web_search_tool(query: str, max_results: int | None = None) -> str:
+async def web_search_tool(query: str, max_results: int | None = None) -> str:
     """Search the web for information using GroundRoute.
 
     GroundRoute routes the query across six search engines and returns the result
@@ -121,19 +132,18 @@ def web_search_tool(query: str, max_results: int | None = None) -> str:
         query: Search keywords describing what you want to find. Be specific for better results.
         max_results: Maximum number of search results to return. If omitted, uses the configured value (default 5). Clamped to 1-50.
     """
+    # Config resolution can read files; keep it off the event loop.
+    api_key, configured_max_results = await asyncio.to_thread(_resolve_tool_settings, "web_search")
     # Honor the caller-supplied max_results; fall back to config only when omitted.
     if max_results is None:
-        config = get_app_config().get_tool_config("web_search")
-        if config is not None:
-            max_results = (config.model_extra or {}).get("max_results")
+        max_results = configured_max_results
     count = _DEFAULT_MAX_RESULTS if max_results is None else _coerce_max_results(max_results)
 
-    api_key = _get_api_key("web_search")
     if not api_key:
         return _missing_key_error("web_search", query=query)
 
     try:
-        data = _post_search(api_key, {"query": query, "max_results": count})
+        data = await _post_search(api_key, {"query": query, "max_results": count})
     except httpx.HTTPStatusError as e:
         logger.error("GroundRoute API returned HTTP %s: %s", e.response.status_code, e.response.text)
         return json.dumps(
@@ -163,7 +173,7 @@ def web_search_tool(query: str, max_results: int | None = None) -> str:
 
 
 @tool("web_fetch", parse_docstring=True)
-def web_fetch_tool(url: str) -> str:
+async def web_fetch_tool(url: str) -> str:
     """Fetch the contents of a web page at a given URL via GroundRoute.
     Only fetch EXACT URLs that have been provided directly by the user or have been returned in results from the web_search and web_fetch tools.
     This tool can NOT access content that requires authentication, such as private Google Docs or pages behind login walls.
@@ -173,12 +183,12 @@ def web_fetch_tool(url: str) -> str:
     Args:
         url: The URL to fetch the contents of.
     """
-    api_key = _get_api_key("web_fetch")
+    api_key, _ = await asyncio.to_thread(_resolve_tool_settings, "web_fetch")
     if not api_key:
         return _missing_key_error("web_fetch", url=url)
 
     try:
-        data = _post_search(api_key, {"query": url, "mode": "page", "max_results": 1})
+        data = await _post_search(api_key, {"query": url, "mode": "page", "max_results": 1})
     except httpx.HTTPStatusError as e:
         logger.error("GroundRoute fetch returned HTTP %s: %s", e.response.status_code, e.response.text)
         return f"Error: GroundRoute API error: HTTP {e.response.status_code}"
diff --git a/backend/tests/blocking_io/test_groundroute_search_async.py b/backend/tests/blocking_io/test_groundroute_search_async.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9c597e4b4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tests/blocking_io/test_groundroute_search_async.py
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+"""GroundRoute community tools must not occupy an executor thread or block the loop.
+
+The GroundRoute provider resolved its config and sent its search request
+through a synchronous ``httpx.Client``. A sync LangChain tool invoked through
+``ainvoke`` runs on the default executor, so the request held one of that
+pool's threads for the whole network round-trip: with several providers
+queried in parallel the default pool ran out of threads and the tool calls
+queued behind each other.
+
+The probes below assert the whole fix:
+
+* the request is awaited on the event loop thread instead of an executor
+  thread, so no pool thread is held for the round-trip;
+* the config lookup, which reads the config file, still runs off the loop.
+  The tool body is now a coroutine that executes on the loop, so a file read
+  left in it would block the loop; the strict blocking-I/O gate fails if the
+  lookup regresses onto the loop.
+* the request goes out through the async client. A `MockTransport` runs its
+  handler on the calling thread and performs no real blocking I/O, so a
+  provider that stayed async but sent the request through a sync
+  `httpx.Client` would satisfy the thread assertion above; the recorded
+  client factory is what catches that partial regression.
+"""
+
+import threading
+from pathlib import Path
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+
+import httpx
+import pytest
+
+from deerflow.community.groundroute import tools as groundroute_tools
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.asyncio
+
+
+def _patch_transport(monkeypatch, request_threads: list[int], clients: list[str]) -> None:
+    """Answer every request locally and record the thread that served it.
+
+    The provider's module holds the shared ``httpx`` module, so the reference
+    itself is replaced with a namespace exposing both client factories. That
+    keeps the test hermetic — no request leaves the machine — whichever
+    factory the provider uses. Each factory records its name in ``clients``
+    so a test can assert which one the provider reached for.
+    """
+
+    def respond(request: httpx.Request) -> httpx.Response:
+        request_threads.append(threading.get_ident())
+        return httpx.Response(200, json={"results": []})
+
+    transport = httpx.MockTransport(respond)
+
+    def async_client(**kwargs):
+        clients.append("AsyncClient")
+        return httpx.AsyncClient(transport=transport, **kwargs)
+
+    def sync_client(**kwargs):
+        clients.append("Client")
+        return httpx.Client(transport=transport, **kwargs)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        groundroute_tools,
+        "httpx",
+        SimpleNamespace(
+            AsyncClient=async_client,
+            Client=sync_client,
+            HTTPStatusError=httpx.HTTPStatusError,
+        ),
+    )
+
+
+def _patch_config(monkeypatch, load_config=None) -> None:
+    def config():
+        return SimpleNamespace(get_tool_config=lambda _name: SimpleNamespace(model_extra={"api_key": "synthetic-key"}))
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(groundroute_tools, "get_app_config", load_config or config)
+
+
+async def test_groundroute_search_request_runs_on_the_event_loop(monkeypatch) -> None:
+    """The request is awaited on the loop, not dispatched to an executor thread."""
+    request_threads: list[int] = []
+    clients: list[str] = []
+    loop_thread = threading.get_ident()
+    _patch_transport(monkeypatch, request_threads, clients)
+    _patch_config(monkeypatch)
+
+    result = await groundroute_tools.web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "vector databases"})
+
+    assert '"error": "No results found"' in result
+    assert request_threads, "the request must reach the transport"
+    assert all(thread == loop_thread for thread in request_threads)
+    assert clients == ["AsyncClient"], "the request must go out through the async client"
+
+
+async def test_groundroute_fetch_request_runs_on_the_event_loop(monkeypatch) -> None:
+    """web_fetch shares the same client, so it must stay off the executor too."""
+    request_threads: list[int] = []
+    clients: list[str] = []
+    loop_thread = threading.get_ident()
+    _patch_transport(monkeypatch, request_threads, clients)
+    _patch_config(monkeypatch)
+
+    result = await groundroute_tools.web_fetch_tool.ainvoke({"url": "https://example.com/report"})
+
+    assert "Error: No results found" == result
+    assert request_threads, "the request must reach the transport"
+    assert all(thread == loop_thread for thread in request_threads)
+    assert clients == ["AsyncClient"], "the request must go out through the async client"
+
+
+async def test_groundroute_config_lookup_does_not_block_loop(monkeypatch) -> None:
+    """The tool body runs on the loop, so the config file read must not."""
+    config_threads: list[int] = []
+    loop_thread = threading.get_ident()
+
+    def load_config():
+        # Keep a real file read in the lookup so the strict blocking-I/O gate
+        # fails if the tool resolves config on the event loop.
+        Path(__file__).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        config_threads.append(threading.get_ident())
+        return SimpleNamespace(get_tool_config=lambda _name: SimpleNamespace(model_extra={"api_key": "synthetic-key"}))
+
+    request_threads: list[int] = []
+    clients: list[str] = []
+    _patch_transport(monkeypatch, request_threads, clients)
+    _patch_config(monkeypatch, load_config)
+
+    result = await groundroute_tools.web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "vector databases"})
+
+    assert '"error": "No results found"' in result
+    assert config_threads, "config lookup must run"
+    assert all(thread != loop_thread for thread in config_threads)
+    assert clients == ["AsyncClient"], "the request must go out through the async client"
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_groundroute_response_shapes.py b/backend/tests/test_groundroute_response_shapes.py
index ed9f940cbd..59f9fba7e2 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_groundroute_response_shapes.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_groundroute_response_shapes.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ _LOGGER_NAME = "deerflow.community.groundroute.tools"
 _FORMAT_ERROR = "GroundRoute returned an unexpected response format"
 _SEARCH_QUERY = "文档 search"
 _FETCH_URL = "https://example.com/文档"
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.anyio
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
@@ -28,9 +29,9 @@ def _invoker(monkeypatch, tool_name):
 
     config = SimpleNamespace(get_tool_config=lambda _: SimpleNamespace(model_extra={"api_key": "synthetic-test-key"}))
     monkeypatch.setattr(tools, "get_app_config", lambda: config)
-    real_client = httpx.Client
+    real_client = httpx.AsyncClient
 
-    def invoke(payload, *, status_code=200):
+    async def invoke(payload, *, status_code=200):
         requests = []
 
         def respond(request):
@@ -41,12 +42,12 @@ def _invoker(monkeypatch, tool_name):
         monkeypatch.setattr(
             tools,
             "httpx",
-            SimpleNamespace(Client=lambda **kwargs: real_client(transport=transport, **kwargs), HTTPStatusError=httpx.HTTPStatusError),
+            SimpleNamespace(AsyncClient=lambda **kwargs: real_client(transport=transport, **kwargs), HTTPStatusError=httpx.HTTPStatusError),
         )
         if tool_name == "web_search":
-            result = tools.web_search_tool.invoke({"query": _SEARCH_QUERY})
+            result = await tools.web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": _SEARCH_QUERY})
         else:
-            result = tools.web_fetch_tool.invoke({"url": _FETCH_URL})
+            result = await tools.web_fetch_tool.ainvoke({"url": _FETCH_URL})
         assert len(requests) == 1
         return result
 
@@ -63,8 +64,8 @@ def invoke_fetch(monkeypatch):
     return _invoker(monkeypatch, "web_fetch")
 
 
-def _search(invoke_search, payload, *, status_code=200):
-    return json.loads(invoke_search(payload, status_code=status_code))
+async def _search(invoke_search, payload, *, status_code=200):
+    return json.loads(await invoke_search(payload, status_code=status_code))
 
 
 def _error_logs(caplog):
@@ -79,29 +80,29 @@ def _assert_no_payload_values_leaked(caplog):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("payload", [None, False, 0, "invalid", [], ["provider-private-payload"]])
-def test_malformed_top_level_payload_returns_format_error(invoke_search, payload, caplog):
-    assert _search(invoke_search, payload) == {"error": _FORMAT_ERROR, "query": "文档 search"}
+async def test_malformed_top_level_payload_returns_format_error(invoke_search, payload, caplog):
+    assert await _search(invoke_search, payload) == {"error": _FORMAT_ERROR, "query": "文档 search"}
     assert _error_logs(caplog) == [f"GroundRoute returned unexpected payload type: {type(payload).__name__}"]
     _assert_no_payload_values_leaked(caplog)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("results", [False, 0, "", "provider-private-payload", {}, {"title": "provider-private-payload"}])
-def test_malformed_results_container_returns_format_error(invoke_search, results, caplog):
-    assert _search(invoke_search, {"results": results}) == {"error": _FORMAT_ERROR, "query": "文档 search"}
+async def test_malformed_results_container_returns_format_error(invoke_search, results, caplog):
+    assert await _search(invoke_search, {"results": results}) == {"error": _FORMAT_ERROR, "query": "文档 search"}
     assert _error_logs(caplog) == [f"GroundRoute returned unexpected 'results' payload type: {type(results).__name__}"]
     _assert_no_payload_values_leaked(caplog)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("results", [[None], [False, 0, "provider-private-payload", []]])
-def test_all_malformed_entries_return_format_error(invoke_search, results, caplog):
-    assert _search(invoke_search, {"results": results}) == {"error": _FORMAT_ERROR, "query": "文档 search"}
+async def test_all_malformed_entries_return_format_error(invoke_search, results, caplog):
+    assert await _search(invoke_search, {"results": results}) == {"error": _FORMAT_ERROR, "query": "文档 search"}
     assert _error_logs(caplog) == ["GroundRoute returned 'results' with no usable result objects"]
     _assert_no_payload_values_leaked(caplog)
 
 
-def test_mixed_entries_preserve_valid_results_in_order(invoke_search, caplog):
+async def test_mixed_entries_preserve_valid_results_in_order(invoke_search, caplog):
     payload = {"results": [None, {"title": "文档", "url": "https://other.example/one", "snippet": "概述", "source_engine": "serper"}, "invalid", {}, [], {"title": "Second"}]}
-    assert _search(invoke_search, payload) == [
+    assert await _search(invoke_search, payload) == [
         {"title": "文档", "url": "https://other.example/one", "snippet": "概述", "source_engine": "serper"},
         {"title": "", "url": "", "snippet": "", "source_engine": ""},
         {"title": "Second", "url": "", "snippet": "", "source_engine": ""},
@@ -110,14 +111,14 @@ def test_mixed_entries_preserve_valid_results_in_order(invoke_search, caplog):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("payload", [{}, {"results": None}, {"request_id": "r1"}, {"results": []}])
-def test_missing_or_empty_results_keep_no_results_response(invoke_search, payload, caplog):
-    assert _search(invoke_search, payload) == {"error": "No results found", "query": "文档 search"}
+async def test_missing_or_empty_results_keep_no_results_response(invoke_search, payload, caplog):
+    assert await _search(invoke_search, payload) == {"error": "No results found", "query": "文档 search"}
     assert _error_logs(caplog) == []
 
 
-def test_valid_results_keep_existing_normalization(invoke_search, caplog):
+async def test_valid_results_keep_existing_normalization(invoke_search, caplog):
     payload = {"results": [{"title": "T", "url": "https://other.example", "snippet": "s", "source_engine": "exa"}, {}]}
-    assert _search(invoke_search, payload) == [
+    assert await _search(invoke_search, payload) == [
         {"title": "T", "url": "https://other.example", "snippet": "s", "source_engine": "exa"},
         {"title": "", "url": "", "snippet": "", "source_engine": ""},
     ]
@@ -125,24 +126,24 @@ def test_valid_results_keep_existing_normalization(invoke_search, caplog):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("payload", [None, False, [], "provider-private-payload", {"results": {"0": "provider-private-payload"}}, {"results": [None]}])
-def test_fetch_malformed_payload_returns_format_error(invoke_fetch, payload, caplog):
-    assert invoke_fetch(payload) == "Error: GroundRoute returned an unexpected response format"
+async def test_fetch_malformed_payload_returns_format_error(invoke_fetch, payload, caplog):
+    assert await invoke_fetch(payload) == "Error: GroundRoute returned an unexpected response format"
     assert len(_error_logs(caplog)) == 1
     _assert_no_payload_values_leaked(caplog)
 
 
-def test_fetch_missing_or_empty_results_keep_no_results_error(invoke_fetch, caplog):
-    assert invoke_fetch({"results": []}) == "Error: No results found"
-    assert invoke_fetch({}) == "Error: No results found"
+async def test_fetch_missing_or_empty_results_keep_no_results_error(invoke_fetch, caplog):
+    assert await invoke_fetch({"results": []}) == "Error: No results found"
+    assert await invoke_fetch({}) == "Error: No results found"
     assert _error_logs(caplog) == []
 
 
-def test_fetch_skips_malformed_entries_and_returns_the_first_usable_result(invoke_fetch):
-    assert invoke_fetch({"results": [None, {"title": "Page", "content": "Body text", "url": "https://other.example"}]}) == "# Page\n\nBody text"
+async def test_fetch_skips_malformed_entries_and_returns_the_first_usable_result(invoke_fetch):
+    assert await invoke_fetch({"results": [None, {"title": "Page", "content": "Body text", "url": "https://other.example"}]}) == "# Page\n\nBody text"
 
 
-def test_valid_fetch_keeps_existing_response(invoke_fetch, caplog):
-    assert invoke_fetch({"results": [{"title": "Page", "content": "Body text"}]}) == "# Page\n\nBody text"
+async def test_valid_fetch_keeps_existing_response(invoke_fetch, caplog):
+    assert await invoke_fetch({"results": [{"title": "Page", "content": "Body text"}]}) == "# Page\n\nBody text"
     assert _error_logs(caplog) == []
 
 
@@ -156,23 +157,23 @@ def test_valid_fetch_keeps_existing_response(invoke_fetch, caplog):
         ({"results": [{"title": None, "content": "Body text"}]}, "# \n\nBody text"),
     ],
 )
-def test_fetch_coerces_non_string_fields(invoke_fetch, payload, expected, caplog):
-    assert invoke_fetch(payload) == expected
+async def test_fetch_coerces_non_string_fields(invoke_fetch, payload, expected, caplog):
+    assert await invoke_fetch(payload) == expected
     assert _error_logs(caplog) == []
 
 
-def test_http_transport_patch_does_not_replace_global_client(invoke_search):
-    real_client = httpx.Client
-    invoke_search({"results": []})
-    assert httpx.Client is real_client
-    with httpx.Client(transport=httpx.MockTransport(lambda request: httpx.Response(204))) as client:
-        assert client.get("https://unrelated.invalid/probe").status_code == 204
+async def test_http_transport_patch_does_not_replace_global_client(invoke_search):
+    real_client = httpx.AsyncClient
+    await invoke_search({"results": []})
+    assert httpx.AsyncClient is real_client
+    async with httpx.AsyncClient(transport=httpx.MockTransport(lambda request: httpx.Response(204))) as client:
+        assert (await client.get("https://unrelated.invalid/probe")).status_code == 204
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("status_code", [402, 503])
-def test_search_http_error_keeps_existing_structured_response(invoke_search, status_code):
-    assert _search(invoke_search, {"error": "synthetic-denial"}, status_code=status_code) == {"error": f"GroundRoute API error: HTTP {status_code}", "query": "文档 search"}
+async def test_search_http_error_keeps_existing_structured_response(invoke_search, status_code):
+    assert await _search(invoke_search, {"error": "synthetic-denial"}, status_code=status_code) == {"error": f"GroundRoute API error: HTTP {status_code}", "query": "文档 search"}
 
 
-def test_fetch_http_error_keeps_existing_error_string(invoke_fetch):
-    assert invoke_fetch({"error": "synthetic-denial"}, status_code=402) == "Error: GroundRoute API error: HTTP 402"
+async def test_fetch_http_error_keeps_existing_error_string(invoke_fetch):
+    assert await invoke_fetch({"error": "synthetic-denial"}, status_code=402) == "Error: GroundRoute API error: HTTP 402"
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_groundroute_tools.py b/backend/tests/test_groundroute_tools.py
index 95de840fae..0dbdf78541 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_groundroute_tools.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_groundroute_tools.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """Unit tests for the GroundRoute community web search + fetch tools."""
 
 import json
-from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock, patch
 
 import httpx
 import pytest
@@ -43,10 +43,10 @@ def _make_search_response(payload: dict) -> MagicMock:
 
 
 def _patch_post(mock_resp: MagicMock):
-    """Patch httpx.Client so the context-managed .post returns mock_resp."""
-    patcher = patch("deerflow.community.groundroute.tools.httpx.Client")
+    """Patch httpx.AsyncClient so the context-managed .post returns mock_resp."""
+    patcher = patch("deerflow.community.groundroute.tools.httpx.AsyncClient")
     mock_client_cls = patcher.start()
-    mock_client_cls.return_value.__enter__.return_value.post.return_value = mock_resp
+    mock_client_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value.post = AsyncMock(return_value=mock_resp)
     return patcher, mock_client_cls
 
 
@@ -62,16 +62,16 @@ def _per_tool_config(**by_tool):
     return app
 
 
-class TestGetApiKey:
+class TestResolveToolSettings:
     def test_returns_config_key_when_present(self):
         with patch("deerflow.community.groundroute.tools.get_app_config") as mock:
             tool_config = MagicMock()
             tool_config.model_extra = {"api_key": "from-config"}
             mock.return_value.get_tool_config.return_value = tool_config
 
-            from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import _get_api_key
+            from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import _resolve_tool_settings
 
-            assert _get_api_key("web_search") == "from-config"
+            assert _resolve_tool_settings("web_search")[0] == "from-config"
 
     def test_falls_back_to_env_when_config_key_empty(self):
         with patch("deerflow.community.groundroute.tools.get_app_config") as mock:
@@ -79,17 +79,17 @@ class TestGetApiKey:
             tool_config.model_extra = {"api_key": "   "}
             mock.return_value.get_tool_config.return_value = tool_config
             with patch.dict("os.environ", {"GROUNDROUTE_API_KEY": "env-key"}, clear=True):
-                from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import _get_api_key
+                from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import _resolve_tool_settings
 
-                assert _get_api_key("web_search") == "env-key"
+                assert _resolve_tool_settings("web_search")[0] == "env-key"
 
     def test_returns_none_when_no_key_anywhere(self):
         with patch("deerflow.community.groundroute.tools.get_app_config") as mock:
             mock.return_value.get_tool_config.return_value = None
             with patch.dict("os.environ", {}, clear=True):
-                from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import _get_api_key
+                from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import _resolve_tool_settings
 
-                assert _get_api_key("web_search") is None
+                assert _resolve_tool_settings("web_search")[0] is None
 
     def test_reads_the_named_tools_config_block(self):
         """web_fetch must read the web_fetch block, not web_search (multi-engine flows)."""
@@ -98,14 +98,15 @@ class TestGetApiKey:
                 web_search={"api_key": "search-key"},
                 web_fetch={"api_key": "fetch-key"},
             )
-            from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import _get_api_key
+            from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import _resolve_tool_settings
 
-            assert _get_api_key("web_search") == "search-key"
-            assert _get_api_key("web_fetch") == "fetch-key"
+            assert _resolve_tool_settings("web_search")[0] == "search-key"
+            assert _resolve_tool_settings("web_fetch")[0] == "fetch-key"
 
 
 class TestWebSearchTool:
-    def test_basic_search_returns_normalized_list_with_source_engine(self, mock_config_with_key):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_basic_search_returns_normalized_list_with_source_engine(self, mock_config_with_key):
         payload = {
             "request_id": "r1",
             "results": [
@@ -117,7 +118,7 @@ class TestWebSearchTool:
         try:
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
-            result = web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "vector databases"})
+            result = await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "vector databases"})
             parsed = json.loads(result)
         finally:
             patcher.stop()
@@ -132,7 +133,8 @@ class TestWebSearchTool:
         }
         assert {r["source_engine"] for r in parsed} == {"serper", "exa"}
 
-    def test_uses_web_search_config_key(self):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_uses_web_search_config_key(self):
         """web_search authenticates with the web_search config block's key."""
         with patch("deerflow.community.groundroute.tools.get_app_config") as mock:
             mock.return_value = _per_tool_config(
@@ -144,15 +146,16 @@ class TestWebSearchTool:
             try:
                 from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
-                web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "hello world"})
-                call = mock_client_cls.return_value.__enter__.return_value.post.call_args
+                await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "hello world"})
+                call = mock_client_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value.post.call_args
             finally:
                 patcher.stop()
 
         assert call.kwargs["headers"]["Authorization"] == "Bearer search-key"
         assert call.kwargs["json"]["query"] == "hello world"
 
-    def test_agent_max_results_is_honored_over_config(self):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_agent_max_results_is_honored_over_config(self):
         """A caller-supplied max_results wins over the config value (not silently discarded)."""
         with patch("deerflow.community.groundroute.tools.get_app_config") as mock:
             tool_config = MagicMock()
@@ -163,28 +166,30 @@ class TestWebSearchTool:
             try:
                 from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
-                web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "test", "max_results": 20})
-                body = mock_client_cls.return_value.__enter__.return_value.post.call_args.kwargs["json"]
+                await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "test", "max_results": 20})
+                body = mock_client_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value.post.call_args.kwargs["json"]
             finally:
                 patcher.stop()
 
         assert body["max_results"] == 20
 
-    def test_config_max_results_used_when_caller_omits(self, mock_config_with_key):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_config_max_results_used_when_caller_omits(self, mock_config_with_key):
         """When the caller omits max_results, the configured value is used."""
         payload = {"results": [{"url": "u", "title": "t", "snippet": "s", "source_engine": "exa"}]}
         patcher, mock_client_cls = _patch_post(_make_search_response(payload))
         try:
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
-            web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "test"})
-            body = mock_client_cls.return_value.__enter__.return_value.post.call_args.kwargs["json"]
+            await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "test"})
+            body = mock_client_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value.post.call_args.kwargs["json"]
         finally:
             patcher.stop()
 
         assert body["max_results"] == 5
 
-    def test_max_results_clamped_to_cap(self):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_max_results_clamped_to_cap(self):
         with patch("deerflow.community.groundroute.tools.get_app_config") as mock:
             tool_config = MagicMock()
             tool_config.model_extra = {"api_key": "k", "max_results": "500"}
@@ -194,79 +199,85 @@ class TestWebSearchTool:
             try:
                 from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
-                web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "test"})
-                body = mock_client_cls.return_value.__enter__.return_value.post.call_args.kwargs["json"]
+                await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "test"})
+                body = mock_client_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value.post.call_args.kwargs["json"]
             finally:
                 patcher.stop()
 
         assert body["max_results"] == 50
 
-    def test_empty_results_returns_error_json(self, mock_config_with_key):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_empty_results_returns_error_json(self, mock_config_with_key):
         patcher, _ = _patch_post(_make_search_response({"results": []}))
         try:
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
-            parsed = json.loads(web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "no results"}))
+            parsed = json.loads(await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "no results"}))
         finally:
             patcher.stop()
 
         assert parsed["error"] == "No results found"
         assert parsed["query"] == "no results"
 
-    def test_missing_api_key_returns_error_json(self, mock_config_no_key):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_missing_api_key_returns_error_json(self, mock_config_no_key):
         with patch.dict("os.environ", {}, clear=True):
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
-            parsed = json.loads(web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "test"}))
+            parsed = json.loads(await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "test"}))
 
         assert "error" in parsed
         assert "GROUNDROUTE_API_KEY" in parsed["error"]
 
-    def test_missing_api_key_logs_warning_once(self, mock_config_no_key, caplog):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_missing_api_key_logs_warning_once(self, mock_config_no_key, caplog):
         import logging
 
         with patch.dict("os.environ", {}, clear=True):
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
             with caplog.at_level(logging.WARNING, logger="deerflow.community.groundroute.tools"):
-                web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "q1"})
-                web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "q2"})
+                await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "q1"})
+                await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "q2"})
 
         warnings = [r for r in caplog.records if r.levelno == logging.WARNING]
         assert len(warnings) == 1
 
-    def test_http_error_returns_structured_error(self, mock_config_with_key):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_http_error_returns_structured_error(self, mock_config_with_key):
         mock_resp = MagicMock()
         mock_resp.raise_for_status.side_effect = httpx.HTTPStatusError("402", request=MagicMock(), response=MagicMock(status_code=402, text="Payment Required"))
         patcher, _ = _patch_post(mock_resp)
         try:
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
-            parsed = json.loads(web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "test"}))
+            parsed = json.loads(await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "test"}))
         finally:
             patcher.stop()
 
         assert "error" in parsed
         assert "402" in parsed["error"]
 
-    def test_network_exception_returns_error_json(self, mock_config_with_key):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_network_exception_returns_error_json(self, mock_config_with_key):
         patcher, mock_client_cls = _patch_post(MagicMock())
-        mock_client_cls.return_value.__enter__.return_value.post.side_effect = Exception("timeout")
+        mock_client_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value.post.side_effect = Exception("timeout")
         try:
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
-            parsed = json.loads(web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "test"}))
+            parsed = json.loads(await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "test"}))
         finally:
             patcher.stop()
 
         assert "error" in parsed
 
-    def test_partial_fields_default_to_empty_string(self, mock_config_with_key):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_partial_fields_default_to_empty_string(self, mock_config_with_key):
         patcher, _ = _patch_post(_make_search_response({"results": [{}]}))
         try:
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_search_tool
 
-            parsed = json.loads(web_search_tool.invoke({"query": "test"}))
+            parsed = json.loads(await web_search_tool.ainvoke({"query": "test"}))
         finally:
             patcher.stop()
 
@@ -274,14 +285,15 @@ class TestWebSearchTool:
 
 
 class TestWebFetchTool:
-    def test_fetch_returns_titled_content(self, mock_config_with_key):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_fetch_returns_titled_content(self, mock_config_with_key):
         payload = {"results": [{"title": "Page", "content": "Body text", "url": "https://ex.com"}]}
         patcher, mock_client_cls = _patch_post(_make_search_response(payload))
         try:
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_fetch_tool
 
-            result = web_fetch_tool.invoke({"url": "https://ex.com"})
-            body = mock_client_cls.return_value.__enter__.return_value.post.call_args.kwargs["json"]
+            result = await web_fetch_tool.ainvoke({"url": "https://ex.com"})
+            body = mock_client_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value.post.call_args.kwargs["json"]
         finally:
             patcher.stop()
 
@@ -290,7 +302,8 @@ class TestWebFetchTool:
         assert body["mode"] == "page"
         assert body["query"] == "https://ex.com"
 
-    def test_fetch_uses_web_fetch_config_key(self):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_fetch_uses_web_fetch_config_key(self):
         """web_fetch must authenticate with the web_fetch config block's key, not web_search's."""
         with patch("deerflow.community.groundroute.tools.get_app_config") as mock:
             mock.return_value = _per_tool_config(
@@ -302,28 +315,30 @@ class TestWebFetchTool:
             try:
                 from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_fetch_tool
 
-                web_fetch_tool.invoke({"url": "https://ex.com"})
-                call = mock_client_cls.return_value.__enter__.return_value.post.call_args
+                await web_fetch_tool.ainvoke({"url": "https://ex.com"})
+                call = mock_client_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value.post.call_args
             finally:
                 patcher.stop()
 
         assert call.kwargs["headers"]["Authorization"] == "Bearer fetch-key"
 
-    def test_fetch_missing_key_returns_error(self, mock_config_no_key):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_fetch_missing_key_returns_error(self, mock_config_no_key):
         with patch.dict("os.environ", {}, clear=True):
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_fetch_tool
 
-            parsed = json.loads(web_fetch_tool.invoke({"url": "https://ex.com"}))
+            parsed = json.loads(await web_fetch_tool.ainvoke({"url": "https://ex.com"}))
 
         assert "error" in parsed
         assert "GROUNDROUTE_API_KEY" in parsed["error"]
 
-    def test_fetch_no_results_returns_error_string(self, mock_config_with_key):
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_fetch_no_results_returns_error_string(self, mock_config_with_key):
         patcher, _ = _patch_post(_make_search_response({"results": []}))
         try:
             from deerflow.community.groundroute.tools import web_fetch_tool
 
-            result = web_fetch_tool.invoke({"url": "https://ex.com"})
+            result = await web_fetch_tool.ainvoke({"url": "https://ex.com"})
         finally:
             patcher.stop()