diff --git a/mcp_server/README.md b/mcp_server/README.md
index e5bb11b..2027631 100644
--- a/mcp_server/README.md
+++ b/mcp_server/README.md
@@ -58,13 +58,13 @@ Parameter names follow the CLI flags except for the established MCP names
 (`--include-evals`). Terminal-only flags (`--json`,
 `--implementation-coverage`, `--flat`) have no parameter because MCP output is
 always structured. Hosted differences from the CLI: `limit` is capped at 25,
-`search_papers` defaults to `keyword` mode, `get_paper_info` returns compact
-official-first resources, and `read_paper` is chunked.
+`get_paper_info` returns compact official-first resources, and `read_paper`
+is chunked. `search_papers` defaults to `hybrid` mode like `pwc search`.
 `tests/test_parity.py` fails when the CLI parser and the tool schemas drift.
 
 All tools are annotated read-only and idempotent. Search is deterministic;
-the caller controls keyword, hybrid, or semantic mode. `read_paper` fetches at
-most one 64 KiB catalog chunk per call and returns a signed, one-hour
+the caller controls hybrid (default), keyword, or semantic mode. `read_paper`
+fetches at most one 64 KiB catalog chunk per call and returns a signed, one-hour
 continuation cursor when more Markdown remains. Continuations stay pinned to
 the resolved paper and content version, so a changed paper fails with an
 explicit restart response.
diff --git a/mcp_server/SKILL.md b/mcp_server/SKILL.md
index d279512..8218277 100644
--- a/mcp_server/SKILL.md
+++ b/mcp_server/SKILL.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ description: "Papers With Code MCP tools for searching and reading AI/ML papers,
 compatibility: "Requires an MCP client connected to https://paperswithcode.co/mcp with the Papers With Code tools available."
 ---
 
-Generated for `pwc-mcp v0.2.2` and stock-client MCP protocol `2025-11-25`.
+Generated for `pwc-mcp v0.2.3` and stock-client MCP protocol `2025-11-25`.
 
 The tools query the public [Papers With Code](https://paperswithcode.co) catalog
 anonymously and are read-only. Every tool runs the matching `pwc` CLI research
@@ -108,9 +108,11 @@ available and the user needs one of those capabilities.
 
 - Tool results use stable, versioned structured output with compact text
   fallbacks. Prefer structured fields over parsing the text fallback.
-- Search mode is deterministic: `keyword` is the default; `hybrid` adds dense
-  retrieval and `semantic` uses it alone. Both `hybrid` and `semantic` count
-  toward the semantic search rate limit.
+- Search mode is deterministic: `hybrid` is the default, matching
+  `pwc search`; `keyword` uses lexical retrieval alone and `semantic` uses
+  dense retrieval alone. Both `hybrid` and `semantic` count toward the semantic
+  search rate limit, so pass `mode: "keyword"` for exact terminology or when
+  that limit is close.
 - Catalog-filtered paper lists fail closed unless the server confirms every
   requested filter; never treat results from an older server as filtered.
   Parameter-filtered leaderboards fail closed unless the server confirms
diff --git a/mcp_server/SPEC.md b/mcp_server/SPEC.md
index edd8811..10bfae7 100644
--- a/mcp_server/SPEC.md
+++ b/mcp_server/SPEC.md
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ Tools run the CLI handlers in-process through the shared cached transport, so
 validation, fail-closed filter confirmation, and the JSON payload are the
 CLI's. Every result includes that payload as `data` beside typed projections.
 Terminal-only flags have no parameter. The hosted service caps `limit` at 25,
-defaults `search_papers` to keyword mode, returns compact official-first paper
-resources, and serves `read_paper` in chunks.
+returns compact official-first paper resources, and serves `read_paper` in
+chunks. `search_papers` defaults to hybrid mode, the same as `pwc search`.
 
 Expose these resource templates:
 
diff --git a/mcp_server/pyproject.toml b/mcp_server/pyproject.toml
index 0ef7902..7fb5b70 100644
--- a/mcp_server/pyproject.toml
+++ b/mcp_server/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "pwc-mcp"
-version = "0.2.2"
+version = "0.2.3"
 description = "Read-only Papers With Code MCP server"
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
diff --git a/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/__init__.py b/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/__init__.py
index 0bfe2fb..13777c6 100644
--- a/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/__init__.py
+++ b/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/__init__.py
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 """Read-only Papers With Code MCP server."""
 
-__version__ = "0.2.2"
+__version__ = "0.2.3"
diff --git a/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/app.py b/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/app.py
index fca6998..5310eee 100644
--- a/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/app.py
+++ b/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/app.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 from pwc_mcp import __version__
 from pwc_mcp.catalog import CatalogClient
-from pwc_mcp.server import TOOL_COMMANDS, Catalog, build_server
+from pwc_mcp.server import DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE, TOOL_COMMANDS, Catalog, build_server
 
 LOGGER = logging.getLogger("pwc_mcp.requests")
 # MCP SDK diagnostics can include peer-supplied tool names and resource URIs.
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ async def replay() -> Message:
 def _tool_and_semantic(headers: Headers, body: bytes) -> tuple[str | None, bool]:
     header_tool = headers.get("mcp-name")
     body_tool = None
-    mode = None
+    mode = DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE
     try:
         payload = json.loads(body)
     except (UnicodeDecodeError, json.JSONDecodeError):
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ def _tool_and_semantic(headers: Headers, body: bytes) -> tuple[str | None, bool]
         params = payload.get("params")
         arguments = params.get("arguments") if isinstance(params, dict) else None
         if isinstance(arguments, dict):
-            mode = arguments.get("mode")
+            mode = arguments.get("mode", DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE)
     tool = body_tool or header_tool
     tool = tool if tool in KNOWN_TOOLS else None
     # Hybrid retrieval also runs the dense embedding search upstream.
diff --git a/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/server.py b/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/server.py
index 546911f..79982d0 100644
--- a/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/server.py
+++ b/mcp_server/src/pwc_mcp/server.py
@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@
 )
 # Hosted ceiling on rows per response (SPEC.md); the CLI allows up to 100.
 MAX_ROWS = 25
+# Matches `pwc search --mode`; app.py counts omitted modes with this value.
+DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE = "hybrid"
 # CLI lookup failures the caller can act on (an unknown or ambiguous name, an
 # unconfirmed filter). Transport, HTTP, and response-shape failures stay generic.
 CLIENT_FACING_ERRORS = (
@@ -382,14 +384,14 @@ def run(tool: str, **parameters: Any) -> Any:
     @server.tool(annotations=READ_ONLY, structured_output=True)
     def search_papers(
         query: Query,
-        mode: Literal["hybrid", "keyword", "semantic"] = "keyword",
+        mode: Literal["hybrid", "keyword", "semantic"] = DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE,
         page: Page = 1,
         limit: Limit = 10,
         published_after: IsoDate | None = None,
         published_before: IsoDate | None = None,
         has_official_implementation: bool = False,
     ) -> PaperPage:
-        """Search papers by title, topic, author, or arXiv ID (`pwc search`). Broad discovery only: for best, top, or state-of-the-art model questions start with get_task, list_benchmarks, and get_benchmark, which return leaderboard evidence that search cannot."""
+        """Search papers by title, topic, author, or arXiv ID (`pwc search`). Broad discovery only: for best, top, or state-of-the-art model questions start with get_task, list_benchmarks, and get_benchmark, which return leaderboard evidence that search cannot. Mode defaults to hybrid like `pwc search`; use keyword for exact terminology or to stay under the semantic search rate limit."""
         _validate_date_range(published_after, published_before)
         result = _paper_page(
             run(
diff --git a/mcp_server/tests/test_app.py b/mcp_server/tests/test_app.py
index 3732c5d..3a2e165 100644
--- a/mcp_server/tests/test_app.py
+++ b/mcp_server/tests/test_app.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ def test_health_and_browser_origin_policy_are_explicit():
     assert health.json() == {
         "status": "ok",
         "service": "pwc-mcp",
-        "version": "0.2.2",
+        "version": "0.2.3",
         "protocol": "2025-11-25",
     }
     assert rejected.status_code == 403
@@ -294,6 +294,51 @@ def test_hybrid_search_counts_toward_the_semantic_limit():
     assert limited.status_code == 429
 
 
+def test_omitted_search_mode_defaults_to_hybrid_and_counts_toward_the_semantic_limit():
+    app = create_app(
+        StubCatalog(),
+        allowed_hosts=["testserver"],
+        semantic_limit=1,
+    )
+    body = {
+        "jsonrpc": "2.0",
+        "id": 1,
+        "method": "tools/call",
+        "params": {"name": "search_papers", "arguments": {"query": "attention"}},
+    }
+
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        first = client.post("/mcp", json=body)
+        limited = client.post("/mcp", json=body)
+
+    assert first.status_code != 429
+    assert limited.status_code == 429
+
+
+def test_keyword_search_does_not_count_toward_the_semantic_limit():
+    app = create_app(
+        StubCatalog(),
+        allowed_hosts=["testserver"],
+        semantic_limit=1,
+    )
+    body = {
+        "jsonrpc": "2.0",
+        "id": 1,
+        "method": "tools/call",
+        "params": {
+            "name": "search_papers",
+            "arguments": {"query": "attention", "mode": "keyword"},
+        },
+    }
+
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        first = client.post("/mcp", json=body)
+        second = client.post("/mcp", json=body)
+
+    assert first.status_code != 429
+    assert second.status_code != 429
+
+
 def test_rate_limits_are_env_configurable_with_hosted_defaults(monkeypatch):
     from pwc_mcp.app import (
         DEFAULT_GLOBAL_CONCURRENCY_LIMIT,
diff --git a/mcp_server/tests/test_server.py b/mcp_server/tests/test_server.py
index 6df8b9e..00ef157 100644
--- a/mcp_server/tests/test_server.py
+++ b/mcp_server/tests/test_server.py
@@ -256,6 +256,10 @@ async def exercise():
         "keyword",
         "semantic",
     ]
+    # Same default as `pwc search --mode`.
+    assert (
+        tools["search_papers"].input_schema["properties"]["mode"]["default"] == "hybrid"
+    )
     assert result.is_error is False
     assert result.structured_content == {
         "schema_version": "v1",
diff --git a/mcp_server/uv.lock b/mcp_server/uv.lock
index dc3a56b..e54f7b6 100644
--- a/mcp_server/uv.lock
+++ b/mcp_server/uv.lock
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ source = { editable = "../standalone_cli" }
 
 [[package]]
 name = "pwc-mcp"
-version = "0.2.2"
+version = "0.2.3"
 source = { editable = "." }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "mcp" },