Web search
Web search tools provide current external information through a local SearXNG helper service.
Use them when the answer depends on up-to-date documentation, release notes, ecosystem behavior, or online references that are outside the model’s training cutoff.
Tool inventory
| Tool | Side effects | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
searxng_engines |
May start the local SearXNG helper container. | Lists enabled search engines. |
searxng_search |
May start the helper container and performs web requests. | Runs a web search through SearXNG. |
Runtime behavior
The SearXNG tools use bundled Compose assets unless trusted global configuration overrides the container asset directory.
The runtime generates SEARXNG_SECRET for the plugin process and passes it to Compose through the environment. Static SearXNG secrets must not be committed to repository files.
When to use web search
Use web search for:
- current API or CLI behavior
- version-specific documentation
- release notes and changelogs
- vendor or framework docs
- multi-source fact checking
Prefer repository tools instead when the user names a specific upstream Git repository and implementation details matter more than general web results.
Safety notes
Web search results are external input. Treat them as untrusted until cross-checked against authoritative sources, official docs, or source code.