> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spaceduck.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Web Search

> Search the web via Brave or SearXNG, and get AI-synthesized answers via Perplexity Sonar.

## What it does

Two complementary tools:

* **Web Search** — returns structured search results (title, URL, snippet) from Brave Search or SearXNG
* **Web Answer** — returns AI-synthesized answers with citations from Perplexity Sonar

The assistant chooses between them based on the query. Factual lookups typically use search; complex questions use answer.

## Requirements

You need at least one search provider configured:

| Provider                       | What you need                                                                 |
| ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Brave Search**               | API key from [brave.com/search/api](https://brave.com/search/api/)            |
| **SearXNG**                    | A running SearXNG instance URL                                                |
| **Perplexity Sonar** (answers) | API key from [perplexity.ai](https://www.perplexity.ai/) or an OpenRouter key |

## Configuration

Configure search providers in **Settings > Tools**, or via the CLI:

```bash theme={null}
# Brave Search
spaceduck config set /tools/webSearch/provider brave
spaceduck config secret set /tools/webSearch/braveApiKey

# SearXNG (self-hosted)
spaceduck config set /tools/webSearch/provider searxng
spaceduck config set /tools/webSearch/searxngUrl http://localhost:8888

# Perplexity Sonar (for AI answers)
spaceduck config secret set /tools/webAnswer/perplexityApiKey
```

## Features

### Search

| Feature          | Details                                                        |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Max results      | 5 by default, up to 10                                         |
| Rate limiting    | Brave: 3 req/s, SearXNG: 5 req/s                               |
| Caching          | 15-minute in-memory cache (skipped for time-sensitive queries) |
| Freshness filter | Past day, week, month, or year                                 |
| Locale/country   | Configurable per query                                         |

### Answer

| Feature   | Details                              |
| --------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Model     | `sonar-pro` by default               |
| Citations | Returned with source URLs            |
| Caching   | 5-minute in-memory cache             |
| Fallback  | Uses OpenRouter if no Perplexity key |

<Note>
  Search results are never synthesized — you get raw titles, URLs, and snippets. The assistant interprets them. AI answers from Perplexity Sonar are clearly marked as synthesized.
</Note>