> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/n4ze3m/page-assist/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Internet Search

> Enhance AI responses with real-time web search results from multiple search engines

Internet Search allows your AI to access real-time information from the web, similar to ChatGPT's search functionality. This enables your AI to answer questions about current events, recent developments, or any information not in its training data.

## Supported Search Engines

Page Assist supports a wide variety of search providers:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Free Search Engines">
    No API key required:

    * **Google** - Most comprehensive, supports region selection
    * **DuckDuckGo** - Privacy-focused search
    * **Bing** - Microsoft's search engine
    * **Brave** - Privacy-focused, independent index
    * **Startpage** - Anonymous Google results
    * **Stract** - Open-source search
    * **Sogou** - Chinese search engine
    * **Baidu** - Chinese search engine
    * **Searxng** - Self-hosted metasearch (requires instance URL)
    * **Ollama Web Search** - Search via Ollama integration
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="API-Based Search">
    Requires API key (premium features):

    * **Brave Search API** - High-quality, privacy-focused results
    * **Tavily Search API** - AI-optimized search results
    * **Kagi Search API** - Premium search (Private Beta)
    * **Perplexity Search API** - AI-powered search
    * **Exa** - Semantic search for AI
    * **Firecrawl** - Web scraping and search
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Info>
  API-based search providers typically offer higher quality results, better rate limits, and additional features but require registration and API keys.
</Info>

## Getting Started

<Steps>
  <Step title="Configure Search Provider">
    1. Go to Settings → General Settings
    2. Scroll to "Manage Web Search" section
    3. Select your preferred search engine from the dropdown
    4. If using API-based search, enter your API key
    5. For regional search (Google), select your region
    6. Click "Save Settings"
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable Internet Search">
    **In Sidebar:**

    * Open sidebar (`Ctrl+Shift+Y`)
    * Click the globe icon in the input area
    * Icon highlights when search is enabled

    **In Web UI:**

    * Open Web UI (`Ctrl+Shift+L`)
    * Toggle the internet search switch (globe icon)
    * Switch shows active state
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start Searching">
    Ask questions that require current information:

    * "What's the latest news about AI?"
    * "Current weather in New York"
    * "Recent developments in quantum computing"
    * "Bitcoin price today"
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Search Modes

Page Assist offers two search modes:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Simple Search (Default)">
    **How it works**:

    1. Your query is sent to the search engine
    2. Top search results are retrieved
    3. Result snippets are included in the AI prompt
    4. AI generates response using search context

    **Characteristics**:

    * Fast response times
    * Lower token usage
    * Good for quick facts
    * Limited context per result

    **Enable**: Settings → General Settings → "Perform Simple Internet Search" (ON)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Deep Search Mode">
    **How it works**:

    1. Your query is sent to the search engine
    2. Top result URLs are retrieved
    3. Each webpage is visited and content extracted
    4. Full page content is included in AI context
    5. AI generates comprehensive response

    **Characteristics**:

    * Slower but more thorough
    * Higher token usage
    * Better for detailed research
    * More accurate citations

    **Enable**: Settings → General Settings → "Perform Simple Internet Search" (OFF)

    <Warning>
      Deep Search is currently a basic implementation and may be slower. Not equivalent to ChatGPT's Deep Search feature.
    </Warning>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Configuration

### Default Search Settings

<Accordion title="Enable by Default">
  Automatically enable internet search for all new chats:

  1. Go to Settings → General Settings
  2. Under "Manage Web Search" section
  3. Enable "Internet Search ON by default"
  4. Click "Save Settings"

  New chats will now start with search enabled.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Visit Websites from Messages">
  Automatically extract content when URLs are sent:

  **How it works**:

  * When you send a webpage URL with search enabled
  * Page Assist visits the site and extracts text
  * Content is sent to the AI as context

  **Enable/Disable**:

  1. Go to Settings → General Settings
  2. Find "Visit websites from messages" option
  3. Toggle on/off (enabled by default)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Regional Settings (Google)">
  Customize search results by region:

  1. Go to Settings → General Settings
  2. Under "Manage Web Search"
  3. Select search provider: Google
  4. Choose your region from dropdown
  5. Results will be localized to your region
</Accordion>

### Custom Search Prompts

Customize how search results are presented to the AI:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Access Prompt Settings">
    1. Go to Settings → RAG Settings
    2. Scroll to "Configure RAG Prompt" section
    3. Click the **Web** tab
  </Step>

  <Step title="Edit Search Prompt">
    Customize the system prompt with these variables:

    * `{search_results}` - Search results content (required, don't remove)
    * `{current_date_time}` - Current date and time
    * `{query}` - The user's search query

    **Example**:

    ```
    You are a helpful assistant with access to current information.

    Current date and time: {current_date_time}
    User query: {query}

    Search results:
    {search_results}

    Provide accurate, well-sourced answers based on the search results.
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save Changes">
    Click "Save" to apply your custom prompt.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  **Important**: Never remove the `{search_results}` variable - it's required for search functionality.
</Warning>

## API Configuration

For API-based search providers, you'll need to configure API keys:

### Brave Search API

1. Sign up at [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api/)
2. Get your API key
3. In Page Assist: Settings → General Settings → Manage Web Search
4. Select "Brave Search API"
5. Enter your API key
6. Save settings

### Tavily Search API

1. Sign up at [Tavily](https://tavily.com/)
2. Get your API key
3. In Page Assist: Settings → General Settings → Manage Web Search
4. Select "Tavily Search API"
5. Enter your API key
6. Save settings

### Kagi Search API

<Note>
  Kagi Search API is in private beta and requires API access.
</Note>

1. Request beta access from [Kagi](https://kagi.com/)
2. Receive API key
3. Configure in Page Assist settings

### Other API Providers

Follow similar steps for:

* **Perplexity Search API**: Get key from Perplexity
* **Exa**: Sign up at exa.ai
* **Firecrawl**: Get key from firecrawl.dev

### Searxng (Self-Hosted)

1. Deploy your own Searxng instance
2. Get the instance URL
3. In Page Assist: Select "Searxng"
4. Enter your instance URL
5. Save settings

## Advanced Usage

### Combining Features

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Search + Webpage">
    Combine internet search with webpage analysis:

    1. Enable internet search
    2. Enable chat with webpage
    3. Ask questions that combine current page + web search

    **Example**: "How do the claims on this page compare to recent research?"
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Search + Knowledge Base">
    Cross-reference web results with your documents:

    1. Enable internet search
    2. Select knowledge base
    3. Ask comparative questions

    **Example**: "How do current market trends compare to my research notes?"
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Search + Vision">
    Analyze images with current web context:

    1. Enable internet search
    2. Enable vision mode
    3. Upload image or screenshot

    **Example**: "What is this landmark and tell me current visiting hours?"
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Search Optimization Tips

<Tip>
  **Specific Queries**: More specific questions yield better search results. Instead of "AI news", try "latest GPT-4 developments this week".
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Simple vs Deep**: Use Simple Search for quick facts, Deep Search for detailed research requiring full page content.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Regional Results**: For location-specific queries, use Google with appropriate region settings.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **API Providers**: For production use or high-volume searches, API-based providers offer better reliability and rate limits.
</Tip>

## Use Cases

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Current Events" icon="newspaper">
    * Latest news and developments
    * Breaking news analysis
    * Event summaries
    * Timeline of recent events
  </Card>

  <Card title="Research" icon="magnifying-glass">
    * Recent scientific papers
    * Academic research
    * Market research
    * Competitive analysis
  </Card>

  <Card title="Real-Time Data" icon="clock">
    * Stock prices
    * Weather forecasts
    * Sports scores
    * Exchange rates
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fact Checking" icon="shield-check">
    * Verify claims
    * Cross-reference sources
    * Get multiple perspectives
    * Find citations
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<Accordion title="No search results">
  **Possible causes**:

  * Search provider not configured
  * API key invalid
  * Network connectivity issues
  * Rate limit exceeded

  **Solutions**:

  * Check search provider settings
  * Verify API key if using API-based search
  * Try different search provider
  * Wait if rate limited
  * Check browser console for errors
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Search too slow">
  **Possible causes**:

  * Deep Search mode enabled
  * Slow search provider
  * Network latency

  **Solutions**:

  * Switch to Simple Search mode
  * Try faster search provider (Google, DuckDuckGo)
  * Use API-based providers for better performance
  * Check internet connection
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Results not relevant">
  **Possible causes**:

  * Vague query
  * Wrong search provider for query type
  * Poor search prompt

  **Solutions**:

  * Make queries more specific
  * Try different search provider
  * Customize search prompt for better context
  * Use Deep Search for more detailed results
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="API errors">
  **Possible causes**:

  * Invalid API key
  * Exceeded quota
  * Service downtime

  **Solutions**:

  * Verify API key is correct
  * Check API provider dashboard for quota
  * Switch to free search provider temporarily
  * Contact API provider support
</Accordion>

## Privacy and Security

<Info>
  **Search Privacy**: When using search features, your queries are sent to the selected search provider. Choose privacy-focused providers like DuckDuckGo or Brave for better privacy.
</Info>

### Privacy Comparison

| Provider   | Privacy Level | Notes                         |
| ---------- | ------------- | ----------------------------- |
| DuckDuckGo | High          | No tracking, anonymous        |
| Brave      | High          | No logging, independent index |
| Startpage  | High          | Anonymous Google results      |
| Searxng    | Highest       | Self-hosted, full control     |
| Google     | Low           | Tracks searches if logged in  |
| Bing       | Low           | Microsoft data collection     |

<Note>
  API-based providers may have different privacy policies. Review their terms before use.
</Note>

## Performance Optimization

<Accordion title="For Speed">
  * Use Simple Search mode
  * Choose fast providers (Google, DuckDuckGo)
  * Reduce number of search results
  * Use lighter AI models
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="For Quality">
  * Use Deep Search mode for research
  * Choose API-based providers (Tavily, Brave API)
  * Customize search prompts for better context
  * Use advanced AI models (GPT-4, Claude)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="For Privacy">
  * Use DuckDuckGo, Brave, or Startpage
  * Self-host Searxng instance
  * Avoid Google and Bing when possible
  * Check API provider privacy policies
</Accordion>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Chat with Webpage" icon="globe" href="/features/chat-with-webpage">
    Combine search with webpage analysis
  </Card>

  <Card title="Knowledge Base" icon="database" href="/features/knowledge-base">
    Cross-reference search with your documents
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuration Settings" icon="sliders" href="/configuration/settings">
    Customize search prompts and behavior
  </Card>

  <Card title="Vision" icon="eye" href="/features/vision">
    Add visual context to search queries
  </Card>
</CardGroup>