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 |
| SearXNG | A running SearXNG instance URL |
| Perplexity Sonar (answers) | API key from perplexity.ai or an OpenRouter key |
Configuration
Configure search providers in Settings > Tools, or via the CLI:
# 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 |
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.
