Web search
Let the AI Assistant look up current docs, error messages, and package versions live. Pick from Tavily, Brave, or DuckDuckGo.
The AI Assistant can search the web mid-conversation when you enable it, useful for looking up current documentation, recent CVEs, error messages, or package versions the model may not have in its training data.
The web search control sits at the bottom-right of the AI panel as a pill with a globe icon and a small toggle switch.
What the pill tells you
| Pill state | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Web off (gray) | Web search is disabled. The AI works from its own knowledge only. |
| Setup needed (amber) | Web search is on, but the selected provider needs an API key you haven't added yet. |
| tavily / brave / duckduckgo (green) | Web search is on and ready. |
Enable web search
Open the settings popover
Click the pill label (the globe + provider name), not the toggle switch.
A small popover slides out with provider options and an API key field.
Pick a provider
| Provider | Notes |
|---|---|
| Tavily (recommended) | Purpose-built for AI agents, fast and reliable. Needs a free Tavily API key (tvly-…). |
| Brave | Independent index, good privacy posture. Needs a Brave Search API key (BSA…). |
| DuckDuckGo | Works with no API key, but is frequently rate-limited or bot-blocked. Use for casual lookups; switch to Tavily or Brave for anything important. |
Each provider keeps its own key: switching tabs in the popover won't wipe out the other provider's key.
Paste the API key (if the provider needs one)
The key is stored locally with your other AI credentials and is never sent to the model, only to the search provider when a search is performed.
Close the popover and flip the toggle
Click outside the popover (or hit Escape) to close it, then click the small switch on the pill to turn web search on. The pill turns green when ready.
Once enabled, the AI decides on its own when a question is worth a web lookup, you don't have to ask it to search. Search results appear inline in the chat as small favicon "chips" with the source URL, so you can click through to the original page.
Tavily's free tier is generous (1,000 searches/month at the time of writing) and is by far the most reliable of the three for AI workflows. If you only set up one, set up Tavily.
When to leave web search on
- Debugging a fresh stack-trace or error message you've never seen before.
- Working with a library you've recently upgraded: the AI's training data may be a version behind.
- Looking up CVEs, package vulnerabilities, or release notes.
- Asking about recent CLI flags, config options, or breaking changes.
When to leave it off
- Pure-shell tasks (
grep,awk,find, file moves), the model knows these cold. - Anything where you don't want the AI fanning out to external services.
- Tight loops where the extra search latency adds up.