---
title: Web Search
description: >-
  Agents search the internet for real-time information — with source citations
  and grounding.
tags:
  - LobeHub
  - Web Search
  - Real-time Information
  - Citations
  - Grounding
---

# Web Search

LobeHub's web search integration lets Agents access current information from the internet — real-time news, prices, documentation, and facts beyond their training cutoff. When web search is active, the Agent retrieves up-to-date answers and cites the sources it used.

## What Web Search Enables

With web search enabled, Agents can:

- Access real-time information — current news, prices, and events
- Verify information against the latest sources
- Cite the web pages they consulted
- Research topics from multiple sources simultaneously
- Answer questions about recent events outside their training data

## How It Works

When you ask a question that requires current information:

1. The AI generates optimized search queries from your question
2. Searches are performed across the internet
3. Relevant sources are retrieved and analyzed
4. The AI synthesizes findings into a response
5. The response includes source citations

This happens automatically when the AI determines web search would be helpful, or on-demand when you explicitly request it.

## Search Grounding Display

When web search is used, a **search grounding** section appears above the AI's response as a collapsible card showing:

- **Source count** — How many web sources were consulted
- **Favicon preview** — Icons from source websites
- **Expandable search queries** — The exact queries the AI used (click to expand)
- **Citations** — Source titles, domains, and URLs you can click to visit

Expand the grounding card to see exactly where the information came from and evaluate source credibility.

## Enabling Web Search

Web search is not active by default — it requires plugin or MCP configuration.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Via Skills">
    Install a web search Skill from the marketplace (Settings → Skills). Options include general web search, news search, and academic search. Some may require an API key from the search provider.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Via MCP Servers">
    Connect a search MCP server (Brave Search, Google Search, DuckDuckGo, etc.) in your MCP settings. This gives more control and supports custom search implementations.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Per-Agent Configuration">
    In Agent Settings → Skills, enable web search for that specific Agent and choose the search provider. This lets you control which Agents have web access.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Using Web Search

### Automatic Search

Web search activates automatically for questions that clearly require current data:

```
"What's the current price of Bitcoin?"
"Who won the World Cup in 2024?"
"What are the latest developments in AI?"
```

### Explicit Search Requests

You can also explicitly request a web search:

```
"Search the web for recent reviews of the iPhone 15"
"Look up the latest research on climate change"
"Find current mortgage rates in California"
```

### Follow-Up Searches

Each search builds on the conversation context. Chain searches to go deeper:

```
"What are the top programming languages in 2024?"
→ "Search for job market trends for Python developers"
→ "Find salary data for senior Python engineers in Europe"
```

## Search Quality

### Optimized Queries

The AI generates optimized search queries tailored to your question, including adding time context, using precise terminology, and breaking complex questions into multiple targeted searches.

### Source Selection

Results are ranked by relevance, authority, and recency. The AI considers whether sources are authoritative (news outlets, official docs, academic papers) vs. informal (blogs, forum posts).

### Information Synthesis

The AI synthesizes findings from multiple sources into a coherent response, noting when sources agree or disagree, and flagging any uncertainty.

## Use Cases

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Research & News">
    - Get current information on news, markets, finance, and academic topics
    - "Latest news on \[subject]"
    - "Recent papers on \[topic]"
    - "Current stock price of X"
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Technical Information">
    - Access up-to-date docs, API changes, package releases, and bug fix discussions
    - "What's new in React 19?"
    - "Find solutions to \[specific error]"
    - Especially useful for fast-moving frameworks where training data may be outdated
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Product Research">
    - Compare current prices, find recent reviews, and identify alternatives
    - "Compare the latest MacBook models"
    - "Reviews for noise-cancelling headphones under $200"
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Planning">
    - Get real-world current data for travel, events, and local recommendations
    - "Best restaurants in Austin right now"
    - "Current museum exhibits in Paris"
    - "Tech conferences in 2025"
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Understanding Citations

Every web search response includes citations. Check them:

- **Source title** — The page or article name
- **Domain** — The website hosting the information
- **URL** — Click to visit the original source
- **Relevance snippet** — Preview of the relevant content used

### Citation Verification

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Check Publication Dates">
    For time-sensitive topics, verify the publication date. A result from two years ago may be outdated for rapidly evolving subjects.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Evaluate Source Authority">
    Consider whether sources are authoritative (news outlet, official docs, academic paper) vs. informal (blog, forum post). Weight your trust accordingly.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Cross-Reference Key Facts">
    For critical information, check that multiple sources agree. If only one source makes a claim, treat it with more skepticism.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Click Through to Originals">
    Always expand the grounding card and click through to verify critical information yourself.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Tips for Better Results

**Be specific** — "What are the latest LLM releases in November 2024?" gets far better results than "Tell me about AI".

**Include time context** — Add "recent", "latest", "current", or specific dates to get timely results.

**Ask for comparisons** — "Compare X and Y" or "What are the pros and cons of Z" triggers useful multi-source searches.

**Review the citations** — Always expand the grounding card to see what sources were consulted and judge their quality.

**Use follow-ups** — Chain questions to go from broad overview to specific details.

## Privacy

<Callout type={'warning'}>
  Web searches may be logged by the search provider you've configured. Avoid searching for
  sensitive or personally identifying information.
</Callout>

Search queries are sent to your configured search provider. Source websites may also track visits when you click through to citations. Review the privacy policy of your chosen search provider for details.

## Limitations

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Content Limitations">
    - **Paywalled content** — Cannot access subscription-only content (e.g., academic journals, news sites with paywalls)
    - **Geo-restricted content** — Some sources may be regionally limited
    - **Very recent events** — Slight indexing delay means very recent information (hours old) may not appear
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Performance Limitations">
    - **Added latency** — Web search adds a few seconds to response time
    - **Token usage** — Search results consume additional tokens in the context
    - **Rate limits** — Some search providers have usage limits
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Scope Limitations">
    - **Creative tasks** — Web search isn't helpful for purely creative writing or personal advice
    - **Real-time data** — Not suitable for data that changes by the second (live stock tickers, etc.)
    - **Deep web** — Cannot access content not indexed by search engines
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Callout type={'info'}>
  Web search requires either a search plugin or MCP server to be configured. Some search providers
  require their own API key or subscription.
</Callout>

<Cards>
  <Card href={'/docs/usage/community/mcp-market'} title={'MCP Marketplace'} />

  <Card href={'/docs/usage/agent/scheduled-task'} title={'Scheduled Tasks'} />

  <Card href={'/docs/usage/agent/chain-of-thought'} title={'Chain of Thought'} />
</Cards>
