From 25d8f0e1ca075cc505bef96456757b9f46690ed8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Truong Vinh Tran Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:37:58 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] docs: Add SearXNG web search provider documentation Update README to document the new SearXNG search provider option alongside existing Brave, DuckDuckGo, and Perplexity providers. Changes: - Document provider priority order: Perplexity > Brave > SearXNG > DuckDuckGo - Add SearXNG configuration examples in Quick Start and Full Config sections - Expand "Get API Keys" section with all 4 search provider options - Enhance troubleshooting section with detailed setup instructions for each provider - Add SearXNG to API Key Comparison table (unlimited/self-hosted) SearXNG benefits documented: - Zero cost with no API fees or rate limits - Privacy-focused self-hosted solution - Aggregates 70+ search engines for comprehensive results - Solves datacenter IP blocking issues on Oracle Cloud, GCP, AWS, Azure - No API key required, just deploy and configure base URL This documentation complements the code implementation in commit e7d8975. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 --- README.md | 116 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------ 1 file changed, 105 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 468350409..83a533973 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -237,6 +237,16 @@ picoclaw onboard "duckduckgo": { "enabled": true, "max_results": 5 + }, + "perplexity": { + "enabled": false, + "api_key": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY", + "max_results": 5 + }, + "searxng": { + "enabled": false, + "base_url": "http://your-searxng-instance:8888", + "max_results": 5 } } } @@ -248,7 +258,11 @@ picoclaw onboard **3. Get API Keys** * **LLM Provider**: [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/keys) · [Zhipu](https://open.bigmodel.cn/usercenter/proj-mgmt/apikeys) · [Anthropic](https://console.anthropic.com) · [OpenAI](https://platform.openai.com) · [Gemini](https://aistudio.google.com/api-keys) -* **Web Search** (optional): [Brave Search](https://brave.com/search/api) - Free tier available (2000 requests/month) +* **Web Search** (optional): + * [Brave Search](https://brave.com/search/api) - Free tier (2000 requests/month) + * [Perplexity](https://www.perplexity.ai) - AI-powered search with chat interface + * [SearXNG](https://github.com/searxng/searxng) - Self-hosted metasearch engine (free, no API key needed) + * DuckDuckGo - Built-in fallback (no API key required) > **Note**: See `config.example.json` for a complete configuration template. @@ -977,6 +991,16 @@ picoclaw agent -m "Hello" "duckduckgo": { "enabled": true, "max_results": 5 + }, + "perplexity": { + "enabled": false, + "api_key": "", + "max_results": 5 + }, + "searxng": { + "enabled": false, + "base_url": "http://localhost:8888", + "max_results": 5 } }, "cron": { @@ -1034,10 +1058,69 @@ discord: This is normal if you haven't configured a search API key yet. PicoClaw will provide helpful links for manual searching. -To enable web search: +#### Search Provider Priority -1. **Option 1 (Recommended)**: Get a free API key at [https://brave.com/search/api](https://brave.com/search/api) (2000 free queries/month) for the best results. -2. **Option 2 (No Credit Card)**: If you don't have a key, we automatically fall back to **DuckDuckGo** (no key required). +PicoClaw automatically selects the best available search provider in this order: +1. **Perplexity** (if enabled and API key configured) - AI-powered search with citations +2. **Brave Search** (if enabled and API key configured) - Privacy-focused with 2000 free queries/month +3. **SearXNG** (if enabled and base_url configured) - Self-hosted metasearch aggregating 70+ engines +4. **DuckDuckGo** (if enabled, default fallback) - No API key required + +#### Web Search Configuration Options + +**Option 1 (Best Results)**: Perplexity AI Search +```json +{ + "tools": { + "web": { + "perplexity": { + "enabled": true, + "api_key": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY", + "max_results": 5 + } + } + } +} +``` + +**Option 2 (Free Tier)**: Get a free API key at [https://brave.com/search/api](https://brave.com/search/api) (2000 free queries/month) +```json +{ + "tools": { + "web": { + "brave": { + "enabled": true, + "api_key": "YOUR_BRAVE_API_KEY", + "max_results": 5 + } + } + } +} +``` + +**Option 3 (Self-Hosted)**: Deploy your own [SearXNG](https://github.com/searxng/searxng) instance +```json +{ + "tools": { + "web": { + "searxng": { + "enabled": true, + "base_url": "http://your-server:8888", + "max_results": 5 + } + } + } +} +``` + +Benefits of SearXNG: +- **Zero cost**: No API fees or rate limits +- **Privacy-focused**: Self-hosted, no tracking +- **Aggregate results**: Queries 70+ search engines simultaneously +- **Perfect for cloud VMs**: Solves datacenter IP blocking issues (Oracle Cloud, GCP, AWS, Azure) +- **No API key needed**: Just deploy and configure the base URL + +**Option 4 (No Setup Required)**: DuckDuckGo is enabled by default as fallback (no API key needed) Add the key to `~/.picoclaw/config.json` if using Brave: @@ -1053,6 +1136,16 @@ Add the key to `~/.picoclaw/config.json` if using Brave: "duckduckgo": { "enabled": true, "max_results": 5 + }, + "perplexity": { + "enabled": false, + "api_key": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY", + "max_results": 5 + }, + "searxng": { + "enabled": false, + "base_url": "http://your-searxng-instance:8888", + "max_results": 5 } } } @@ -1071,10 +1164,11 @@ This happens when another instance of the bot is running. Make sure only one `pi ## 📝 API Key Comparison -| Service | Free Tier | Use Case | -| ---------------- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------- | -| **OpenRouter** | 200K tokens/month | Multiple models (Claude, GPT-4, etc.) | -| **Zhipu** | 200K tokens/month | Best for Chinese users | -| **Brave Search** | 2000 queries/month | Web search functionality | -| **Groq** | Free tier available | Fast inference (Llama, Mixtral) | -| **Cerebras** | Free tier available | Fast inference (Llama, Qwen, etc.) | +| Service | Free Tier | Use Case | +| ---------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------- | +| **OpenRouter** | 200K tokens/month | Multiple models (Claude, GPT-4, etc.) | +| **Zhipu** | 200K tokens/month | Best for Chinese users | +| **Brave Search** | 2000 queries/month | Web search functionality | +| **SearXNG** | Unlimited (self-hosted) | Privacy-focused metasearch (70+ engines) | +| **Groq** | Free tier available | Fast inference (Llama, Mixtral) | +| **Cerebras** | Free tier available | Fast inference (Llama, Qwen, etc.) |