Web Search Tool
The Web Search tool lets Nilux AI search the web for up-to-date information — documentation, release notes, current events, and any content beyond the model's knowledge cutoff. It returns extracted content, not just links.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
query | string | Yes | The search query (minimum 2 characters) |
allowed_domains | string[] | No | Only include results from these domains |
blocked_domains | string[] | No | Exclude results from these domains |
How It Works
Unlike traditional search engines that return links, the Web Search tool returns results with extracted content — the title, URL, relevance score, and a content snippet are included. This means the agent can often answer your question directly from the search results without needing to fetch individual pages.
Results are cached for 1 hour for faster repeated queries.
Usage Examples
Searching for Documentation
> What's the latest Next.js 15 API for server components?
Agent invokes Web Search:
query: Next.js 15 server components API reference 2025
Result:
1. "Server Components in Next.js 15" (nextjs.org)
Content: Server Components are now the default in Next.js 15...
Relevance: 0.95
2. "Migrating to Next.js 15" (nextjs.org)
Content: This guide covers the breaking changes...
Relevance: 0.88
3. "Next.js 15: What's New" (vercel.com)
Content: Next.js 15 introduces React 19 support...
Relevance: 0.82
Domain Filtering
Narrow results to specific trusted domains:
> Search the React docs for useEffect cleanup
Agent invokes Web Search:
query: useEffect cleanup function
allowed_domains: ["react.dev"]
Result:
1. "Synchronizing with Effects" (react.dev)
Content: Some components need to synchronize with external systems...
Blocking Domains
Exclude sources you don't want:
> Search for TypeScript generics tutorial, skip medium paywalls
Agent invokes Web Search:
query: TypeScript generics tutorial 2025
blocked_domains: ["medium.com"]
Result:
1. "TypeScript Generics" (typescriptlang.org)
Content: Generics allow creating components that work over a variety of types...
Current Events and Prices
> What's the current Bitcoin price?
Agent invokes Web Search:
query: Bitcoin price USD today
> What are the latest Next.js 16 changes?
Agent invokes Web Search:
query: Next.js 16 changelog 2026
allowed_domains: ["nextjs.org"]
When to Use Web Search
Use Web Search for:
- Latest documentation — Libraries update frequently; the model's training data may be outdated
- Current events — News, releases, security advisories
- Version-specific features — "Does React 19 support this API?"
- Pricing and availability — Current API pricing, service status
- Error messages — Search for specific error strings and solutions
- New libraries — Tools and frameworks released after the model's cutoff
Do not use Web Search for:
- Searching your own codebase — use Grep or Glob
- Reading local files — use Read
- Static, well-known information the model already knows
Caching
Search results are cached for 1 hour. Repeated searches for the same query within that window return cached results instantly.
Cost
Web Search has a small per-query cost ($0.008). This is separate from token-based model costs. Only search queries are sent — your code and file contents are never shared with the search provider.
Note: Web Search is billed separately and does not consume model tokens.
Combining Web Search with URL Fetch
When search results don't provide enough detail, the agent can use the URL Fetch tool to retrieve the full page content:
Step 1 — Web Search:
query: shadcn/ui table component API
Step 2 — URL Fetch:
url: https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components/table
prompt: Extract the full props table and usage examples for the Table component
Date-Aware Queries
The agent is aware of the current date and should include the current year in queries for up-to-date results:
# Good — includes year for relevance
query: "Next.js routing API 2026"
# Less precise — may return older results
query: "Next.js routing API"
Common Patterns
Library documentation:
query: "prisma client update query example 2025"
Error debugging:
query: "TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined reading map React"
API changes:
query: "openai chat completions API breaking changes 2025"
Security advisories:
query: "CVE-2025 npm package vulnerability latest"
Tool recommendations:
query: "best TypeScript date formatting library 2025"
Next Steps
- Grep — Searching your own codebase
- Tools Overview — All available tools
- Bash — Running commands