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Nappai Documentation

Web Search (SearXng)

Web Search (SearXng) lets you ask questions and get relevant web pages directly from the Nappai SearXNG search engine. It’s a quick way to pull up fresh information, articles, or resources that you can use in your automated workflows.

How it Works

When you provide a search query, the component talks to the SearXNG instance that your Nappai environment runs. It sends the query string, the maximum number of results you want, and then receives a list of matching titles and URLs. The component can also create a “tool” that other parts of your workflow can call to perform searches on demand.

The search itself is handled by the SearXNG engine, so all the heavy lifting (indexing, ranking, deduplication) is done there. Your dashboard simply sends the query and displays what the engine returns.

Inputs

Mapping Mode

This component has a special mode called “Mapping Mode”. When you enable this mode using the toggle switch, an additional input called “Mapping Data” is activated, and each input field offers you three different ways to provide data:

  • Fixed: You type the value directly into the field.
  • Mapped: You connect the output of another component to use its result as the value.
  • Javascript: You write Javascript code to dynamically calculate the value.

This flexibility allows you to create more dynamic and connected workflows.

Input Fields

  • Search Query: The text you want to look up on the web. Enter a concise question or keyword phrase.
  • Mapping Mode: Toggle this switch to activate mapping mode. It doesn’t need a value; just turn it on or off.
  • Max Results: How many search results you want the component to return. Enter a number (e.g., 5, 10, 20).
  • Tool Description: A short description of the tool that the component will create. Use this to explain what the search tool does to other parts of your workflow. Example: 
    Search for recent results using Nappai SearXng search engine.
  • Tool Name: The name you want to give the search tool. This name is used when other components call the tool.

Outputs

  • Data: A list of search results, each containing a title and a URL in JSON format. This can be fed into other components like text processors or databases.
  • Tool: A reusable “search tool” object that can be called by agents or scripts to perform new searches during the workflow execution.

Usage Example

  1. Drag the Web Search (SearXng) component onto the canvas.
  2. Set Search Query to “latest trends in renewable energy”.
  3. Choose Max Results as 5.
  4. Provide a Tool Description and Tool Name (e.g., “Energy Search Tool”).
  5. Connect the Data output to a TextInput or ParseData component to display the titles or URLs in your dashboard.
  6. Optionally, enable Mapping Mode and feed a list of queries from another component to run multiple searches in one batch.

Important Notes

🔒 Do not submit sensitive data 🔴
Queries are sent to an external web search service and may be logged. Avoid including personal or confidential information in your search terms.

⚠️ Search results may be incomplete 🟡
Results reflect the current indexing of the SearXNG instance and may not include the most recent or all available pages. Expect occasional missing or outdated entries.

📋 Active SearXNG instance needed 🟡
The component relies on a running nappai SearXNG instance. Ensure the instance URL is configured and reachable before using the component.

💡 Use concise, specific queries 🟢
For higher relevance and faster responses, craft short queries with clear keywords instead of long, vague statements. This improves ranking and reduces unnecessary data retrieval.

⚙️ Avoid public instance rate limits 🟡
If using a shared or public SearXNG instance, be aware of possible rate limits or usage restrictions. Consider setting up a dedicated instance or caching frequent queries to stay within limits.

ℹ️ Output format 🟢
The component returns a list of search results, each containing a title and a URL. The results are provided in JSON format, suitable for further processing or display.

Tips and Best Practices

  • Keep queries focused on one topic to improve result relevance.
  • Use quotation marks for exact phrases (e.g., “climate policy”).
  • Filter results in downstream components to remove spam or low‑quality pages.
  • Cache popular queries to avoid hitting rate limits on the SearXNG instance.

Security Considerations

Because the component sends queries over the network to an external search engine, never include personal identifiers, passwords, or other sensitive data in the search terms. Always verify that the SearXNG instance is secure and that you trust the source of the data.