Overview
Web search allows your IllumiChat assistant to fetch live information from the internet during a conversation. When enabled, the assistant can search for current events, verify facts, find documentation, and reference up-to-date sources — all without requiring you to upload documents to a knowledge base. IllumiChat uses Exa for web search, which provides semantic search results optimized for AI consumption.When to Use Web Search vs Knowledge Base
| Scenario | Web Search | Knowledge Base |
|---|---|---|
| Current events and news | Best | Not suitable |
| Your internal documentation | Not suitable | Best |
| Public product documentation | Good | Better (more reliable) |
| Competitor research | Best | Not suitable |
| General knowledge questions | Good | Not applicable |
| Proprietary company data | Not suitable | Best |
Enabling Web Search
Per-Assistant Configuration
Open Assistant Settings
Navigate to your workspace and select the assistant you want to configure. Click Settings.
Enable Web Search
In the assistant configuration panel, toggle Web Search to enabled. This allows the assistant to use web search when it determines external information would be helpful.
Per-Message Toggle
Even when web search is enabled on an assistant, users can control it per-message. In the chat interface, click the globe icon next to the message input to toggle web search for that specific message. When using the API, setwebSearch: true in the message payload:
How Citations Work
When the assistant uses web search, it includes source citations in its response. Citations appear as numbered references linked to the source URLs. Example response:According to recent reports, the new model achieves 95% accuracy on the benchmark [1]. This represents a significant improvement over previous versions [2]. Sources:The assistant automatically formats citations and includes the source URLs so users can verify the information.
Tips for Better Search Results
Write Clear Questions
The assistant translates your question into a search query. More specific questions produce better results.| Less Effective | More Effective |
|---|---|
| ”Tell me about pricing" | "What is Stripe’s current pricing for payment processing?" |
| "What’s new?" | "What AI features were announced at Google I/O 2025?" |
| "How does auth work?" | "How does Auth0 implement refresh token rotation?” |
Guide the Assistant
You can explicitly instruct the assistant to search for specific topics:- “Search for the latest Next.js 16 release notes”
- “Find the official React documentation on Server Components”
- “Look up current best practices for PostgreSQL indexing”
Combine with Knowledge Base
For the best results, use web search alongside a knowledge base:- Upload your internal documentation to a project (knowledge base)
- Enable web search on the same assistant
- The assistant uses the knowledge base for company-specific questions and web search for external information
Web search results are not stored in your knowledge base. Each search is performed in real time and the results are only used within that conversation.
Limitations
- Rate limits — Web search adds latency and is subject to additional rate limits. See the Rate Limits page for details.
- Dynamic content — Search results reflect publicly indexed web pages. Content behind login walls, paywalls, or JavaScript-rendered pages may not be available.
- Accuracy — While the assistant cites sources, web content can contain inaccuracies. Users should verify critical information from the source URLs.
- Recency — Search results are typically a few hours to a few days behind real-time events, depending on how quickly content is indexed.