> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.illumichat.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Web Search

> Give your AI assistant access to real-time web search results for current information, news, and up-to-date answers.

## 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          |

<Tip>
  You can enable both web search and a knowledge base on the same assistant. The assistant will decide which tool is most appropriate for each query.
</Tip>

## Enabling Web Search

### Per-Assistant Configuration

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Assistant Settings">
    Navigate to your workspace and select the assistant you want to configure. Click **Settings**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save Changes">
    Click **Save** to apply the configuration. The assistant can now search the web during conversations.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### 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, set `webSearch: true` in the message payload:

```json theme={null}
{
  "content": "What are the latest AI model releases this week?",
  "webSearch": true
}
```

## 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:
>
> 1. [https://example.com/article-about-model](https://example.com/article-about-model)
> 2. [https://example.com/benchmark-results](https://example.com/benchmark-results)

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:

1. Upload your internal documentation to a project (knowledge base)
2. Enable web search on the same assistant
3. The assistant uses the knowledge base for company-specific questions and web search for external information

<Note>
  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.
</Note>

## Limitations

* **Rate limits** -- Web search adds latency and is subject to additional rate limits. See the [Rate Limits](/api/rate-limiting) 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.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Knowledge Base" icon="book" href="/features/knowledge-base">
    Upload your own documents for more reliable, company-specific answers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Assistants" icon="robot" href="/features/assistants">
    Configure assistant settings including model, temperature, and system prompts
  </Card>
</CardGroup>