The Web Search tool gives your AI Agent access to live information from the internet. Without it, your agent can only respond based on its training data and your knowledge base. With Web Search enabled, the agent can look up current news, real-time prices, weather forecasts, event details, and any other information available on the web — directly during a conversation.
This is particularly useful for businesses where customers frequently ask about topics that change rapidly or fall outside your knowledge base content.
Enabling the Tool
- Navigate to AI Agent from the sidebar menu.
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Select the agent you want to configure.
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Click the Tools & Integrations tab in the left sidebar.
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Find Web Search in the tools list and click on it.
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The tool configuration page opens. Configure the settings below, then click Save Changes.
Configuration
The Web Search form has two sections: Search Settings and AI Prompts.
Search Settings
Search Engine
Select which search engine the agent uses to perform web searches.
| Search Engine | Description |
|---|---|
| The most popular search engine. Provides comprehensive results. Default option. | |
| Bing | Microsoft's search engine. Good alternative with different result ranking. |
| DuckDuckGo | Privacy-focused search engine. Does not track searches. |
Select the engine that best fits your needs. Google is selected by default and is recommended for most use cases.
Max Results
Set the maximum number of search results the agent retrieves per query. The value ranges from 1 to 10, with a default of 5.
A lower number means faster responses but potentially less comprehensive answers. A higher number gives the agent more sources to work with but may increase response time slightly.
A value of 3-5 results works well for most conversational scenarios. The agent synthesizes information from multiple results to provide a single coherent answer — it does not dump raw search results into the chat.
Search Region
Control which geographic region's results are prioritized in search queries.
| Region | Description |
|---|---|
| Indonesia | Prioritizes Indonesian content and sources. Default option. |
| United States | Prioritizes US-based content. |
| United Kingdom | Prioritizes UK-based content. |
| Singapore | Prioritizes Singaporean content. |
| Malaysia | Prioritizes Malaysian content. |
| Global | No regional bias — worldwide results. |
Choose the region that matches your target audience. If your customers are primarily in Indonesia, the default Indonesia setting ensures the agent returns locally relevant results.
Safe Search
Configure content filtering for search results.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Strict | Filters adult and explicit content strictly. |
| Moderate | Balanced filtering. Blocks explicit content but allows borderline results. Default option. |
| Off | No content filtering applied. |
For customer-facing agents, Moderate or Strict is recommended to prevent inappropriate content from appearing in responses.
AI Prompts
The Activation Prompt tells the AI when and how to use the Web Search tool.
Write instructions that specify:
- When the agent should search the web (e.g., when the question is about current events, live data, or information not in the knowledge base)
- When the agent should NOT search (e.g., questions already covered by the knowledge base)
- How to present search results to the customer
Example prompt: "Use Web Search when the customer asks about current events, news, weather, real-time prices, or any topic not covered in the knowledge base. Do not search for questions about our products or policies — use the knowledge base for those. Present information naturally in the conversation, mentioning the source when relevant."
The activation prompt is important for preventing unnecessary searches. Without clear instructions, the agent might search the web for questions that your knowledge base already covers, resulting in slower responses and potentially inconsistent answers.
How It Works
Here is a typical conversation flow when the agent uses Web Search:
Customer: "What's the current USD to IDR exchange rate?"
Agent: Performs web search for "USD to IDR exchange rate"
Agent: "The current exchange rate is approximately 1 USD = 15,850 IDR. Please note that exchange rates fluctuate throughout the day, so check with your bank for the exact rate when making a transaction."
Another example:
Customer: "Is there a holiday coming up that might affect shipping?"
Agent: Performs web search for "Indonesia upcoming public holidays"
Agent: "Yes, there is a public holiday on [date] for [holiday name]. Shipping carriers typically experience delays around this period. I recommend placing your order at least 3 days in advance to avoid delays."
The agent uses the search results as a source of information and integrates the findings into a natural conversational response.
Testing the Integration
After saving your configuration, test the web search functionality using the chat simulation widget.
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On the tool configuration page, find the chat simulation widget on the right side (desktop).
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Enable Debug mode by toggling the Debug switch to On.
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Send test messages that should trigger a web search:
- "What's the weather in Jakarta today?"
- "What are the latest tech news?"
- "What time does [a specific store] open?"
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With Debug mode on, verify:
- The Web Search tool is called when expected
- The search query sent to the engine is relevant
- Results are returned successfully
- The agent incorporates search results into a natural response
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Test that the agent does NOT search when unnecessary:
- Ask a question that your knowledge base covers — the agent should use the knowledge base instead of searching the web.
- This behavior depends on how well your activation prompt is written.
For a comprehensive testing guide, see Testing Your AI Agent.
Troubleshooting
The agent searches the web for everything
Your activation prompt is too broad or missing. Add clear instructions about when NOT to use web search. Specify that the knowledge base should be used first for product-related and policy-related questions.
Search results seem outdated or irrelevant
- Check the Search Region setting. If your customers ask about local topics but the region is set to a different country, results may not be relevant.
- Try switching the Search Engine to see if a different engine provides better results for your use case.
- Increase Max Results to give the agent more sources to work with.
The agent includes inappropriate content in responses
Set Safe Search to Strict to filter out explicit content. Also review your activation prompt to include instructions about maintaining professional and appropriate responses.
The agent does not trigger web searches
Verify that:
- The tool configuration is saved (click Save Changes)
- The Web Search tool is enabled in the agent's Tools & Integrations list
- Your activation prompt includes relevant trigger conditions
- The customer's message matches the trigger conditions you defined
Responses are slow when Web Search is used
Web search requires an external API call, which adds latency compared to knowledge base lookups. Reduce the Max Results value to speed up responses. A value of 3 is usually sufficient for conversational use.
What's Next?
- Ecommerce & Order — Enable full ecommerce capabilities with product catalog, orders, and payments.
- Check Ongkir — Add real-time shipping cost calculations for Indonesian couriers.
- Testing Your AI Agent — Detailed guide on using the testing playground and debug mode.
- Tools Configuration — Overview of all tools and integration options.