---
title: "Web Search"
description: "Configure Noema Web Search, understand research, open, and find, and review what the selected service receives."
version: "Noema 3.5+"
platforms: ["iPhone", "iPad", "Mac", "Vision Pro"]
reviewed: "July 20, 2026"
canonical: "https://noemaai.com/docs/web-search"
---

# Web Search

Search controls, source reading, custom SearXNG behavior, and privacy boundaries.

## Enable and arm Web Search

1. Open Settings → Tools and enable Web Search globally.
2. In Chat, open the tools menu and arm Web Search for the current conversation.
3. Ask for current information or explicitly request research when the model should search.

## Three web actions

| Action | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| research | Searches and assembles candidate evidence for a question. |
| open | Reads a selected source when supported. |
| find | Locates relevant text within an opened source. |

> Text-layer PDFs can be read. The source reader does not execute page JavaScript or perform OCR on image-only material.

## What may be sent

The selected search service receives the generated query, locale, and search controls. Rich retrieval can also send candidate URLs, snippets or source references, and open or find parameters to Noema’s source reader. Returned evidence is then provided to the active model.

A custom SearXNG instance supplies snippet-only search results; it does not provide Noema’s richer server-side source reading.

## Availability and quotas

Noema does not impose an in-app web-search quota or subscription. Availability can still be affected by the selected service, upstream providers, rate limits, maintenance, or network conditions.

## Verify the evidence

- Open cited sources and check the publication date.
- Use find to inspect the passage behind a claim.
- Treat snippets as leads, not complete evidence.
- Off-grid Mode blocks Web Search.

## Related documentation
- [Chat Tools & Tool Store](https://noemaai.com/docs/tool-usage)
- [Privacy & Network Activity](https://noemaai.com/docs/privacy-and-network-activity)
- [Chat Interface](https://noemaai.com/docs/chat-interface)