Web Search
Smartchat supports two ways to bring live web results into a conversation:
- Web Search: Smartchat queries an external search provider (Bing, Brave, Google, etc.) and injects the results into context. Works with any model; requires prior setup by T-Systems.
- Native Web Search: The model provider performs the search as a built-in capability. Available for Google (Gemini) and Anthropic (Claude) models only.
Both types are gated behind the same Web Search feature permission.
Web Search
Section titled “Web Search”Web Search works with every model, regardless of provider. Smartchat queries a configured external search provider and passes the results to the model as context. No LLM provider tool support is needed.
This is an opt-in feature: it is only available when the admin has enabled it and a search provider API key is configured.
Supported Search Providers
Section titled “Supported Search Providers”All OpenWebUI-compatible search providers are supported, including Bing, Brave, Google, Jina, Kagi, Mojeek, Perplexity, and others.
Admin Setup
Section titled “Admin Setup”- Click your profile image and open Admin Panel.
- Go to Settings → Web Search.
- Toggle Web Search on.
- Select a Search Provider from the dropdown.
Native Web Search
Section titled “Native Web Search”Native web search uses the model provider’s built-in search capability. No separate search provider account or API key is needed. It works out of the box in Smartchat for anyone who has access to a supported model.
Supported Providers
Section titled “Supported Providers”- Google (Gemini)
- Anthropic (Claude)
In the model picker, models that support native web search are indicated with a Globe icon (🌐).
Admin Setup
Section titled “Admin Setup”- Click your profile image and open Admin Panel.
- Go to Settings → Web Search.
- Under Native Web Search, toggle Enable Native Web Search on.
Permissions
Section titled “Permissions”By default, only admins can use web search. Regular users need the Web Search feature permission, granted through group membership.
To grant the permission:
- In the Admin Panel, go to Users → Groups.
- Click on a group, or click Default Permissions to apply the permission to all users without an explicit group override.
- Open the Permissions tab.
- Scroll to Feature Permissions at the bottom and enable Web Search.
A user can use web search if they are an admin, or if at least one of their groups (or the default permissions) has the Web Search permission enabled.
Using Web Search
Section titled “Using Web Search”Web Search (external provider): Available for any model when enabled by an admin. To use it, enable the Web Search toggle in the prompt window, then send your prompt. Smartchat fetches relevant results and provides them to the model.
Native Web Search: Open a chat and, from the model picker, select a model marked with the Globe icon (🌐). Enable the Web Search toggle in the prompt window, then send your prompt. The model fetches live web results and incorporates them into its response.
When both are available: If Web Search (external provider) is configured for your environment and you select a model that also supports native web search, you can choose which type to use on a per-message basis in the chat interface. Results may differ between the two types depending on the search provider and the model’s built-in search capability.
Combining Web Search with Your Data
Section titled “Combining Web Search with Your Data”Web search can be used together with your own data (collections and Space knowledge) in the same chat, as long as the Space is not confidential.
- Non-confidential Spaces: web search can be combined with the Space’s knowledge and collections.
- Confidential Spaces: web search is unavailable. If the active Space is marked as confidential, web search cannot be used.
- File uploads (local RAG) cannot be combined with web search.
Web search sends parts of the conversation to an external provider, so it must never be used with confidential data. Users must be aware that enabling web search in a chat involving confidential information poses a data security risk and must be avoided. Admins can enforce this by marking the relevant Spaces as confidential.