| name | minimax-web-search |
| description | Web search via the MiniMax Token Plan API. Use when asked to search the web, look up current facts, or find information online. |
MiniMax Web Search
Token-efficient web search via the MiniMax Token Plan API.
Features:
- Uses pi's built-in MiniMax authentication automatically (no setup required)
- Supports custom API key configuration via
/set-minimax-key
- Provides the
web_search tool
- No direct HTTP fetching — for
web_fetch / batch_web_fetch install pi-smart-fetch
Quick Start (No Setup!)
If you're using pi with the MiniMax provider, the API key is automatically configured.
Try it:
search "latest AI news"
Native Image Input
Models with image support accept images directly through pi, for example:
pi @screenshot.png "Describe this interface"
This package intentionally does not register a separate image-analysis tool, avoiding conflicts with pi's native multimodal input.
Related package: pi-smart-fetch
This extension deliberately does not ship a web_fetch tool. For page fetching — including bot-resistant fetching of Cloudflare-protected sites, site-specific extractors (YouTube, Reddit, X, GitHub, HN, Substack), and batch_web_fetch with per-item progress — install:
pi install npm:pi-smart-fetch
pi-smart-fetch uses wreq-js for browser-impersonated TLS and defuddle for content extraction, and is independently maintained at Thinkscape/agent-smart-fetch. The two packages compose cleanly: use web_search here to find URLs, then web_fetch from pi-smart-fetch to read them.
Commands
/set-minimax-key <api-key> [region]
Configure your own MiniMax API key (overrides the built-in key).
/set-minimax-key sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
/set-minimax-key sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxx cn
Get your key from: https://platform.minimax.io/subscribe/token-plan
/minimax-status
Check which API key is currently in use.
/minimax-clear-key
Clear your custom key and revert to pi's built-in key.
Tools
web_search
Search the web for real-time information.
web_search({
query: "Python 3.13 release date",
related: true // optional: include related searches
})
Parameters:
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
query | string | ✓ | The search query |
related | boolean | false | Include related searches in the response |
Returns: A bounded numbered list of up to 10 results with title, URL, optional date, and snippet. If related: true, a "Related: …" line is appended with up to 10 suggested follow-up queries. Requests time out after 30 seconds and honor Pi cancellation.
When to Use
- User asks to "search for X", "look up", or "find information online"
- User wants real-time web information
For fetching the contents of a specific URL after searching, defer to pi-smart-fetch's web_fetch tool.
Technical Details
API Endpoints:
- Global:
https://api.minimax.io
- China:
https://api.minimaxi.com
Key Priority:
- User-configured key (
~/.config/minimax-support/creds.toml) — set via /set-minimax-key
- Pi-resolved "MiniMax" authentication (global) — stored credentials or
MINIMAX_API_KEY
- Pi-resolved "MiniMax CN" authentication — stored credentials or
MINIMAX_CN_API_KEY
Pi authentication is resolved through the Pi 0.83+ ModelRegistry API; the extension does not parse auth.json directly.
Dependencies: Runtime typebox, the Pi-provided @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent peer, and Node built-ins.
The extension automatically handles authentication — no environment variables needed!