| name | searxng-local |
| description | Web search via a locally-deployed SearXNG meta-search engine |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| metadata | {"openclaw":{"requires":{"env":["SEARXNG_URL"]},"primaryEnv":"SEARXNG_URL"}} |
SearXNG Web Search (Railway)
You have access to a SearXNG meta-search engine for web searches. SearXNG is already running as a separate Railway service — no installation, Docker setup, or configuration is needed.
How to Search
Read the SEARXNG_URL environment variable to get the base URL, then make HTTP requests to the JSON API:
GET ${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=YOUR_QUERY&format=json
Example: Basic Web Search
curl "${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=railway+deployment+best+practices&format=json"
Example: Search with Category
curl "${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=docker+compose+volumes&format=json&categories=it"
curl "${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=architecture+diagram&format=json&categories=images"
Example: Search with Language
curl "${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=kubernetes+tutorial&format=json&language=en"
Response Format
The JSON response contains a results array. Each result has:
title — Page title
url — Direct link to the page
content — Text snippet / description
engine — Which search engine provided this result
category — Result category (general, it, images, etc.)
Example Response
{
"query": "railway deployment",
"results": [
{
"title": "Railway Documentation",
"url": "https://docs.railway.com",
"content": "Railway is an infrastructure platform...",
"engine": "google",
"category": "general"
}
]
}
Important Notes
- Do NOT attempt to install SearXNG, run Docker commands, or configure SearXNG — it is already deployed and running.
- Do NOT use
localhost or 127.0.0.1 — SearXNG runs on a separate Railway service accessible via private networking.
- Always read
$SEARXNG_URL from the environment to get the correct address.
- The
format=json query parameter is required — without it, SearXNG returns HTML.
- No authentication is needed. The SearXNG service is on Railway's private network.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|
| Connection refused | SearXNG service not running | Check Railway dashboard — the SearXNG service may need a redeploy |
| Empty results | Query too specific | Try broader search terms or remove category filter |
SEARXNG_URL is empty | Environment variable not set | Check Railway service variables — SEARXNG_URL should reference the SearXNG service |