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searxng-search
// Free meta-search via SearXNG — aggregates results from 70+ search engines. Self-hosted or use a public instance. No API key needed. Falls back automatically when the web search toolset is unavailable.
// Free meta-search via SearXNG — aggregates results from 70+ search engines. Self-hosted or use a public instance. No API key needed. Falls back automatically when the web search toolset is unavailable.
[HINT] Download the complete skill directory including SKILL.md and all related files
| name | searxng-search |
| description | Free meta-search via SearXNG — aggregates results from 70+ search engines. Self-hosted or use a public instance. No API key needed. Falls back automatically when the web search toolset is unavailable. |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| author | hermes-agent |
| license | MIT |
| platforms | ["linux","macos"] |
| metadata | {"hermes":{"tags":["search","searxng","meta-search","self-hosted","free","fallback"],"related_skills":["duckduckgo-search","domain-intel"],"fallback_for_toolsets":["web"]}} |
Free meta-search using SearXNG — a privacy-respecting, self-hosted search aggregator that queries 70+ search engines simultaneously.
No API key required when using a public instance. Can also be self-hosted for full control. Automatically appears as a fallback when the main web search toolset (FIRECRAWL_API_KEY) is not configured.
SearXNG requires a SEARXNG_URL environment variable pointing to your SearXNG instance:
# Public instances (no setup required)
SEARXNG_URL=https://searxng.example.com
# Self-hosted SearXNG
SEARXNG_URL=http://localhost:8888
If no instance is configured, this skill is unavailable and the agent falls back to other search options.
Check what is actually available before choosing an approach:
# Check if SEARXNG_URL is set and the instance is reachable
curl -s --max-time 5 "${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=test&format=json" | head -c 200
Decision tree:
SEARXNG_URL is set and the instance responds, use SearXNGSEARXNG_URL is unset or unreachable, fall back to other available search toolsUse curl via terminal to call the SearXNG JSON API. This avoids assuming any particular Python package is installed.
# Text search (JSON output)
curl -s --max-time 10 \
"${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=python+async+programming&format=json&engines=google,bing&limit=10"
# With Safesearch off
curl -s --max-time 10 \
"${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=example&format=json&safesearch=0"
# Specific categories (general, news, science, etc.)
curl -s --max-time 10 \
"${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=AI+news&format=json&categories=news"
| Flag | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
q | Query string (URL-encoded) | q=python+async |
format | Output format: json, csv, rss | format=json |
engines | Comma-separated engine names | engines=google,bing,ddg |
limit | Max results per engine (default 10) | limit=5 |
categories | Filter by category | categories=news,science |
safesearch | 0=none, 1=moderate, 2=strict | safesearch=0 |
time_range | Filter: day, week, month, year | time_range=week |
# Extract titles and URLs from JSON
curl -s --max-time 10 "${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=fastapi&format=json&limit=5" \
| python3 -c "
import json, sys
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for r in data.get('results', []):
print(r.get('title',''))
print(r.get('url',''))
print(r.get('content','')[:200])
print()
"
Returns per result: title, url, content (snippet), engine, parsed_url, img_src, thumbnail, author, published_date
requestsUse the SearXNG REST API directly from Python with the requests library:
import os, requests, urllib.parse
base_url = os.environ.get("SEARXNG_URL", "")
if not base_url:
raise RuntimeError("SEARXNG_URL is not set")
query = "fastapi deployment guide"
params = {
"q": query,
"format": "json",
"limit": 5,
"engines": "google,bing",
}
resp = requests.get(f"{base_url}/search", params=params, timeout=10)
resp.raise_for_status()
data = resp.json()
for r in data.get("results", []):
print(r["title"])
print(r["url"])
print(r.get("content", "")[:200])
print()
For more structured access, install the searxng-data package:
pip install searxng-data
from searxng_data import engines
# List available engines
print(engines.list_engines())
Note: This package only provides engine metadata, not the search API itself.
To run your own SearXNG instance:
# Using Docker
docker run -d -p 8888:8080 \
-v $(pwd)/searxng:/etc/searxng \
searxng/searxng:latest
# Then set
SEARXNG_URL=http://localhost:8888
Or install via pip:
pip install searxng
# Edit /etc/searxng/settings.yml
searxng-run
Public SearXNG instances are available at:
https://searxng.example.com (replace with any public instance)SearXNG returns titles, URLs, and snippets — not full page content. To get full page content, search first and then extract the most relevant URL with web_extract, browser tools, or curl.
# Search for relevant pages
curl -s "${SEARXNG_URL}/search?q=fastapi+deployment&format=json&limit=3"
# Output: list of results with titles and URLs
# Then extract the best URL with web_extract
SEARXNG_URL is set and the instance is reachable.web_extract, browser tools, or curl for full articles.| Problem | Likely Cause | What To Do |
|---|---|---|
SEARXNG_URL not set | No instance configured | Use a public SearXNG instance or set up your own |
| Connection refused | Instance not running or wrong URL | Check the URL is correct and the instance is running |
| Empty results | Instance blocks the query | Try a different instance or self-host |
| Slow responses | Public instance under load | Self-host or use a less-loaded public instance |
json format not supported | Old SearXNG version | Try format=rss or upgrade SearXNG |
SEARXNG_URL: Without it, the skill cannot function.urllib.parse.quote() in Python.format=json: The default format may not be machine-readable. Always request JSON explicitly.--max-time or timeout= to avoid hanging on unreachable instances.If SEARXNG_URL is not set and the user asks about SearXNG, help them either:
Public instances are listed at: https://searxng.org/