Web Search

Search the web and return top results with titles, URLs, and snippets — essential for giving AI agents real-time access to information beyond their training data.

When to Use

Use Web Search when you need to:

Look up current events, documentation, or product information in a workflow
Give an AI Agent live web access via the Tools handle
Verify facts or gather context before responding to a user
Enrich workflow data with external search results

Supports two providers:

Tavily (recommended) — purpose-built for AI agents with optional advanced search depth
SerpAPI — Google search results via SerpAPI

Inputs

Handle	Type	Description
`input`	any	Upstream data for `{{ input.field }}` template references in settings fields.

Output

Handle	Type	Description
`result`	object	Search result envelope

The result (accessed as {{ web_search.* }}) shape:

Field	Type	Description
`success`	boolean	Whether the search succeeded
`results`	array	Search results, each with `title`, `url`, and `snippet`
`query`	string	The query that was searched
`error`	string	Error message if `success` is `false`

{
  "success": true,
  "query": "Tensorify workflow automation",
  "results": [
    {
      "title": "Tensorify — Visual Backend Builder",
      "url": "https://tensorify.io",
      "snippet": "Build REST APIs and automations visually..."
    }
  ],
  "error": null
}

Access results downstream:

{{ web_search.results[0].title }}
{{ web_search.results[0].url }}
{{ web_search.results[0].snippet }}

Settings

Provider

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`provider`	enum	`tavily`	Search provider: `tavily` (recommended) or `serpapi`. Excluded from the agent tool schema — configure once on the node.

Search

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`query`	string	—	Search query. Supports `{{ }}` bindings. Required.

Options

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`max_results`	number	`5`	Maximum number of results to return. Supports `{{ }}` bindings.
`search_depth`	enum	`basic`	Tavily search depth: `basic` (fast) or `advanced` (more comprehensive). `showWhen: provider = tavily`. Ignored for SerpAPI.

Required Secrets

Variable	Description
`SEARCH_API_KEY`	Tavily API key (`tvly-...`) or SerpAPI key. Set Provider on the node to match your key.

Example

Canvas

Agent workflow with live web access:

Add a Web Search node.
Set Provider to tavily.
Set Query to {{ input.question }}.
Set Max Results to 5.
Set Search Depth to advanced.
Connect the node to an AI Agent Tools handle.

The agent supplies query and optionally max_results as tool arguments. The provider is configured on the node and is not exposed to the agent.

Standalone search in a workflow:

Manual Trigger → Web Search → Transform

Provider: tavily
Query: latest Tensorify release notes
Max Results: 3

Access the top result:

{{ web_search.results[0].url }}

TSL

import manual from @tensorify/manual-trigger:1.0.0
import search from @tensorify/web-search:1.0.0

node trigger @tensorify/manual-trigger:1.0.0 {}

node lookup @tensorify/web-search:1.0.0 {
    provider = "tavily"
    query = "Tensorify workflow automation"
    max_results = 5
    search_depth = "basic"
}

trigger.payload -> lookup.input

Error Handling

Web Search has an On Error control output branch. Enable it via the "Error output handle" toggle at the bottom of the settings panel.

The error branch fires when:

SEARCH_API_KEY is missing or invalid
The search provider returns an API error (rate limit, invalid query, etc.)
A network error occurs during the search request

Connect the error branch to a fallback response or logging action. You can also check {{ web_search.success }} and {{ web_search.error }} on the main output path.

Common Gotchas

Provider must match your API key: A Tavily key will not work with SerpAPI and vice versa. Set Provider to match the key you configured.
Provider is node-level, not agent-level: When connected to an AI Agent, the agent cannot change the provider — configure it on the node before connecting.
Search depth is Tavily-only: search_depth is ignored when Provider is set to serpapi.
Missing SEARCH_API_KEY: The node fails at runtime if the env var is not set.
Rate limits: Both Tavily and SerpAPI enforce API rate limits. Handle errors gracefully in production workflows.