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Ollama Cloud Web Search

Use Ollama Cloud Web Search to give Open WebUI conversations access to web search results through Ollama’s hosted search API. This search service requires internet access even when your chat model runs locally.

warning

This tutorial is a community contribution and is not supported by the Open WebUI team. It serves only as a demonstration on how to customize Open WebUI for your specific use case. Want to contribute? Check out the contributing tutorial.

Requirements​

  • A running Open WebUI instance and an administrator account.
  • Outbound access from the Open WebUI server to the search provider and, for full-page retrieval, the sites returned by the search.
  • A chat model with reliable native tool calling and the Web Search capability enabled.

Create an Ollama account and API key. The official web search documentation requires an API key associated with an account; installing a local Ollama server alone does not enable the hosted search service.

Configure in Open WebUI​

  1. Open Settings → Admin → Web Search and enable web search.
  2. Set Web Search Engine to ollama_cloud.
  3. Paste your key into Ollama Cloud Web Search API Key and save the settings.
  4. Enable the model’s Web Search capability and its Web Search default feature, or turn on Web Search for the conversation. Follow the native search setup for the model settings.

The admin UI calls the setting Ollama Cloud Web Search API Key. The configuration API and persisted setting use OLLAMA_CLOUD_WEB_SEARCH_API_KEY, but the environment variable is OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY. Setting OLLAMA_CLOUD_WEB_SEARCH_API_KEY in the environment has no effect.

Environment example​

For a deployment configured through environment variables:

ENABLE_WEB_SEARCH=true
WEB_SEARCH_ENGINE=ollama_cloud
OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY=your-api-key

Restart Open WebUI after changing the environment. Previously saved admin settings can take precedence over these startup values; if the selected engine or key has not changed, update it in the Admin Panel. See the web search configuration reference for persistence behavior and additional options.

Verify​

Start a new conversation with the configured model and turn on Web Search in the chat’s integrations menu if it is not already enabled. Ask: “Search the web for the official Python documentation and give me a link to it.”

Confirm that the conversation shows a web search tool call and returned sources, then open a source to check it. A plausible answer without a search tool call does not demonstrate that the provider is connected.

Troubleshooting​

  • Authentication or quota error: check that the saved API key is correct and the provider account has an available search allowance.
  • Key not picked up from the environment: use OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY, not the longer configuration-field name.
  • No search tool call: check the model’s Web Search capability, the chat toggle or default feature, and Native function calling using the native search setup.
  • Search succeeds but page content is empty: check outbound connectivity, proxy settings, and web loader errors using Web Search troubleshooting. Search results and full-page fetching are separate steps.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a warranty, guarantee, or contractual commitment. Open WebUI is provided "as is." See your license for applicable terms.