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πŸ”— Open WebUI Integration

Overview​

Open WebUI v0.6+ supports seamless integration with external tools via the OpenAPI servers β€” meaning you can easily extend your LLM workflows using custom or community-powered tool servers 🧰.

In this guide, you'll learn how to launch an OpenAPI-compatible tool server and connect it to Open WebUI through the intuitive user interface. Let’s get started! πŸš€

Step 1: Launch an OpenAPI Tool Server​

To begin, you'll need to start one of the reference tool servers available in the openapi-servers repo. For quick testing, we’ll use the time tool server as an example.

πŸ› οΈ Example: Starting the time server locally

git clone https://github.com/open-webui/openapi-servers
cd openapi-servers

# Navigate to the time server
cd servers/time

# Install required dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Start the server
uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --reload

Once running, this will host a local OpenAPI server at http://localhost:8000, which you can point Open WebUI to.

Time Server

Step 2: Connect Tool Server in Open WebUI​

Next, connect your running tool server to Open WebUI:

  1. Open WebUI in your browser.
  2. Open βš™οΈβ€―Settings.
  3. Click on βž• Tools to add a new tool server.
  4. Enter the URL where your OpenAPI tool server is running (e.g., http://localhost:8000).
  5. Click "Save".

Settings Page

Step 3: Confirm Your Tool Server Is Connected βœ…β€‹

Once your tool server is successfully connected, Open WebUI will display a πŸ‘‡ tool server indicator directly in the message input area:

πŸ“ You'll now see this icon below the input box:

Tool Server Indicator

Clicking this icon opens a popup where you can:

  • View connected tool server information
  • See which tools are available and which server they're provided by
  • Debug or disconnect any tool if needed

πŸ” Here’s what the tool information modal looks like:

Tool Info Modal Expanded

Need More Tools? Explore & Expand! πŸ§±β€‹

The openapi-servers repo includes a variety of useful reference servers:

  • πŸ“‚ Filesystem access
  • 🧠 Memory & knowledge graphs
  • πŸ—ƒοΈ Git repo browsing
  • 🌎 Web search (WIP)
  • πŸ›’οΈ Database querying (WIP)

You can run any of these in the same way and connect them to Open WebUI by repeating the steps above.

Troubleshooting & Tips πŸ§©β€‹

  • ❌ Not connecting? Make sure the URL is correct and accessible from the browser used to run Open WebUI.
  • πŸ”’ If you're using remote servers, check firewalls and HTTPS configs!
  • πŸ“ To make servers persist, consider deploying them in Docker or with system services.

Need help? Visit the πŸ‘‰ Discussions page or open an issue.