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Tavily

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.

Overview​

Integrating Tavily with Open WebUI allows your language model to perform real-time web searches, providing up-to-date and relevant information. This tutorial guides you through configuring Tavily as a web search provider in Open WebUI.

Tavily is a search API optimized for AI applications, delivering curated and structured results. By following these steps, you can enable Open WebUI to leverage Tavily for web searches within the chat interface.

Prerequisites​

Ensure you have:

  • Open WebUI Installed: A running instance of Open WebUI (local or Docker). See the Getting Started guide.
  • Tavily Account: An account with an API key from Tavily.
  • Admin Access: Administrative access to your Open WebUI instance.
  • Internet Connection: Required for Tavily API requests.
  • WEBUI_URL Environment Variable: Configured to point to your Open WebUI instance. Refer to Environment Variable Configuration.

Step-by-Step Configuration​

1. Obtain a Tavily API Key​

  1. Log in or sign up at Tavily.
  2. Go to the Dashboard or API Keys section.
  3. Copy or generate a new API key. Keep it secure.

Note: Check your Tavily plan’s query limits at Tavily Pricing.

2. Configure Open WebUI​

  1. Log in to Open WebUI with an admin account.
  2. Click the user icon (bottom left) and select Settings.
  3. Go to the Web Search tab.
  4. Enable Web Search by toggling it On.
  5. Select tavily from the Web Search Engine dropdown.
  6. Paste your Tavily API key into the Tavily API Key field.
  7. (Optional) Adjust settings like maximum search results, if available.

Tip: Verify your API key is correct to avoid configuration errors.

3. Test the Integration​

  1. Save your settings.
  2. Start a chat session in Open WebUI.
  3. Click the plus (+) button in the prompt field to enable web search.
  4. Enter a query (e.g., +latest AI news) and confirm Tavily returns real-time results.

Example: +latest AI news triggers a Tavily search, embedding results in the response.

Optional Configurations​

  • Search Parameters: Explore advanced options (e.g., domain filtering) in the Tavily API Documentation.
  • Environment Variables: Set the TAVILY_API_KEY in your .env file or Docker command: 
    -e TAVILY_API_KEY="your_tavily_api_key"
    See Environment Variable Configuration.
  • RAG Integration: Combine Tavily results with local data using Retrieval Augmented Generation. Refer to RAG Documentation.

Troubleshooting​

  • Invalid API Key: Ensure the key is copied correctly, without extra spaces.
  • No Results: Confirm the web search toggle (+) is enabled and your internet is active.
  • Quota Exceeded: Check your Tavily plan at Tavily Pricing.
  • Settings Not Saved: Verify admin privileges and that webui.db is writable.

For further help, visit the Open WebUI Community or Tavily Support.

Additional Resources​

By completing this tutorial, you’ve enabled Tavily web search in Open WebUI, enhancing your AI with real-time data. Happy searching!