feat: Add SearXNG as web search provider

README.md

@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ docker compose --profile gateway up -d
 > [!TIP]
 > Set your API key in `~/.picoclaw/config.json`.
 > Get API keys: [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/keys) (LLM) · [Zhipu](https://open.bigmodel.cn/usercenter/proj-mgmt/apikeys) (LLM)
-> Web Search is **optional** - get free [Tavily API](https://tavily.com) (1000 free queries/month) or [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api) (2000 free queries/month) or use built-in auto fallback.
+> Web Search is **optional** - get free [Tavily API](https://tavily.com) (1000 free queries/month), [SearXNG](https://github.com/searxng/searxng) (free, self-hosted) or [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api) (2000 free queries/month) or use built-in auto fallback.
 
 **1. Initialize**
 
@@ -255,6 +255,16 @@ picoclaw onboard
       "duckduckgo": {
         "enabled": true,
         "max_results": 5
+      },
+      "perplexity": {
+        "enabled": false,
+        "api_key": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY",
+        "max_results": 5
+      },
+      "searxng": {
+        "enabled": false,
+        "base_url": "http://your-searxng-instance:8888",
+        "max_results": 5
       }
     }
   }
@@ -266,7 +276,12 @@ picoclaw onboard
 **3. Get API Keys**
 
 * **LLM Provider**: [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/keys) · [Zhipu](https://open.bigmodel.cn/usercenter/proj-mgmt/apikeys) · [Anthropic](https://console.anthropic.com) · [OpenAI](https://platform.openai.com) · [Gemini](https://aistudio.google.com/api-keys)
-* **Web Search** (optional): [Tavily](https://tavily.com) - Optimized for AI Agents (1000 requests/month) · [Brave Search](https://brave.com/search/api) - Free tier available (2000 requests/month)
+* **Web Search** (optional):
+  * [Brave Search](https://brave.com/search/api) - Paid ($5/1000 queries, ~$5-6/month)
+  * [Perplexity](https://www.perplexity.ai) - AI-powered search with chat interface
+  * [SearXNG](https://github.com/searxng/searxng) - Self-hosted metasearch engine (free, no API key needed)
+  * [Tavily](https://tavily.com) - Optimized for AI Agents (1000 requests/month)
+  * DuckDuckGo - Built-in fallback (no API key required)
 
 > **Note**: See `config.example.json` for a complete configuration template.
 
@@ -1090,6 +1105,16 @@ picoclaw agent -m "Hello"
       "duckduckgo": {
         "enabled": true,
         "max_results": 5
+      },
+      "perplexity": {
+        "enabled": false,
+        "api_key": "",
+        "max_results": 5
+      },
+      "searxng": {
+        "enabled": false,
+        "base_url": "http://localhost:8888",
+        "max_results": 5
       }
     },
     "cron": {
@@ -1147,10 +1172,69 @@ discord: <https://discord.gg/V4sAZ9XWpN>
 
 This is normal if you haven't configured a search API key yet. PicoClaw will provide helpful links for manual searching.
 
-To enable web search:
+#### Search Provider Priority
 
-1. **Option 1 (Recommended)**: Get a free API key at [https://brave.com/search/api](https://brave.com/search/api) (2000 free queries/month) for the best results.
-2. **Option 2 (No Credit Card)**: If you don't have a key, we automatically fall back to **DuckDuckGo** (no key required).
+PicoClaw automatically selects the best available search provider in this order:
+1. **Perplexity** (if enabled and API key configured) - AI-powered search with citations
+2. **Brave Search** (if enabled and API key configured) - Privacy-focused paid API ($5/1000 queries)
+3. **SearXNG** (if enabled and base_url configured) - Self-hosted metasearch aggregating 70+ engines (free)
+4. **DuckDuckGo** (if enabled, default fallback) - No API key required (free)
+
+#### Web Search Configuration Options
+
+**Option 1 (Best Results)**: Perplexity AI Search
+```json
+{
+  "tools": {
+    "web": {
+      "perplexity": {
+        "enabled": true,
+        "api_key": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY",
+        "max_results": 5
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**Option 2 (Paid API)**: Get an API key at [https://brave.com/search/api](https://brave.com/search/api) ($5/1000 queries, ~$5-6/month)
+```json
+{
+  "tools": {
+    "web": {
+      "brave": {
+        "enabled": true,
+        "api_key": "YOUR_BRAVE_API_KEY",
+        "max_results": 5
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**Option 3 (Self-Hosted)**: Deploy your own [SearXNG](https://github.com/searxng/searxng) instance
+```json
+{
+  "tools": {
+    "web": {
+      "searxng": {
+        "enabled": true,
+        "base_url": "http://your-server:8888",
+        "max_results": 5
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+Benefits of SearXNG:
+- **Zero cost**: No API fees or rate limits
+- **Privacy-focused**: Self-hosted, no tracking
+- **Aggregate results**: Queries 70+ search engines simultaneously
+- **Perfect for cloud VMs**: Solves datacenter IP blocking issues (Oracle Cloud, GCP, AWS, Azure)
+- **No API key needed**: Just deploy and configure the base URL
+
+**Option 4 (No Setup Required)**: DuckDuckGo is enabled by default as fallback (no API key needed)
 
 Add the key to `~/.picoclaw/config.json` if using Brave:
 
@@ -1166,6 +1250,16 @@ Add the key to `~/.picoclaw/config.json` if using Brave:
       "duckduckgo": {
         "enabled": true,
         "max_results": 5
+      },
+      "perplexity": {
+        "enabled": false,
+        "api_key": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY",
+        "max_results": 5
+      },
+      "searxng": {
+        "enabled": false,
+        "base_url": "http://your-searxng-instance:8888",
+        "max_results": 5
       }
     }
   }
@@ -1184,10 +1278,11 @@ This happens when another instance of the bot is running. Make sure only one `pi
 
 ## 📝 API Key Comparison
 
-| Service          | Free Tier           | Use Case                              |
-| ---------------- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
-| **OpenRouter**   | 200K tokens/month   | Multiple models (Claude, GPT-4, etc.) |
-| **Zhipu**        | 200K tokens/month   | Best for Chinese users                |
-| **Brave Search** | 2000 queries/month  | Web search functionality              |
-| **Groq**         | Free tier available | Fast inference (Llama, Mixtral)       |
-| **Cerebras**     | Free tier available | Fast inference (Llama, Qwen, etc.)    |
+| Service          | Free Tier                | Use Case                              |
+| ---------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------- |
+| **OpenRouter**   | 200K tokens/month        | Multiple models (Claude, GPT-4, etc.) |
+| **Zhipu**        | 200K tokens/month        | Best for Chinese users                |
+| **Brave Search** | Paid ($5/1000 queries)   | Web search functionality              |
+| **SearXNG**      | Unlimited (self-hosted)  | Privacy-focused metasearch (70+ engines) |
+| **Groq**         | Free tier available      | Fast inference (Llama, Mixtral)       |
+| **Cerebras**     | Free tier available      | Fast inference (Llama, Qwen, etc.)    |

config/config.example.json

@@ -218,6 +218,11 @@
         "api_key": "pplx-xxx",
         "max_results": 5
       },
+      "searxng": {
+        "enabled": false,
+        "base_url": "http://localhost:8888",
+        "max_results": 5
+      },
       "proxy": ""
     },
     "cron": {

pkg/agent/loop.go

@@ -106,6 +106,9 @@ func registerSharedTools(
 			PerplexityAPIKey:     cfg.Tools.Web.Perplexity.APIKey,
 			PerplexityMaxResults: cfg.Tools.Web.Perplexity.MaxResults,
 			PerplexityEnabled:    cfg.Tools.Web.Perplexity.Enabled,
+			SearXNGBaseURL:       cfg.Tools.Web.SearXNG.BaseURL,
+			SearXNGMaxResults:    cfg.Tools.Web.SearXNG.MaxResults,
+			SearXNGEnabled:       cfg.Tools.Web.SearXNG.Enabled,
 			Proxy:                cfg.Tools.Web.Proxy,
 		}); searchTool != nil {
 			agent.Tools.Register(searchTool)

pkg/config/config.go

@@ -448,11 +448,18 @@ type PerplexityConfig struct {
 	MaxResults int    `json:"max_results" env:"PICOCLAW_TOOLS_WEB_PERPLEXITY_MAX_RESULTS"`
 }
 
+type SearXNGConfig struct {
+	Enabled    bool   `json:"enabled" env:"PICOCLAW_TOOLS_WEB_SEARXNG_ENABLED"`
+	BaseURL    string `json:"base_url" env:"PICOCLAW_TOOLS_WEB_SEARXNG_BASE_URL"`
+	MaxResults int    `json:"max_results" env:"PICOCLAW_TOOLS_WEB_SEARXNG_MAX_RESULTS"`
+}
+
 type WebToolsConfig struct {
 	Brave      BraveConfig      `json:"brave"`
 	Tavily     TavilyConfig     `json:"tavily"`
 	DuckDuckGo DuckDuckGoConfig `json:"duckduckgo"`
 	Perplexity PerplexityConfig `json:"perplexity"`
+	SearXNG    SearXNGConfig    `json:"searxng"`
 	// Proxy is an optional proxy URL for web tools (http/https/socks5/socks5h).
 	// For authenticated proxies, prefer HTTP_PROXY/HTTPS_PROXY env vars instead of embedding credentials in config.
 	Proxy string `json:"proxy,omitempty" env:"PICOCLAW_TOOLS_WEB_PROXY"`

pkg/config/defaults.go

@@ -292,6 +292,11 @@ func DefaultConfig() *Config {
 					APIKey:     "",
 					MaxResults: 5,
 				},
+				SearXNG: SearXNGConfig{
+					Enabled:    false,
+					BaseURL:    "",
+					MaxResults: 5,
+				},
 			},
 			Cron: CronToolsConfig{
 				ExecTimeoutMinutes: 5,

pkg/tools/web.go

@@ -384,6 +384,68 @@ func (p *PerplexitySearchProvider) Search(ctx context.Context, query string, cou
 	return fmt.Sprintf("Results for: %s (via Perplexity)\n%s", query, searchResp.Choices[0].Message.Content), nil
 }
 
+type SearXNGSearchProvider struct {
+	baseURL string
+}
+
+func (p *SearXNGSearchProvider) Search(ctx context.Context, query string, count int) (string, error) {
+	searchURL := fmt.Sprintf("%s/search?q=%s&format=json&categories=general",
+		strings.TrimSuffix(p.baseURL, "/"),
+		url.QueryEscape(query))
+
+	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, "GET", searchURL, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to create request: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	client := &http.Client{Timeout: 10 * time.Second}
+	resp, err := client.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("request failed: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("SearXNG returned status %d", resp.StatusCode)
+	}
+
+	var result struct {
+		Results []struct {
+			Title   string  `json:"title"`
+			URL     string  `json:"url"`
+			Content string  `json:"content"`
+			Engine  string  `json:"engine"`
+			Score   float64 `json:"score"`
+		} `json:"results"`
+	}
+
+	if err := json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&result); err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to parse response: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	if len(result.Results) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("No results for: %s", query), nil
+	}
+
+	// Limit results to requested count
+	if len(result.Results) > count {
+		result.Results = result.Results[:count]
+	}
+
+	// Format results in standard PicoClaw format
+	var b strings.Builder
+	b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("Results for: %s (via SearXNG)\n", query))
+	for i, r := range result.Results {
+		b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("%d. %s\n", i+1, r.Title))
+		b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("   %s\n", r.URL))
+		if r.Content != "" {
+			b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("   %s\n", r.Content))
+		}
+	}
+
+	return b.String(), nil
+}
+
 type WebSearchTool struct {
 	provider   SearchProvider
 	maxResults int
@@ -402,14 +464,17 @@ type WebSearchToolOptions struct {
 	PerplexityAPIKey     string
 	PerplexityMaxResults int
 	PerplexityEnabled    bool
+	SearXNGBaseURL       string
+	SearXNGMaxResults    int
+	SearXNGEnabled       bool
 	Proxy                string
 }
 
 func NewWebSearchTool(opts WebSearchToolOptions) *WebSearchTool {
 	var provider SearchProvider
 	maxResults := 5
 
-	// Priority: Perplexity > Brave > Tavily > DuckDuckGo
+	// Priority: Perplexity > Brave > SearXNG > Tavily > DuckDuckGo
 	if opts.PerplexityEnabled && opts.PerplexityAPIKey != "" {
 		provider = &PerplexitySearchProvider{apiKey: opts.PerplexityAPIKey, proxy: opts.Proxy}
 		if opts.PerplexityMaxResults > 0 {
@@ -420,6 +485,11 @@ func NewWebSearchTool(opts WebSearchToolOptions) *WebSearchTool {
 		if opts.BraveMaxResults > 0 {
 			maxResults = opts.BraveMaxResults
 		}
+	} else if opts.SearXNGEnabled && opts.SearXNGBaseURL != "" {
+		provider = &SearXNGSearchProvider{baseURL: opts.SearXNGBaseURL}
+		if opts.SearXNGMaxResults > 0 {
+			maxResults = opts.SearXNGMaxResults
+		}
 	} else if opts.TavilyEnabled && opts.TavilyAPIKey != "" {
 		provider = &TavilySearchProvider{
 			apiKey:  opts.TavilyAPIKey,