- name
- searxng
- description
- Self-hosted web search aggregator for OpenClaw agents. Use this skill to (1) install SearXNG on a VPS/server so the agent can search the web without API keys, or (2) run web searches using an existing local SearXNG instance. Covers installation, configuration, the search.py CLI tool, and fallback behaviour. Use when the agent needs web search capability, when setting up a new OpenClaw instance, or when diagnosing search failures.
SearXNG
SearXNG is a self-hosted search aggregator that queries Google, Bing, Brave, Startpage, DuckDuckGo, and Wikipedia simultaneously. No API keys required. Results returned as JSON.
Quick start (already installed)
python3 scripts/search.py "your query" # human-readable
python3 scripts/search.py "your query" --json # JSON (for parsing)
python3 scripts/search.py "query" --count 5 --json # limit + JSONPlace search.py anywhere convenient — typically tools/search.py in the workspace.
For detailed usage patterns and service management: see references/usage.md.
Installation (new instance)
Run as root on Ubuntu 22.04/24.04:
bash scripts/install_searxng.shThis installs SearXNG, creates a searxng system user, writes /etc/searxng/settings.yml, and starts a systemd service on http://127.0.0.1:8888.
Verify:
curl 'http://127.0.0.1:8888/search?q=test&format=json' | python3 -m json.tool | head -20
systemctl status searxngConnecting search.py to the instance
search.py targets http://127.0.0.1:8888 by default. If the port differs, update SEARXNG_URL at the top of the script.
Fallback
If SearXNG is down, search.py falls back to Wikipedia + GitHub APIs automatically. No action needed — results still return, just from narrower sources.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
[SearXNG unavailable] in stderr | systemctl restart searxng |
| Port conflict on 8888 | Change port: in /etc/searxng/settings.yml + update SEARXNG_URL in script |
| Empty results from all engines | Check /etc/searxng/settings.yml engines block; restart service |
| Connection refused | Service not running — systemctl start searxng |