# Web Search Tool

The **Web Search Tool** enables your Agent to perform searches on the internet and bring back relevant and up-to-date information. This is especially useful when the knowledge required by the user cannot be pre-loaded into a Knowledge Base or when real-time information is needed (e.g., news, trends, events, product availability).

***

### 🔑 Key Concepts

* **Description Field**: The Agent decides when to use this tool based on the description you provide. Be clear and precise about what the tool is meant to search (e.g., *“Use this tool to fetch the latest news articles related to financial markets”*).
* **Topics**: Define whether the search should be general or restricted to news.
* **Maximum Days**: Set a timeframe filter to restrict results to recent content (e.g., last 7, 30, or 90 days).
* **Mode**:
  * *Basic*: Standard web search with less filtering.
  * *Advanced*: More precise search logic, with better contextual alignment to the Agent’s goal.
* **Results**: The maximum number of results the tool should return (e.g., top 5, top 10).

***

### ⚙️ Configuration Fields

1. **Name** – Give the tool a meaningful name that reflects its purpose.\
   Example: `Latest Tech News Search`.
2. **Description** – Write a clear instruction for the Agent.\
   Example:

   ```
   Allows the Agent to fetch recent news articles about technology updates and trends.
   ```
3. **Topic** – Choose between:
   * `General` → Broader search results from the web.
   * `News` → Results restricted to news sources.
4. **Maximum Days** – Define the time range for content freshness.
   * Example: `7` → Only last week’s content.
5. **Mode** –
   * `Basic` → Quick, broad searches.
   * `Advanced` → More structured and reliable searches.
6. **Results** – The number of search results to be returned (1–20).
   * Example: `10` → Top 10 results.

***

### 📘 Example Setup

* **Name**: `Crypto News Search`
* **Description**: `Use this tool to fetch the latest cryptocurrency news from reliable sources.`
* **Topic**: `News`
* **Maximum Days**: `30`
* **Mode**: `Advanced`
* **Results**: `5`

This configuration ensures the Agent fetches only recent and relevant news, helping it provide more accurate answers in real time.

***

### 💡 Best Practices

* Keep the **description short but precise** so the Agent knows exactly when to trigger this tool.
* Use **News mode** for contexts requiring trust and recency (finance, politics, technology updates).
* Use **General mode** when open web context is sufficient (definitions, product details, how-to guides).
* Set **Maximum Days** thoughtfully – shorter ranges for fast-moving industries, longer for evergreen topics.
* Limit **Results** to avoid overwhelming the Agent with too many irrelevant links.

***

👉 With the **Web Search Tool**, your Agent extends beyond static knowledge and can operate with **real-time awareness**, enhancing its usefulness in dynamic scenarios like support, sales, and research.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.zaia.app/tools/available-tools/web-search-tool.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.