> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://developers.alephant.io/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://developers.alephant.io/_mcp/server.

# Web Search

> Configure controlled web search so chats and agents can retrieve public web information when needed.

Web search supplements internal knowledge with public information. Administrators should configure a trusted search service before exposing it to users or agents.

## Capability Boundary

| Area          | Guidance                                                                                |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Search Source | Enable only approved search providers or self-hosted search services.                   |
| Data Egress   | Define whether user queries, context, or search keywords are sent to external services. |
| Visibility    | Start with test groups or specific agents before expanding access.                      |
| Audit         | Record search call status, errors, and cost signals.                                    |

## Before Configuration

* Confirm the provider, base URL, API key, or service credential is available.
* Define whether user questions may be transformed into external search queries.
* Prepare user-facing messages for unavailable services, timeouts, rate limits, and quota exhaustion.

## Verification

* Ask a public-fact question and confirm search results are returned.
* Ask a sensitive internal question and confirm disallowed content is not sent externally.
* Confirm tracing or query history can identify the search call.