> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.trysidebar.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Web Search

## What it does

Web Search gives sideBar access to the live web. When your question requires
current or real-time information, such as news, recent releases, live prices,
or today's weather outside your location, sideBar searches the web and incorporates the
results into its response, citing its sources.

## Actions

| Action         | Description                                                                        |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Search the web | Searches the live web and incorporates results and cited sources into the response |

## When sideBar uses it

sideBar uses Web Search automatically when it detects your question needs
information it cannot answer from what it already knows. Common triggers:

* Questions about recent events or news ("What happened with X this week?")
* Requests for current data ("What is the latest version of Y?")
* Fact-checking or verifying something time-sensitive
* Research tasks where up-to-date sources matter

You don't need to ask sideBar to search, it decides when a search would
improve the response.

## Requirements

* **Tier:** Standard (included, no installation needed)
* **Provider support:** Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google on supported chat models
* **API key:** Uses the key for your selected AI provider

If you are using sideBar's default hosted path, there is no extra setup.
If you choose your own provider in Settings, Web Search uses that provider's
web search capability when the selected model supports it. OpenAI web search
requires a GPT-5 or GPT-4.1 chat model. Google web search works on supported
Gemini models, but mixed turns that combine Google Search with other sideBar
tools require a Gemini 3 model.

## How to enable

Web Search is enabled by default. If you have turned it off and want to
re-enable it, go to **Settings → Skills** and toggle Web Search on.

If Web Search is enabled but your selected provider model does not support it,
sideBar falls back to its normal non-search response path and explains the
fallback in the assistant response.

## Examples

> "What's in the news today?"

> "What are the best-reviewed noise cancelling headphones right now?"

> "What's the latest version of Python?"