SearXNG FAQs

Question 1

What is SearXNG for Zed AI Assistant?

Accepted Answer

SearXNG for Zed is an extension that integrates your Zed AI assistant with a SearXNG instance. It enables your AI to perform privacy-focused web searches and fetch web page content, converting it to markdown for analysis, all through your configured SearXNG server.

Question 2

How does this tool enhance privacy?

Accepted Answer

It prioritizes privacy by routing all your web searches and URL fetches through *your* chosen or self-hosted SearXNG instance. This gives you direct control over your search data, allowing you to avoid logging by public search engines and ensure a privacy-first AI experience.

Question 3

What core functions does it add to my AI assistant?

Accepted Answer

The extension provides two primary tools for your AI: 'searxng_web_search' for searching across multiple engines via SearXNG, and 'web_url_read' for fetching and converting web pages into markdown format, making the content easily digestible for AI analysis.

Question 4

Is it difficult to configure within Zed?

Accepted Answer

Configuration is straightforward. You simply need to provide your SearXNG instance URL in Zed's `settings.json`. The extension also supports flexible options for authentication, proxies, and custom headers to fit various network environments.

Question 5

Are there any important security considerations for using SearXNG with Zed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it's crucial to note that authentication credentials (username/password) are stored unencrypted in your Zed `settings.json`. For maximum security, it's recommended to use self-hosted SearXNG instances without authentication or a reverse proxy for credential management. The extension does include robust validation and SSRF protection (configurable).

SearXNG

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