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Overview

The Search the Web custom tool gives your AI assistant the ability to perform live web searches during a conversation. The tool calls the Bing search engine and returns results that the AI can use to answer questions with up-to-date information.
Search the Web custom tool configuration

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Use Cases

  • Real-time information — Answer questions about current events, pricing, or availability
  • Research — Look up businesses, products, or services during a conversation
  • Fact-checking — Verify claims or find supporting information
  • Competitive intelligence — Research competitors on behalf of users

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Setup

1

Create the Custom Tool

In your assistant settings, create a new tool:
  • Name: search_the_web
  • Description: “Search the web for real-time information using the Bing search engine”
  • Parameters: query (the search terms)
2

Configure the Search Backend

Set up a Buildship workflow or webhook that:
  1. Receives the search query
  2. Calls the Bing Search API (or similar search service)
  3. Returns formatted search results to the AI
3

Add to Your Assistant

Connect the endpoint, save, and update your prompt to instruct the AI when to use web search (e.g., for questions outside its knowledge base).
To call the tool, use search_the_web — the response will contain results from the Bing search engine.
Combine with your Knowledge Base so the AI tries internal knowledge first and only searches the web when needed.

Scrape Website

Scrape specific pages for detailed content

Screenshot Website

Capture visual screenshots

Custom Tools Overview

Custom tool fundamentals

Knowledge Base Optimization

Build a better knowledge base