# Private Web Search Searchxng

> Self-hosted private web search using SearXNG. Use when privacy is important, external APIs are blocked, you need search without tracking, or want to avoid paid search APIs.

- Skill: `johnalbertini14-glitch/private-web-search-searchxng` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add johnalbertini14-glitch/private-web-search-searchxng`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/johnalbertini14-glitch/private-web-search-searchxng/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: johnalbertini14-glitch (https://skillmd.com/u/johnalbertini14-glitch)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/johnalbertini14-glitch/private-web-search-searchxng

---


# Private Web Search (SearXNG)

Privacy-respecting, self-hosted metasearch engine for AI agents.

## Quick Setup

```bash
# 1. Start container
docker run -d --name searxng -p 8080:8080 -e BASE_URL=http://localhost:8080/ searxng/searxng

# 2. Enable JSON API
docker exec searxng sed -i 's/  formats:/  formats:\n    - json/' /etc/searxng/settings.yml
docker restart searxng

# 3. Verify
curl -sL "http://localhost:8080/search?q=test&format=json" | jq '.results[0]'
```

## Usage

### Basic Search

```bash
curl -sL "http://localhost:8080/search?q=YOUR_QUERY&format=json" | jq '.results[:10]'
```

### Using the Helper Script

```bash
./scripts/search.sh "openclaw ai" 5
```

### Environment Variables

| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| SEARXNG_PORT | 8080 | Container port |
| SEARXNG_HOST | localhost | Server host |
| BASE_URL | http://localhost:8080 | Public URL |

## Available Engines

Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Brave, Startpage, Wikipedia, and more.

## Management

```bash
docker start searxng   # Start
docker stop searxng    # Stop
docker logs searxng    # View logs
docker rm searxng -f   # Remove
```

## Troubleshooting

| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| No results | Check `docker logs searxng` |
| 403 Forbidden | Enable JSON format (step 2) |
| Connection refused | Run `docker start searxng` |