Searxng

Perform web searches using Searxng

Overview

The Searxng node enables n8n workflows to perform web searches using a Searxng metasearch engine instance. It allows users to specify search queries, select categories (such as images, news, videos, etc.), and fine-tune results with additional options like language, time range, safe search level, and output format. This node is useful for automating information retrieval tasks, content aggregation, or integrating search capabilities into larger automation pipelines.

Practical examples:

Automatically gather the latest news articles on a topic.
Search for images or files related to a project.
Retrieve scientific articles or social media mentions for monitoring purposes.

Properties

Name	Type	Meaning
Query	string	The search query to perform. Can be provided directly or via AI agent input.
Categories	multiOptions	Categories to search in (e.g., General, Images, News, Videos, Files, IT, Maps, etc.).
Return Single Response	boolean	If enabled, returns only the content from the first search result as a string.
Additional Fields	collection	Optional settings to refine the search:
— Language	options	Language of the search results (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, All Languages).
— Time Range	options	Time range for the search results (Any Time, Day, Week, Month, Year).
— Safe Search	options	Safe search level (Off, Moderate, Strict).
— Page Number	number	Page number of results (minimum value: 1).
— Format	options	Output format of the search results (HTML, JSON, RSS).

Output

If Return Single Response is enabled and results are found:

{
  "success": true,
  "query": "<your query>",
  "answer": "<content of the first search result>"
}

Otherwise, for each search:

{
  "success": true,
  "query": "<your query>",
  "results": [
    {
      "title": "<result title>",
      "url": "<result URL>",
      "content": "<main content>",
      "snippet": "<short snippet or content>"
    },
    ...
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "total": <number of results>,
    "time": <search time>,
    "engine": "<search engine name>"
  },
  "raw": { ...full API response... }
}

On error (if "Continue On Fail" is enabled):

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "<error message>",
  "query": "<your query>"
}

Dependencies

External Service: Requires access to a Searxng instance with API support.
Credentials: Needs an n8n credential named searxngApi containing:
- apiUrl: Base URL of the Searxng instance.
- apiKey: API key for authentication.
n8n Configuration: Ensure the Searxng credential is set up in n8n.

Troubleshooting

Missing Credentials:
Error: "No credentials got returned!"
Resolution: Make sure the Searxng API credentials are configured correctly in n8n.
API Errors:
If the Searxng instance returns an error (e.g., invalid API key, network issues), the node will either throw the error or, if "Continue On Fail" is enabled, output a JSON object with success: false and the error message.
Empty Results:
If no results are found, the results array will be empty. Check your query and category selections.
Invalid Parameters:
Providing unsupported values (e.g., wrong format for page number) may cause errors. Ensure all fields are filled according to their expected types and ranges.