---
title: "How to enable internet search and URL reading for the AI Assistant"
description: "Configure web search and public URL fetching for the AI Assistant: instance toggles and role permissions."
---

# How to enable internet search and URL reading for the AI Assistant?

By default, the AI Assistant answers from **ConnectiveOne documentation** and your platform data. You can optionally allow it to **search the public internet** and **read public web pages by URL** — for example, current news, third-party API docs, or open pages on your website.

Both options are **off by default** and are enabled separately.

## When you need this

- Answers must come from **current sources outside ConnectiveOne docs**.
- The team needs the assistant to **read a specific public page** (e.g. a partner API reference).
- You want to **collect reference data from a public website** (catalog, FAQ) — within the limits below.

## Good to know

- Access requires **two layers**: an **instance** toggle and a separate **role** permission.
- The **model provider API key** must be configured for the model users pick in chat (Google Gemini, OpenAI, or Anthropic) — **Instance settings → Instance Agent**.
- The assistant **cannot** bypass login, CAPTCHA, or closed site areas.
- **Internal platform URLs** and unsafe addresses are **blocked** to protect service endpoints.
- **Fetch URL** does not return HTML source — only **text content** generated by the model from the public page; verify critical tables and wording at the original URL.
- Large sites (many pages) are handled **in batches** — several chat messages may be needed.

## Before you start

- [x] **Instance Agent Integration** is enabled.
- [x] You are root (instance settings) or an administrator who can edit roles.
- [x] API keys are set for the models you plan to use in chat.

## Step by step

### 1. Enable features on the instance (root)

1. Go to **Menu → Settings → Instance settings**.
2. Expand **Instance Agent**.
3. Optionally enable:
   - **Instance Agent: Web Search** — **web search** on the public internet;
   - **Instance Agent: Fetch URL** — **read one public page by URL**.
4. Confirm the required API key fields for chat models — as needed:
   - **Instance Agent: Google (Gemini) API Key**;
   - **Instance Agent: OpenAI API Key**;
   - **Instance Agent: Anthropic API Key**.

### 2. Grant role permissions

1. Go to **Menu → Settings → Users → Roles**.
2. Open a role for editing.
3. In **AI Assistant (Instance Agent)**, under additional permissions, enable as needed:
   - **Allow the agent to search the public internet (web search)**;
   - **Allow the agent to fetch and read public web pages by URL**.
4. Save the role.

Permissions are **independent**: you can allow search only, URL reading only, or both.

### 3. Verify in chat

1. Sign in as a user with the test role.
2. Open the **AI Assistant** and send, for example:
   - “What’s in the news about … today?” — to test web search;
   - “Read https://example.com/docs/… and summarize briefly” — to test URL fetch.
3. If **Agent Debug Mode** is on, tool steps show **Web search** or **Fetch URL** with a short description.

## Limits and security

| Situation | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| Feature off on instance or role | Assistant explains web access is unavailable; answers from platform docs |
| Page requires login | Content cannot be read — assistant suggests alternatives (export, public PDF, sitemap) |
| “Scrape the whole large site at once” | Assistant proposes a plan: sitemap or section first, then batches |
| **Agent Read-Only Mode** | Search and URL fetch **allowed**; automatic data writes only with edit permission |

## After you finish

- Users with the right permissions can use public internet sources in answers.
- API usage costs depend on the model provider — consider this for heavy use.

## Related materials

- [Use web search and site reading in the AI Assistant](./use-ai-assistant-web-research.md)
- [Configure AI Assistant access](./configure-ai-assistant-access.md)
- [What is the AI Assistant](../explanation/what-is-ai-assistant.md)
- [Configure instance settings](../../settings/how-to/configure-instance.md)