Let the AI search the web with Tavily

Out of the box, the AI only knows what it was taught plus your own Couchwork data. With web search switched on, it can look things up online when a question needs it, such as today's news, a price or a company's website, and it tells you where the answer came from. The searching is done by a service called Tavily. You create an account with them, make a key, and paste it into Couchwork.

Part 1: Get a Tavily key

1. Go to tavily.com and sign up for an account.
2. Once you're in, open your dashboard. Your API key is shown there. If you don't have one yet, use the button to create one.
3. Copy the key. It starts with tvly-

Part 2: Add it to Couchwork

1. In Couchwork, click Settings → AI assistant.
2. Scroll down to the Web search section.
3. Paste your key into the Tavily API key box. The checkbox Let the AI search the web for current information ticks itself once there's a key.
4. Click Save at the bottom of the page.
5. Click Test web search to check it works. You should see a success message.

Once it's saved, the box shows only the last few characters of your key. Leave the box blank to keep the saved key, or paste a new one to replace it.

How it works

• People just chat to the AI as normal. There's nothing to click.
• The AI decides for itself when a question needs the web. It searches for things like recent events, prices or documentation, and doesn't bother for things it already knows.
• It reads the results and answers in its own words, and cites where the information came from.
• Your key is stored encrypted on your server and is never sent to people's devices.

Try asking it something current, such as What's the latest news about interest rates? and you'll see it search first.

Turning it off

Untick Let the AI search the web and save. The key stays stored, so you can switch it back on later without pasting it again.