Web research
Axom searches the web, reads the pages, and answers with which source said what.
Choosing a search path
During setup, or any time with axom search, pick one:
- Private search engine. Axom runs its own SearXNG instance in Docker on your machine. Setup installs Docker if it's missing.
- Brave Search API key. Faster, with richer results. The key is verified against the API before it's saved to
~/.axom/.env. - Off. Axom works without the web, and says so when a question needs it.
With a Brave key, SearXNG remains the fallback if Brave errors.
How Axom reads
- Whole pages. Axom reads each page in full. When a page won't fit in what's left of the window, it's digested down to what it says about your question.
- Dated. Pages carry their publish date. Asked what's new, Axom labels anything older than two weeks with its age.
- Stubborn pages. Bot walls and blocked requests get a retry with a browser-like fingerprint; PDFs are read as text.
- Honest citations. Axom only says "according to" about a page it actually read this turn.
- Checks before answering. Ask what's new or what's changed, and Axom searches instead of answering from memory.
Sites that keep failing are remembered and deprioritized, so Axom stops wasting steps on them.