# Agentic Web Research

Agentic web research means that an AI drives the search loop. The agent formulates queries, reads results, decides what to read next, and writes a synthesis. It works best when search, extraction, and reasoning each run in the right place.

> **Fleet topology (2026-10):** SearXNG lives at `192.168.0.143:8081` (UI) /
> `:8082` (JSON) on dankclaw; model endpoints are `frank-archon`
> (dankserver :7770, radiance), `frank-dragoon` (dankclaw :7770,
> halogen-flash-server), `frank-zealot` (dankclaw :7771, llama.cpp PrismML).
> The pi-era `localhost:8080` llama.cpp endpoint is retired. See
> [System hosts](/system/index.md).

This section connects four decisions:

1. **Search backend** — make a self-hosted [SearXNG](searxng-tuning.md) instance fast and private.
2. **Network path** — send only SearXNG traffic through a [VPN](vpn-routing.md) and leave the rest alone.
3. **Agent loop** — apply [agentic search best practices](agentic-search-best-practices.md) and [research effectiveness](research-effectiveness.md) so the loop ends, not spins.
4. **Model choice** — pick a self-hostable [open model](open-models.md) strong enough for tool use and [web agents](self-hosted-web-agents.md).

## Quick Map

```mermaid
graph LR
    A[User Question] --> B[Agent + Open Model]
    B --> C[SearXNG Search]
    C -->|VPN only here| D[Upstream Engines]
    B --> E[Extraction: Crawl4AI / fetch]
    B --> F[Synthesis + Citations]
    E --> F
```

## Pages

- [Self-Hosted Web Agents](self-hosted-web-agents.md) — Tools and architectures for an agent that drives a browser.
- [SearXNG Tuning](searxng-tuning.md) — Configuration for speed, privacy, and useful results.
- [VPN Routing for SearXNG](vpn-routing.md) — Route only the SearXNG outbound path through a VPN.
- [Agentic Search Best Practices](agentic-search-best-practices.md) — Query, extract, validate, and retry well.
- [Open Models for Web Use](open-models.md) — Self-hostable models strong at tool and API calling.
- [Research Effectiveness](research-effectiveness.md) — Multi-step, credibility-scored research loops.
- [Model Context Protocol](mcp.md) — The standard that connects the agent to tools.

## Sources

Authoritative references are cited per page under `# Citations`.