Root cause of the 429s: the ip_limit rate limiter caps JSON (format!=html)
requests at API_MAX=4 per IP per hour, and that constant is hardcoded in
Python (searx/botdetection/ip_limit.py), not settable in limiter.toml. The
only bypass is pass_ip (filter_request returns before ip_limit runs).
Rootless podman strips the client IP on published-port hits, so the container
sees a slirp/bridge source (10.88.x/10.89.x), never the real client - hence
even a LAN-IP curl 429'd on /search. Expand pass_ip to loopback + the host's
private podman/slirp ranges (plus the existing LAN) so local subagents present
a trusted source and skip the rate limit entirely. All these ranges are
reachable only from the host or LAN, never the internet.
Frank
4fa9fdf36e