Add provider-based web search with Tavily support

- Add `SEARCH_PROVIDER` config with Tavily/Brave API key validation in server and prod script
- Introduce unified `web_search` tool and shared search service with Tavily + Brave backends
- Update chat UI tool status/result labels to treat both search tools consistently

client/src/components/chat-room.riot

@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@
         </div>
         <template if={props.aiToolStatus}>
           <span class="tool-status-text">
-            {props.aiToolStatus.tool === 'brave_search' ? '🔍 Searching...' : props.aiToolStatus.tool === 'web_fetch' ? '🌐 Reading page...' : '⚙️ Using tool...'}
+            {isSearchTool(props.aiToolStatus.tool) ? '🔍 Searching...' : props.aiToolStatus.tool === 'web_fetch' ? '🌐 Reading page...' : '⚙️ Using tool...'}
           </span>
         </template>
         <template if={!props.aiToolStatus}>
@@ -692,6 +692,10 @@
           textarea.style.height = 'auto'
         }
       },
+
+      isSearchTool(toolName) {
+        return toolName === 'web_search' || toolName === 'brave_search'
+      },
     }
   </script>
 </chat-room>

client/src/components/message-bubble.riot

@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@
       <div if={hasToolResults()} class="tool-results-section">
         <div each={tr in getToolResults()} class="tool-result-item">
           <button class="tool-result-toggle" onclick={toggleToolResult}>
-            <span class="tool-result-icon">{tr.tool === 'brave_search' ? '🔍' : tr.tool === 'web_fetch' ? '🌐' : '⚙️'}</span>
-            <span class="tool-result-label">{tr.tool === 'brave_search' ? 'Search' : tr.tool === 'web_fetch' ? 'Fetched' : tr.tool}: {tr.input}</span>
+            <span class="tool-result-icon">{isSearchTool(tr.tool) ? '🔍' : tr.tool === 'web_fetch' ? '🌐' : '⚙️'}</span>
+            <span class="tool-result-label">{isSearchTool(tr.tool) ? 'Search' : tr.tool === 'web_fetch' ? 'Fetched' : tr.tool}: {tr.input}</span>
             <span class="tool-result-arrow">▼</span>
           </button>
           <div class="tool-result-body collapsed">
@@ -462,6 +462,10 @@
         return this.props.message?.ai_meta?.tool_results || []
       },
 
+      isSearchTool(toolName) {
+        return toolName === 'web_search' || toolName === 'brave_search'
+      },
+
       toggleToolResult(e) {
         const toggle = e.currentTarget
         const body = toggle.nextElementSibling

prod.sh

@@ -38,12 +38,24 @@ check_env() {
     source "$ROOT/server/.env"
     set +a
 
+    SEARCH_PROVIDER="${SEARCH_PROVIDER:-tavily}"
+
     if [ -z "$OPENROUTER_API_KEY" ] || [ "$OPENROUTER_API_KEY" = "your-openrouter-api-key-here" ]; then
         echo -e "${RED}[prod] OPENROUTER_API_KEY not set in server/.env${NC}"
         exit 1
     fi
-    if [ -z "$BRAVE_API_KEY" ] || [ "$BRAVE_API_KEY" = "your-brave-api-key-here" ]; then
-        echo -e "${RED}[prod] BRAVE_API_KEY not set in server/.env${NC}"
+    if [ "$SEARCH_PROVIDER" = "tavily" ]; then
+        if [ -z "$TAVILY_API_KEY" ] || [ "$TAVILY_API_KEY" = "tvly-your-key-here" ]; then
+            echo -e "${RED}[prod] TAVILY_API_KEY not set in server/.env${NC}"
+            exit 1
+        fi
+    elif [ "$SEARCH_PROVIDER" = "brave" ]; then
+        if [ -z "$BRAVE_API_KEY" ] || [ "$BRAVE_API_KEY" = "your-brave-api-key-here" ]; then
+            echo -e "${RED}[prod] BRAVE_API_KEY not set in server/.env${NC}"
+            exit 1
+        fi
+    else
+        echo -e "${RED}[prod] SEARCH_PROVIDER must be 'tavily' or 'brave'${NC}"
         exit 1
     fi
     if [ -z "$JWT_SECRET" ] || [ "$JWT_SECRET" = "dev-secret-change-me" ]; then

server/.env.example

@@ -11,7 +11,13 @@ JWT_SECRET=change-me-to-a-random-secret
 # OpenRouter API
 OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-v1-your-key-here
 
-# Brave Search API
+# Search provider: tavily or brave
+SEARCH_PROVIDER=tavily
+
+# Tavily Search API
+TAVILY_API_KEY=tvly-your-key-here
+
+# Brave Search API (optional unless SEARCH_PROVIDER=brave)
 BRAVE_API_KEY=your-brave-api-key-here
 
 # Production: path to built client files (default: ../client/dist)

server/src/handlers/ws.rs

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ use uuid::Uuid;
 use crate::{
     middleware::auth::decode_token,
     models::{BroadcastEvent, MessagePayload, WsClientMessage, WsServerMessage},
-    services::{brave, fetch, openrouter},
+    services::{fetch, openrouter, search},
     AppState,
 };
 
@@ -337,7 +337,9 @@ async fn handle_send_message(
                         let tool_result = execute_tool(
                             &tool_call.function.name,
                             &tool_call.function.arguments,
-                            &state.brave_api_key,
+                            state.search_provider,
+                            state.tavily_api_key.as_deref(),
+                            state.brave_api_key.as_deref(),
                         )
                         .await;
 
@@ -486,16 +488,22 @@ async fn encode_image_as_data_url(url: &str) -> Option<String> {
 fn extract_tool_input(tool_name: &str, arguments: &str) -> String {
     let args: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_str(arguments).unwrap_or_default();
     match tool_name {
-        "brave_search" => args["query"].as_str().unwrap_or("").to_string(),
+        "web_search" | "brave_search" => args["query"].as_str().unwrap_or("").to_string(),
         "web_fetch" => args["url"].as_str().unwrap_or("").to_string(),
         _ => arguments.to_string(),
     }
 }
 
 /// Execute a tool call by name, returning the result as a string.
-async fn execute_tool(name: &str, arguments: &str, brave_api_key: &str) -> String {
+async fn execute_tool(
+    name: &str,
+    arguments: &str,
+    search_provider: search::SearchProvider,
+    tavily_api_key: Option<&str>,
+    brave_api_key: Option<&str>,
+) -> String {
     match name {
-        "brave_search" => {
+        "web_search" | "brave_search" => {
             let args: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_str(arguments).unwrap_or_default();
             let query = args["query"].as_str().unwrap_or("").to_string();
             let count = args["count"].as_u64().unwrap_or(5) as u8;
@@ -504,8 +512,8 @@ async fn execute_tool(name: &str, arguments: &str, brave_api_key: &str) -> Strin
                 return "Error: search query is required".into();
             }
 
-            match brave::search(&query, brave_api_key, count).await {
-                Ok(results) => brave::format_results(&results),
+            match search::search(search_provider, &query, tavily_api_key, brave_api_key, count).await {
+                Ok(results) => search::format_results(&results),
                 Err(e) => format!("Search error: {}", e),
             }
         }

server/src/main.rs

@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ use tower_http::cors::{Any, CorsLayer};
 use tower_http::services::{ServeDir, ServeFile};
 use tracing_subscriber::{layer::SubscriberExt, util::SubscriberInitExt};
 
+use crate::services::search::SearchProvider;
+
 /// Extract the file path from a SQLite DATABASE_URL like "sqlite:chat.db?mode=rwc"
 fn db_file_path(database_url: &str) -> Option<String> {
     let path = database_url.strip_prefix("sqlite:")?;
@@ -135,7 +137,9 @@ pub struct AppState {
     pub db: sqlx::SqlitePool,
     pub jwt_secret: String,
     pub openrouter_key: String,
-    pub brave_api_key: String,
+    pub search_provider: SearchProvider,
+    pub tavily_api_key: Option<String>,
+    pub brave_api_key: Option<String>,
     pub tx: broadcast::Sender<models::BroadcastEvent>,
 }
 
@@ -153,7 +157,20 @@ async fn main() {
     let database_url = std::env::var("DATABASE_URL").unwrap_or_else(|_| "sqlite:chat.db?mode=rwc".into());
     let jwt_secret = std::env::var("JWT_SECRET").unwrap_or_else(|_| "dev-secret-change-me".into());
     let openrouter_key = std::env::var("OPENROUTER_API_KEY").expect("OPENROUTER_API_KEY must be set");
-    let brave_api_key = std::env::var("BRAVE_API_KEY").expect("BRAVE_API_KEY must be set");
+    let search_provider = SearchProvider::from_env(std::env::var("SEARCH_PROVIDER").ok().as_deref())
+        .unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("{}", e));
+    let tavily_api_key = std::env::var("TAVILY_API_KEY").ok();
+    let brave_api_key = std::env::var("BRAVE_API_KEY").ok();
+
+    match search_provider {
+        SearchProvider::Tavily if tavily_api_key.as_deref().unwrap_or("").is_empty() => {
+            panic!("TAVILY_API_KEY must be set when SEARCH_PROVIDER=tavily");
+        }
+        SearchProvider::Brave if brave_api_key.as_deref().unwrap_or("").is_empty() => {
+            panic!("BRAVE_API_KEY must be set when SEARCH_PROVIDER=brave");
+        }
+        _ => {}
+    }
 
     // Backup the database before connecting and running migrations
     backup_database(&database_url);
@@ -271,6 +288,8 @@ async fn main() {
         db,
         jwt_secret,
         openrouter_key,
+        search_provider,
+        tavily_api_key,
         brave_api_key,
         tx,
     });

server/src/models/mod.rs

@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ fn default_ai_name() -> String {
 }
 
 fn default_system_prompt() -> String {
-    "You are a helpful AI assistant participating in a group chat. Be conversational, helpful, and concise. You can see messages from all participants. When mentioned with @ai, respond helpfully.\n\nYou have access to tools:\n- **brave_search**: Search the web for current information. Use this when asked about recent events, news, facts you're unsure about, or anything that needs up-to-date information.\n- **web_fetch**: Fetch and read the content of a web page. Use this when a user shares a URL and wants you to read/summarize it, or when you need more details from a search result.\n\nUse tools proactively when they would help answer the question better. You don't need to ask permission to use them.".to_string()
+    "You are a helpful AI assistant participating in a group chat. Be conversational, helpful, and concise. You can see messages from all participants. When mentioned with @ai, respond helpfully.\n\nYou have access to tools:\n- **web_search**: Search the web for current information. Use this when asked about recent events, news, facts you're unsure about, or anything that needs up-to-date information.\n- **web_fetch**: Fetch and read the content of a web page. Use this when a user shares a URL and wants you to read/summarize it, or when you need more details from a search result.\n\nUse tools proactively when they would help answer the question better. You don't need to ask permission to use them.".to_string()
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize)]

server/src/services/brave.rs

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 use serde::Deserialize;
 
+use crate::services::search::SearchResult;
+
 const BRAVE_SEARCH_URL: &str = "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/web/search";
 
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
@@ -23,15 +25,6 @@ struct BraveResult {
     extra_snippets: Option<Vec<String>>,
 }
 
-/// A simplified search result for consumption by the AI.
-#[derive(Debug)]
-pub struct SearchResult {
-    pub title: String,
-    pub url: String,
-    pub description: String,
-    pub age: Option<String>,
-}
-
 /// Search the web using the Brave Search API.
 /// Returns a list of simplified search results.
 pub async fn search(
@@ -91,21 +84,3 @@ pub async fn search(
 
     Ok(results)
 }
-
-/// Format search results into a readable string for the AI to consume.
-pub fn format_results(results: &[SearchResult]) -> String {
-    if results.is_empty() {
-        return "No search results found.".to_string();
-    }
-
-    let mut output = String::new();
-    for (i, r) in results.iter().enumerate() {
-        output.push_str(&format!("{}. {}\n", i + 1, r.title));
-        output.push_str(&format!("   URL: {}\n", r.url));
-        if let Some(age) = &r.age {
-            output.push_str(&format!("   Age: {}\n", age));
-        }
-        output.push_str(&format!("   {}\n\n", r.description));
-    }
-    output
-}

server/src/services/mod.rs

@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 pub mod brave;
 pub mod fetch;
 pub mod openrouter;
+pub mod search;
+pub mod tavily;

server/src/services/openrouter.rs

@@ -149,13 +149,13 @@ pub struct CompletionStats {
     pub response_ms: u64,
 }
 
-/// Build the tool definitions for brave_search and web_fetch.
+/// Build the tool definitions for web_search and web_fetch.
 pub fn build_tools() -> Vec<Tool> {
     vec![
         Tool {
             r#type: "function".into(),
             function: ToolFunction {
-                name: "brave_search".into(),
+                name: "web_search".into(),
                 description: "Search the web for current information. Use this when users ask about recent events, need factual data you're unsure about, or want up-to-date information.".into(),
                 parameters: serde_json::json!({
                     "type": "object",

server/src/services/search.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+
+use super::{brave, tavily};
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum SearchProvider {
+    Tavily,
+    Brave,
+}
+
+impl SearchProvider {
+    pub fn from_env(value: Option<&str>) -> Result<Self, String> {
+        match value.unwrap_or("tavily").trim().to_ascii_lowercase().as_str() {
+            "tavily" => Ok(Self::Tavily),
+            "brave" => Ok(Self::Brave),
+            other => Err(format!(
+                "Unsupported SEARCH_PROVIDER '{}'. Expected 'tavily' or 'brave'.",
+                other
+            )),
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn required_key_name(self) -> &'static str {
+        match self {
+            Self::Tavily => "TAVILY_API_KEY",
+            Self::Brave => "BRAVE_API_KEY",
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct SearchResult {
+    pub title: String,
+    pub url: String,
+    pub description: String,
+    pub age: Option<String>,
+}
+
+pub async fn search(
+    provider: SearchProvider,
+    query: &str,
+    tavily_api_key: Option<&str>,
+    brave_api_key: Option<&str>,
+    count: u8,
+) -> Result<Vec<SearchResult>, String> {
+    match provider {
+        SearchProvider::Tavily => {
+            let api_key = tavily_api_key
+                .filter(|key| !key.is_empty())
+                .ok_or_else(|| "TAVILY_API_KEY is not configured".to_string())?;
+            tavily::search(query, api_key, count).await
+        }
+        SearchProvider::Brave => {
+            let api_key = brave_api_key
+                .filter(|key| !key.is_empty())
+                .ok_or_else(|| "BRAVE_API_KEY is not configured".to_string())?;
+            brave::search(query, api_key, count).await
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn format_results(results: &[SearchResult]) -> String {
+    if results.is_empty() {
+        return "No search results found.".to_string();
+    }
+
+    let mut output = String::new();
+    for (i, r) in results.iter().enumerate() {
+        output.push_str(&format!("{}. {}\n", i + 1, r.title));
+        if !r.url.is_empty() {
+            output.push_str(&format!("   URL: {}\n", r.url));
+        }
+        if let Some(age) = &r.age {
+            output.push_str(&format!("   Age: {}\n", age));
+        }
+        output.push_str(&format!("   {}\n\n", r.description));
+    }
+    output
+}

server/src/services/tavily.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+use serde::Deserialize;
+
+use crate::services::search::SearchResult;
+
+const TAVILY_SEARCH_URL: &str = "https://api.tavily.com/search";
+
+#[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
+struct TavilyResponse {
+    #[serde(default)]
+    answer: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    results: Vec<TavilyResult>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
+struct TavilyResult {
+    title: String,
+    url: String,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    content: String,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    #[serde(alias = "publishedDate")]
+    published_date: Option<String>,
+}
+
+pub async fn search(
+    query: &str,
+    api_key: &str,
+    count: u8,
+) -> Result<Vec<SearchResult>, String> {
+    let max_results = count.clamp(1, 10);
+    let client = reqwest::Client::new();
+
+    let response = client
+        .post(TAVILY_SEARCH_URL)
+        .header("Authorization", format!("Bearer {}", api_key))
+        .header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+        .json(&serde_json::json!({
+            "query": query,
+            "topic": "general",
+            "search_depth": "advanced",
+            "include_answer": true,
+            "include_raw_content": false,
+            "max_results": max_results,
+        }))
+        .send()
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Tavily search request failed: {}", e))?;
+
+    if !response.status().is_success() {
+        let status = response.status();
+        let body = response.text().await.unwrap_or_default();
+        return Err(format!("Tavily search error {}: {}", status, body));
+    }
+
+    let tavily_response: TavilyResponse = response
+        .json()
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to parse Tavily response: {}", e))?;
+
+    let answer = tavily_response.answer.unwrap_or_default();
+    let mut results: Vec<SearchResult> = tavily_response
+        .results
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|result| SearchResult {
+            title: result.title,
+            url: result.url,
+            description: result.content,
+            age: result.published_date,
+        })
+        .collect();
+
+    if !answer.is_empty() {
+        if let Some(first) = results.first_mut() {
+            if first.description.is_empty() {
+                first.description = format!("AI summary: {}", answer);
+            } else {
+                first.description = format!("AI summary: {}\nSource excerpt: {}", answer, first.description);
+            }
+        } else {
+            results.push(SearchResult {
+                title: "AI Summary".to_string(),
+                url: String::new(),
+                description: answer,
+                age: None,
+            });
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(results)
+}