From 35d385e9cc7e3aa7000a4c3b413135177e598dcb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Tim Baek <tim@openwebui.com>
Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2026 10:21:05 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] refac

---
 backend/open_webui/tools/builtin.py    | 17 ++++++++++-------
 backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py |  6 +++---
 backend/open_webui/utils/tools.py      |  4 ++--
 3 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)

diff --git a/backend/open_webui/tools/builtin.py b/backend/open_webui/tools/builtin.py
index 257805f38..8f3c2a2df 100644
--- a/backend/open_webui/tools/builtin.py
+++ b/backend/open_webui/tools/builtin.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ from typing import Optional
 from fastapi import Request
 
 from open_webui.models.users import UserModel
-from open_webui.routers.retrieval import search_web
+from open_webui.routers.retrieval import search_web as _search_web
 from open_webui.retrieval.utils import get_content_from_url
 from open_webui.routers.images import (
     image_generations,
@@ -142,14 +142,16 @@ async def calculate_timestamp(
 # =============================================================================
 
 
-async def web_search(
+async def search_web(
     query: str,
     count: int = 5,
     __request__: Request = None,
     __user__: dict = None,
 ) -> str:
     """
-    Search the web for information on a given topic.
+    Search the public web for information. Best for current events, external references,
+    or topics not covered in internal documents. If knowledge base tools are available,
+    consider checking those first for internal information.
 
     :param query: The search query to look up
     :param count: Number of results to return (default: 5)
@@ -162,7 +164,7 @@ async def web_search(
         engine = __request__.app.state.config.WEB_SEARCH_ENGINE
         user = UserModel(**__user__) if __user__ else None
 
-        results = search_web(__request__, engine, query, user)
+        results = _search_web(__request__, engine, query, user)
 
         # Limit results
         results = results[:count] if results else []
@@ -172,7 +174,7 @@ async def web_search(
             ensure_ascii=False,
         )
     except Exception as e:
-        log.exception(f"web_search error: {e}")
+        log.exception(f"search_web error: {e}")
         return json.dumps({"error": str(e)})
 
 
@@ -1416,8 +1418,9 @@ async def query_knowledge_bases(
     __model_knowledge__: list[dict] = None,
 ) -> str:
     """
-    Search knowledge bases using semantic/vector search to find relevant content chunks.
-    Handles collections (KBs), individual files, and notes.
+    Search internal knowledge bases using semantic/vector search. This should be your first
+    choice for finding information before searching the web. Searches across collections (KBs),
+    individual files, and notes that the user has access to.
 
     :param query: The search query to find semantically relevant content
     :param knowledge_ids: Optional list of KB ids to limit search to specific knowledge bases
diff --git a/backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py b/backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py
index c8751bba2..edbf86626 100644
--- a/backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py
+++ b/backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ def get_citation_source_from_tool_result(
     Returns a list of sources (usually one, but query_knowledge_bases may return multiple).
     """
     try:
-        if tool_name == "web_search":
+        if tool_name == "search_web":
             # Parse JSON array: [{"title": "...", "link": "...", "snippet": "..."}]
             results = json.loads(tool_result)
             documents = []
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ def get_citation_source_from_tool_result(
                 })
 
             return [{
-                "source": {"name": "web_search", "id": "web_search"},
+                "source": {"name": "search_web", "id": "search_web"},
                 "document": documents,
                 "metadata": metadata,
             }]
@@ -3233,7 +3233,7 @@ async def process_chat_response(
                         )
 
                         # Extract citation sources from tool results
-                        if tool_function_name in ["web_search", "view_knowledge_file", "query_knowledge_bases"] and tool_result:
+                        if tool_function_name in ["search_web", "view_knowledge_file", "query_knowledge_bases"] and tool_result:
                             try:
                                 citation_sources = get_citation_source_from_tool_result(
                                     tool_name=tool_function_name,
diff --git a/backend/open_webui/utils/tools.py b/backend/open_webui/utils/tools.py
index 8d30b6ee8..75b2b9aea 100644
--- a/backend/open_webui/utils/tools.py
+++ b/backend/open_webui/utils/tools.py
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ from open_webui.env import (
     AIOHTTP_CLIENT_SESSION_TOOL_SERVER_SSL,
 )
 from open_webui.tools.builtin import (
-    web_search,
+    search_web,
     fetch_url,
     generate_image,
     edit_image,
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ def get_builtin_tools(
     if getattr(request.app.state.config, "ENABLE_WEB_SEARCH", False) and get_model_capability(
         "web_search"
     ):
-        builtin_functions.extend([web_search, fetch_url])
+        builtin_functions.extend([search_web, fetch_url])
 
     # Add image generation/edit tools if enabled globally AND model has image_generation capability
     if getattr(