Web Search Tool

Run real-time, AI-powered web searches—directly within Phacet.

The Web Search Tool interprets natural language search instruction to perform targeted online queries that enrich rows with live data, validate external facts, or classify unknown terms. Each result includes clickable source links, so you can verify where the answer comes from.

It combines the flexibility of LLMs with built-in traceability, making external data both trustworthy and auditable.

🧾 Real-Life Examples

🔗 Web Search and Column Types

The Web Search tool works with Text, Single Select, Multi Select, and JSON columns, automatically adapting its output format to match your column settings.

• Text → returns short summaries or descriptions
• Single/Multi Select → maps results to predefined tags
• JSON → returns structured fields based on your schema

Examples:

• Text: “Stripe is a payment processor for online businesses.”
• Single Select: “Category = Finance”
• JSON: ("active": true, "country": "FR", "sector": "Payments" )

These use cases show how Web Search can complement Matching, Collection, or internal AI tools—especially when data is missing, unknown, or out of date.

⚙️ How to Set Up the Web Search Tool

Web Search is activated as an AI (LLM) tool inside supported columns.

Step 1 – Add a Column

1. Click “+ Add Column”
2. Choose the desired Column Type — Text, JSON, Single Select, or Multi Select
3. Under Tool, select Web Search

Step 2 – Write Instructions

In the Instructions field, define your search goal using clear language.

🌐

Using other columns as context

Web Search can take values from other fields to focus or specialize the query. Just reference the other columns using @

Supported input types for context: Text, Single Select / Multi Select or JSON

Only the value of the cell is passed to the model—no metadata or column label.

Prompt examples

Text

Search the web to identify the VAT number of @CompanyName.

Single Select

Based on @EntityName, select the correct accounting category.

JSON

From @SupplierName, search for { "country", "active", "industry" }.

Step 3 – Generate Values

1. Click Save & Generate Values
2. Web Search runs row by row
3. Web Search responses appear in the column

You can regenerate if the results need refining.

📊 Output Behavior

Each cell contains:

• The AI-synthesized result
• A tooltip allowing you to access an expandable panel listing the source links

Results are treated like any other column value:

• You can sort them
• Reference them in other columns (e.g. Matching, Python Tool)

🔍 Reviewing sources for Traceability

Phacet automatically attaches source links used in the Web Search result.

Hover or click the source icon to preview the pages the AI referenced.

This ensures you can:

• Validate if the AI response is trustworthy
• Trace back information in case of audit or compliance reviews
• Understand when AI cited outdated information

🔗 Web Search results are transparent by design—enabling review, not just automation.

💳 Credit Usage

Each Web Search action consumes AI credits, just like standard AI Tool operations.

• Credit usage depends on prompt complexity and result size
• There is no extra cost to preview or review sources

⚠️ If credits run out, Web Search columns won’t run until the next renewal or credit top-up.

🔧 Tips to Improve Results

💡 Start with narrow, well-scoped prompts

• Don’t ask broad questions like “Tell me about this company.”
• Be specific:“What are the revenues of @SupplierName in 2025?”

💡 Chain Web Search with Matching or AI Tool for refinement

• For example, use Web Search to get a raw description → AI Tool to clean the label.

📘 Glossary