DuckDuckGo by default; Brave, Tavily, or SearXNG if you set them

The native agent gets a web_search tool when the request needs current information (versions, docs, news, facts). It returns titles, URLs and snippets; web_fetch then reads a result URL as text. A live page that has to run JavaScript is Looking at a page, not this.

DuckDuckGo is the keyless default. dgc setup or /search picks another backend.

• /search — show the current provider.
• /search duckduckgo — keyless HTML search.
• /search brave · /search tavily — prompts for an API key (masked). The value lives in ~/.dgc/secrets.json or DGC_SEARCH_API_KEY, never in config.json.
• /search searxng <url> — a self-hosted instance. search_url in config is that base URL.

search_timeout bounds the request (1–60 seconds). Queries leave this machine for the chosen provider; treat that like any other web request.

Adaptive tool_profile offers web_search when the prompt is about looking something up. tool_profile: full offers it every turn. Plan mode allows it. Subscription CLIs use their own search, not DGC's.