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Web search

Web search lets a chat model look up current information before answering instead of relying only on its training data. MirAPI exposes it through the web_search tool (plus web_search_options on the OpenAI protocol), and only on models marked web-search capable in the catalogue.

How web search works

Section titled “How web search works”

Web search runs as a tool call inside an ordinary chat request:

  1. You add the web search tool to the request.
  2. The model decides whether it needs fresh information and, if so, issues a search query.
  3. MirAPI executes the search and returns the results into the conversation.
  4. The model composes an answer from those results, citing sources where the model supports them.

OpenAI protocol

Section titled “OpenAI protocol”

On the OpenAI-compatible Responses API, enable search with the web_search tool or the web_search_options field:

import os
from openai import OpenAI


client = OpenAI(base_url="https://api.mirapi.ai/v1", api_key=os.environ["MIRAPI_API_KEY"])


response = client.responses.create(
    model="deepseek-chat",
    input="What did MirAPI announce this week?",
    tools=[{"type": "web_search"}],
)


print(response.output_text)

Both forms turn on search; use whichever your client makes easier.

Anthropic protocol

Section titled “Anthropic protocol”

On the Anthropic Messages API, pass the web_search tool in the tools array:

{
  "model": "deepseek-chat",
  "max_tokens": 1024,
  "tools": [
    {
      "type": "web_search"
    }
  ],
  "messages": [
    {
      "role": "user",
      "content": "What is the latest release of Claude Code?"
    }
  ]
}

The model calls the tool when it decides a search is needed, and MirAPI returns the results as tool content for the model to synthesize.

Billing

Section titled “Billing”

Web search is billed on two lines:

  • Per search — each executed search is charged as a search event.
  • Tokens — the search results are fed back into the context and billed as ordinary input tokens; the model’s final answer is billed as output tokens.

Both lines appear separately in the console billing log and in GET /api/log/token, so you can tell how much of a request’s cost was search versus model tokens.

Model support

Section titled “Model support”

Web search is not universal. It works only on models whose catalogue entry lists the web search capability:

  • Check the catalogue at https://console.mirapi.ai or with GET /v1/models, and look at each model’s supported_parameters before relying on search.
  • Send one test request and inspect the response for search citations or sources.
  • Do not assume a model can search just because it supports tool calling; web search is a distinct capability.
  • MirAPI never silently swaps in a different model. If the model cannot search, the request fails — pick a capable model instead.

Errors and troubleshooting

Section titled “Errors and troubleshooting”
  • 401 — the API key is missing, invalid, or unknown. Fix your credentials.
  • 403 — the key is valid but rejected (for example, an empty balance). Resolve the cause and retry; balance-based rejections recover immediately after top-up.
  • 429 — rate limited. Retry with jittered exponential backoff (1s → 2s → 4s, capped at ~30s). MirAPI sends no Retry-After header.
  • 5xx — the model’s channels are unavailable. Retry; idempotent requests are safe to retry.

Every error message ends with a request ID — include it when you open a support ticket.

Section titled “Related links”