samnodehiDuckDuckGo Search Node for n8n
A powerful and comprehensive n8n community node that seamlessly integrates DuckDuckGo search capabilities into your workflows. Search the web, find images, discover news, and explore videos - all with privacy-focused, reliable results.
✨ Features
🤖 AI Agent Integration (New in v31.0.0)
- Agent Tool Support: Use as a tool in n8n AI Agent workflows
- LLM-Optimized: Clean interface designed for AI agent consumption
- Structured Output: Predictable format perfect for downstream AI processing
- Production-Ready: Enterprise-grade reliability for agent workloads
- Enable: Set
N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ALLOW_TOOL_USAGE=trueenvironment variable
🛡️ Advanced Reliability System (New in v31.0.0)
- Adaptive Backoff: Automatically backs off on consecutive empty results
- Jittered Delays: Prevents thundering herd in parallel execution
- Circuit Breaker: Automatic failure detection and recovery
- Retry Logic: Configurable retries with exponential backoff
- Metrics Tracking: Monitor performance, failures, and circuit state
🔍 Complete Search Coverage
- Web Search: Comprehensive web search with rich content extraction
- Image Search: High-quality image discovery with metadata
- News Search: Real-time news from diverse sources worldwide
- Video Search: Video content discovery across multiple platforms
🚀 Advanced Capabilities
- Smart Query Processing: Intelligent query enhancement and optimization
- Rich Results: Complete metadata including titles, descriptions, sources, and dates
- Multiple Formats: Support for various content types and file formats
- Language Support: 50+ language and region combinations
- Search Operators: Advanced search syntax (
site:,intitle:,filetype:, etc.) - Safe Search: Configurable content filtering options
🛡️ Privacy & Performance
- No API Keys Required: Completely free to use without registration
- Privacy-Focused: No user tracking or data collection
- High Performance: Optimized for speed and reliability under load
- Error Handling: Robust error recovery and retry mechanisms
- Rate Limiting: Intelligent protection against overuse
📦 Installation
Via npm
npm install n8n-nodes-duckduckgo-searchVia n8n Interface
- Go to Settings → Community Nodes
- Enter:
n8n-nodes-duckduckgo-search - Click Install
- Restart n8n if required
🚀 Quick Start
Standard Usage
- Add Node: Drag the DuckDuckGo Search node into your workflow
- Choose Operation: Select Web, Image, News, or Video search
- Enter Query: Type your search terms
- Configure Options: Set result limits, language, and filters
- Execute: Run your workflow and get results!
AI Agent Usage
Use DuckDuckGo Search as a tool in AI Agent workflows for intelligent, autonomous search:
- Enable Community Tools: Set environment variable
N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ALLOW_TOOL_USAGE=true - Add AI Agent: Create an AI Agent node in your workflow
- Connect Tool: Add DuckDuckGo Search node as a tool to your agent
- Configure: The agent will automatically use the search tool when needed
- Run: Let your AI agent autonomously search and process results
The node provides clean, structured output optimized for LLM consumption with automatic handling of parallel requests and rate limits.
🔧 Usage Examples
Web Search
{
"operation": "search",
"query": "artificial intelligence trends 2025",
"webSearchOptions": {
"maxResults": 20,
"region": "us-en",
"safeSearch": 1
}
}Sample Output:
[
{
"title": "AI Trends 2025: What to Expect",
"url": "https://example.com/ai-trends-2025",
"description": "Comprehensive overview of artificial intelligence trends...",
"hostname": "example.com"
}
]Image Search
{
"operation": "searchImages",
"imageQuery": "sunset mountains landscape",
"imageSearchOptions": {
"maxResults": 15,
"safeSearch": 1,
"size": "large",
"color": "color",
"type": "photo"
}
}Sample Output:
[
{
"title": "Beautiful Mountain Sunset",
"url": "https://example.com/mountain-sunset.jpg",
"thumbnail": "https://example.com/thumb.jpg",
"height": 1080,
"width": 1920,
"source": "Photography Site"
}
]News Search
{
"operation": "searchNews",
"newsQuery": "renewable energy breakthrough",
"newsSearchOptions": {
"maxResults": 10,
"region": "us-en",
"safeSearch": 1,
"timePeriod": "d"
}
}Sample Output:
[
{
"title": "Major Breakthrough in Solar Energy Efficiency",
"url": "https://news.example.com/solar-breakthrough",
"description": "Scientists announce 40% efficiency improvement...",
"publishedDate": "2025-06-29",
"source": "Tech News Daily"
}
]Video Search
{
"operation": "searchVideos",
"videoQuery": "machine learning tutorial",
"videoSearchOptions": {
"maxResults": 12,
"safeSearch": 1,
"duration": "medium",
"resolution": "high"
}
}Sample Output:
[
{
"title": "Complete Machine Learning Tutorial",
"url": "https://video.example.com/ml-tutorial",
"thumbnail": "https://video.example.com/thumb.jpg",
"duration": "15:30",
"publishedDate": "2025-06-20",
"views": "125000",
"source": "Educational Channel"
}
]⚙️ Configuration Options
Reliability Settings (New in v31.0.0)
Advanced reliability features for production workloads:
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Reliability | true | Master switch for all reliability features |
| Empty Result Threshold | 3 | Consecutive empty results before backoff |
| Initial Backoff | 1000ms | Starting backoff delay |
| Max Backoff | 30000ms | Maximum backoff delay |
| Min Jitter | 100ms | Minimum random delay |
| Max Jitter | 500ms | Maximum random delay |
| Failure Threshold | 5 | Failures before circuit opens |
| Circuit Reset Timeout | 60000ms | Time before retry after circuit opens |
| Max Retries | 3 | Maximum retry attempts |
| Retry Delay | 1000ms | Base delay between retries |
Search Types
| Operation | Description | Max Results |
|---|---|---|
| Web Search | General web content search | 1-50 |
| Image Search | Image and visual content discovery | 1-50 |
| News Search | News articles and current events | 1-50 |
| Video Search | Video content from various platforms | 1-50 |
Common Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
query |
string | Search terms | Required |
maxResults |
number | Number of results to return | 10 |
region |
string | Language/region code (us-en, de-de, etc.) | us-en |
safeSearch |
number | Safe search level (0=off, 1=moderate, 2=strict) | 1 |
Advanced Options
Web Search Options
- timePeriod: Filter by time range (d, w, m, y)
- searchOperators: Use advanced search operators
- useSearchOperators: Enable operator parsing
Image Search Options
- size: Image size (small, medium, large, wallpaper)
- color: Color filter (color, monochrome, red, orange, etc.)
- type: Image type (photo, clipart, gif, transparent)
- layout: Image layout (square, tall, wide)
News Search Options
- timePeriod: Time range for news (d, w, m, y)
- sortBy: Sort order (date, relevance)
Video Search Options
- duration: Video length (short, medium, long)
- resolution: Video quality (high, standard)
- publishedTime: When published (d, w, m, y)
🔍 Advanced Search Operators
Use powerful search operators to refine your results:
| Operator | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
site: |
site:github.com |
Search within specific site |
filetype: |
filetype:pdf |
Find specific file types |
intitle: |
intitle:"machine learning" |
Search in page titles |
inurl: |
inurl:tutorial |
Search in URLs |
"exact phrase" |
"artificial intelligence" |
Exact phrase matching |
-exclude |
python -snake |
Exclude specific terms |
OR |
cat OR dog |
Either term |
Example with operators:
{
"query": "site:github.com filetype:md machine learning",
"useSearchOperators": true
}🌍 Supported Languages & Regions
The node supports 50+ language and region combinations:
- English: us-en, uk-en, au-en, ca-en, etc.
- Spanish: es-es, mx-es, ar-es, etc.
- French: fr-fr, ca-fr, ch-fr
- German: de-de, at-de, ch-de
- And many more: ja-jp, zh-cn, ru-ru, pt-br, it-it, nl-nl, etc.
💡 Use Cases
Content Marketing
- Research trending topics and keywords
- Find images for blog posts and social media
- Monitor news about your industry
- Discover video content for inspiration
Data Analysis
- Gather web content for analysis
- Build datasets from search results
- Monitor brand mentions and sentiment
- Track competitor content strategies
Research & Development
- Academic research and literature review
- Technical documentation discovery
- Industry trend analysis
- Competitive intelligence gathering
Automation Workflows
- Automated content curation
- News monitoring and alerts
- Image collection for projects
- SEO research and optimization
🛠️ Workflow Integration
Input Parameters
All search operations accept standardized input parameters that can be:
- Hard-coded in the node configuration
- Passed dynamically from previous workflow steps
- Combined with expressions and variables
Output Structure
Results are returned as structured JSON arrays with consistent formatting:
- Standardized fields across all search types
- Rich metadata for comprehensive analysis
- Clean, parsed content ready for further processing
Error Handling
Robust error handling provides:
- Descriptive error messages for troubleshooting
- Graceful failure handling to prevent workflow breaks
- Retry mechanisms for temporary issues
- Input validation to catch configuration errors
📊 Performance & Limits
Advanced Reliability (v31.0.0)
- Adaptive Backoff: Automatic delay adjustment based on response patterns
- Circuit Breaker: Prevents cascading failures with automatic recovery
- Jittered Delays: Randomized timing prevents thundering herd
- Retry Logic: Exponential backoff with configurable attempts
- Metrics Tracking: Real-time monitoring of performance and failures
Rate Limiting
- Built-in protection against overuse
- Intelligent delay mechanisms between requests
- Configurable retry logic for failed requests
- Circuit breaking for automatic failure handling
Result Limits
- Web Search: Up to 50 results per request
- Image Search: Up to 50 images per request
- News Search: Up to 50 articles per request
- Video Search: Up to 50 videos per request
Performance Tips
- Use specific queries for better, faster results
- Set appropriate result limits for your use case
- Leverage caching for repeated searches
- Use search operators to narrow results efficiently
- Enable reliability features for production workloads
- Monitor circuit breaker state in high-volume scenarios
🔒 Privacy & Security
Privacy-First Design
- No user tracking or data collection
- No API keys required - completely free
- Direct DuckDuckGo integration without third-party services
- Secure HTTP client configuration
Data Handling
- Minimal data retention - results processed and returned immediately
- No persistent storage of search queries or results
- Clean HTTP requests without unnecessary headers or tracking
🆘 Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Empty Results
- Check your search query for typos
- Try broader search terms
- Verify region/language settings
- Ensure safe search settings are appropriate
Slow Performance
- Reduce the number of results requested
- Use more specific search queries
- Check your network connection
- Consider using search operators to narrow results
Configuration Errors
- Verify all required parameters are provided
- Check parameter data types and formats
- Ensure region codes are valid
- Validate search operator syntax
📚 API Reference
Node Properties
Required Parameters
operation: The search operation to performquery: The search terms (varies by operation type)
Optional Parameters
maxResults: Number of results to return (1-50)region: Language/region codesafeSearch: Safe search filtering level- Additional operation-specific options
Output Format
All operations return an array of result objects with operation-specific fields but consistent structure for easy processing in your workflows.
🤝 Support & Contributing
Getting Help
- Documentation: This README covers most use cases
- GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
- Community: Join the n8n community for discussions
Contributing
This is an open-source project. Contributions are welcome:
- Bug Reports: Help us improve reliability
- Feature Requests: Suggest new capabilities
- Code Contributions: Submit pull requests
- Documentation: Help improve guides and examples
📄 License
MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
Ready to get started? Install the node and begin searching with DuckDuckGo's powerful, privacy-focused search capabilities in your n8n workflows today!