Finding information online is one of the most common tasks of the day for everyone. It usually goes like this: open the browser, type a search query, read the results and click through links, filter out the junk and clutter, close the app, and get back to what you were doing. When there are a lot of these searches in a day, it starts to grate — you keep having to open a search engine.
The Web Search module in VELA's AI assistant handles this right in Telegram. No jumping between apps — it all happens where you already are. Just ask in the chat, and the AI assistant replies with up-to-date information from the web.
What the module does and which plan it's on
The Web Search module is available on every plan — Basic and Pro. Nothing to buy or upgrade: it's part of the AI assistant's basic free set.
What the AI assistant can do through this module:
Search the web for any query — news, facts, current events
Open a specific link and read the page's content
Up-to-date information — the data is fresh, not outdated
An important nuance: the AI assistant doesn't always search the web automatically for every question. A search runs only when you explicitly ask it to find something, or when your question requires current, accurate information. This is deliberate — so the AI assistant handles ordinary questions from its own knowledge, which makes its answers faster.
How the module works
The Web Search module is part of the free Basic plan and is active right after you register your bot on the VELA platform — nothing to turn on separately. The module also works on Pro.
How to use it: example requests
You can talk to the AI assistant in plain text — no slash commands, no canned templates. Just write what you want to find.
A few examples:
"find news about Anthropic this week"
"what's being discussed about bitcoin right now"
"find the latest inflation data for the US"
"read this article: https://..."
"open the link and tell me what it says"
"find the official site of X and check their prices"
"what are people saying about the new iPhone"
If you need to open a specific page — just paste the URL in the message and ask the AI assistant to read it. It loads the content and returns a brief or full summary — depending on your request.
This is handy, for example, when you need to read a long article: instead of scrolling through it yourself, ask the AI assistant to pull out the key points.
By voice
You don't have to type. The AI assistant recognizes voice messages and handles them just like text.
Send a voice note: "find news about the S&P 500" or "what are people saying about the dollar exchange rate today" — the AI assistant transcribes the speech and returns an up-to-date answer in text. It works for any search query.
Handy when there's no time to type, or you just don't feel like phrasing the query out.
What the module can't do — honestly
So nothing catches you off guard:
Not automatic. The AI assistant doesn't monitor the web in the background or send updates on its own. Only on your explicit request. If you need automatic price monitoring, for example, that's the Price Alerts module, available on Pro.
No access to pages behind a login. Private accounts, paid materials, pages you have to sign in to — it won't open them.
Doesn't click or fill out forms. The AI assistant reads page content but doesn't control pages — it can't press a button, enter data in a form, or pass a captcha.
No saved search history. Results of a previous search live only in the current conversation's context. If you start a new session, previous results aren't available (unless long-term memory is on — it's available on both plans).
A daily limit on reading pages. On Basic — up to 3 pages a day; on Pro — up to 5.
Why it's easier than opening a browser
Every time you need to find something — it's using a browser or a separate app, like Perplexity or ChatGPT.
With the Web Search module, the query and the answer stay in one place — in the chat with the AI assistant in Telegram. The context isn't lost: you can clarify right there, rephrase, or ask it to read a specific link from the results — all in one conversation.
If you already use the AI assistant for weather, reminders, or asset prices — web search fits naturally into that list. No need to switch to other apps.
FAQ
Do I need a paid plan for web search? No. The Web Search module is available on Basic — free forever, no card required. It's a basic capability of the AI assistant, included in the standard set of modules.
Does the AI assistant search the web for every question? No. A search runs only on an explicit request: when you write "find," "search," "what are people saying about...," or paste a specific URL. Ordinary questions (except those where an error isn't acceptable) the AI assistant handles from its own knowledge — that's faster.
Can I ask it to read a specific article by link? Yes. Paste the URL in the message and write "read it" or "tell me what's there." The AI assistant loads the page and returns the content. It works with most sites. On Basic — up to 3 pages a day; on Pro — up to 5.
How do I set up a Telegram bot to use this module? Signing up at velabot.io takes about 5 minutes: you create a bot via @BotFather in Telegram, get a token, and paste it when registering on the VELA site. The module activates right away — and you can start using it.