Actions7
Overview
This node integrates with the Firecrawl API to perform search queries across multiple sources such as web pages, images, and news. It allows users to specify a search query and customize the search parameters including sources, result limits, time-based filters, and request timeouts. The node is useful for scenarios where you want to programmatically gather search results from different content types in a unified way, such as aggregating news articles, fetching images related to a topic, or general web search automation.
Practical examples:
- Automatically retrieving the latest news articles about a specific event.
- Collecting images related to a product for marketing purposes.
- Performing broad web searches and processing the results within an n8n workflow.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Query | The search query string to look up. |
| Sources | Specifies which sources to search from. Options: Web, Images, News. At least one must be selected. |
| Timeout (Ms) | Timeout duration in milliseconds for the API request. |
| Limit | Maximum number of search results to return. Minimum value is 1. |
| Time Based Search | Optional time-based filter parameter to refine search results by date/time. |
| Additional Fields | A collection allowing addition of custom JSON properties to the request body when using a custom body. |
| Use Custom Body | Boolean flag indicating whether to send a fully custom request body instead of the standard parameters. |
Output
The node outputs JSON data containing the search results returned by the Firecrawl API. The structure typically includes metadata about the search and an array of result items corresponding to the requested sources (web, images, news). Each item contains relevant fields depending on the source type, such as URLs, titles, snippets, image links, or publication dates.
If binary data were involved (e.g., images), it would be indicated here, but this node primarily returns JSON search results.
Dependencies
- Requires an API key credential for the Firecrawl API.
- The base URL defaults to
https://api.firecrawl.dev/v2but can be overridden via credentials. - No additional external dependencies are required beyond the API access.
Troubleshooting
- Timeouts: If the request times out, consider increasing the "Timeout (Ms)" property.
- Empty Results: Ensure that the query string is not empty and that at least one source is selected.
- Invalid Custom Body: When using the "Use Custom Body" option, ensure that the JSON provided in "Additional Fields" is valid and matches the API's expected format.
- Authentication Errors: Verify that the API key credential is correctly configured and has necessary permissions.
- Limit Exceeded: If requesting too many results, the API might reject the request or truncate results; keep the "Limit" reasonable.
Links and References
- Firecrawl API Documentation: https://firecrawl.dev/docs/api
- n8n Documentation on Creating Nodes: https://docs.n8n.io/integrations/creating-nodes/