Why Nextcloud AI with OpenAI API cannot access the internet like ChatGPT?

[BSGSemesta]

Hi Nextcloud Everyone,

I would like to report and clarify a limitation regarding Nextcloud AI and OpenAI API.

Case:
I am using Nextcloud AI Assistant with a paid OpenAI API subscription.
However, the AI in Nextcloud cannot access the internet or read external links, unlike ChatGPT (web version).

When I provide a URL or ask a question that requires reading a website, the assistant:

• cannot open the link
• cannot fetch web content
• keeps asking follow-up questions or says it lacks information

This is confusing because:

• I am already paying for OpenAI API
• ChatGPT can browse the web
• But Nextcloud AI behaves very differently

After investigating, I understand that:

• ChatGPT Web ≠ OpenAI API
• OpenAI API does not include web browsing
• Full Text Search (SQL / Elasticsearch) only works on existing Nextcloud files

Questions:

1. Is it officially confirmed that Nextcloud AI cannot access the internet by design?
2. Is there any supported way to enable:
   • URL fetching
   • reading web pages
   • or controlled internet access for AI?
3. Are there plans for an official app, agent, or integration to support this use case?

My use case is simple:
Allow the AI to read a URL provided by the user (on-demand), not full web crawling.

At the moment, the only workaround seems to be:

• manually importing web content into Nextcloud
• or building a custom external middleware

I would appreciate an official clarification from the Nextcloud team.

Thank you.

[Alex_Sam]

Hey, what you’re seeing is expected behavior, and it’s mostly about how these are designed to work.

First, ChatGPT (the website) and the OpenAI API are not the same product. ChatGPT’s web version has extra tools (like browsing) added by OpenAI.

The API, which Nextcloud AI uses, is just a text-in / text-out model by default and cannot access the internet on its own.

Second, Nextcloud AI is designed to be privacy-first. It only works with content you already have in Nextcloud (files, notes, emails, etc.). It does not fetch external URLs because that would mean giving the AI controlled internet access, which has security, privacy, and compliance implications.

So yes, today this is by design.

If you want URL reading, you need either:

An app or plugin that fetches the web page and passes the text to the AI, or

A small middleware service that does this safely.

An official “web fetch” or “agent” feature would make sense, but until Nextcloud ships something like that, manual import or a connector is the only clean solution. Hope you got it.