# Image search for agents, by text or reference image

> Agents, workflows, and apps can now find real images on the web, described in words or matched to a reference image, each with its source page.

Nov 5, 2026. Topics: Platform, Agents, Developers. https://www.generalinput.com/changelog/2026-11-05-image-search-service

Agents, workflows, and apps can now find real images on the web. Image search is a new built-in service: describe what you want, or hand it a reference image and get back images that look like it, ranked, each with the page it came from. A product mockup can start from the actual product, and a report can show the real thing rather than a generated guess. You pay in credits for whichever provider answers; see [pricing](/pricing). The [developer docs](/developers) cover the request format.

### How it works

- **Just ask in chat.** Ask for a picture of a person, place, or product and the agent runs an image search, shown as an Image Search step, and can send you the image it picks.
- **Search by words or by picture.** Send a description of up to 500 characters, or a reference image as a public https link or as base64, up to 5 MB, and get up to 10 results.
- **Providers in the order you choose.** Text searches try Octen, then Parallel, and move on only when one fails. Admins can change the order in Settings under Built-in services, or turn the service off.
- **Reference images go to Octen.** It is the only provider here that can read one, so those searches skip the others whatever the order, and a search that Octen can't answer says so.
- **Results an agent can use.** Each one carries the image link, its source page so an agent can credit it or check the rights before publishing, and its size when the provider reports it.