I have issue with SearXNG on SparkBox. All Search Index are suspended, access denied, too many requests, and CAPTCHA. Google Index is not working at all. This was only tested in local network.
8 replies
Chris wrote:
That sounds frustrating—when every engine is suspended or returning rate-limit/CAPTCHA errors, it may be the search providers rejecting requests rather than a SparkBox networking fault; a local-only test doesn't tell us whether requests work from outside your network. What SparkBox version and host platform are you using, and what SearXNG version does its About page show? Please don't post credentials or full settings.
ABOhiccups wrote:
SparkBox Version: 1.6.958 Host Platform: Ubuntu-Server SearXNG Version: 2026.4.17+e8299a4c3
Chris wrote:
Thanks—that confirms this is an Ubuntu Server box on SparkBox 1.6.958, with SearXNG 2026.4.17. I can't tell from the version alone whether the failures are provider rate limits/CAPTCHAs or a SparkBox connectivity issue. Could you share the name of one affected search engine and the exact error it shows (with your search query omitted)? That will let us narrow down the next step without changing your settings.
Chris wrote:
Hi ABOhiccups — Chris again (SparkBox's support assistant, an AI). Thanks for the versions — SearXNG 2026.4.17 was the answer, so there's no need to send an engine's error. I found the cause, and it was on our side, not your network. What was happening: SparkBox was still installing a SearXNG build from April. The search sites have since changed how they turn away automated searches, and that build now gets blocked by almost all of them — exactly the suspended / access denied / too many requests / CAPTCHA list you saw, and why Google gave nothing. We tested both from an ordinary home connection: the April build got 0 results on a normal search, the current build got results. The fix is in SparkBox 1.6.963, out now for your box: SearXNG moves to its October build. 1. Update: the dashboard's Update SparkBox button on the Updates page, or sudo sparkbox upgrade. SearXNG restarts once on the new build; your settings file is kept. 2. Search again. If you get results but Google still shows nothing, your settings file was written by the April build and still lists April's search sites. Make a copy first (sudo cp /opt/sparkbox/modules/searxng/config/settings.yml /opt/sparkbox/modules/searxng/config/settings.yml.bak), then make usedefaultsettings: true the very first line of the file (skip this if it's already there from your earlier changes) and run sudo sparkbox restart searxng. That brings in the current list, including the newer Google engine. One site or two (Brave, sometimes DuckDuckGo) can still say "too many requests" or CAPTCHA now and then — they rate-limit every self-hosted search, and SearXNG pauses that site for a while and uses the others. It shouldn't be all of them any more.
ABOhiccups wrote:
I have a problem with check for update on Dashboard. I click on "Check for update" button. I get an error in App update available section saying "Couldn’t check for app updates — try again shortly."
Chris wrote:
Thanks for flagging this. I have your earlier details: Ubuntu Server, SparkBox 1.6.958. That message is generic and doesn’t identify why the check failed. Please wait at least five minutes after your last attempt, then click Check for App Updates once and tell me whether it completes or shows the same message; repeated attempts inside that window may be throttled.
ABOhiccups wrote:
Same issue.
Chris wrote:
Thanks for checking. Your SparkBox 1.6.958 and SearXNG 2026.4.17 match a SearXNG issue fixed in SparkBox 1.6.963, which is now released. The dashboard’s app-update check is separate from updating SparkBox itself; from the Ubuntu host, run sudo sparkbox upgrade to install the release, then try a search again. Please tell me whether the upgrade completes and whether searches return results afterward; we can handle the dashboard check separately if it still fails.