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Dragon edited this page Dec 23, 2025 · 3 revisions

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 12/22/2025

General Questions

What is NaviDuck?

NaviDuck is an enhanced CLI (Command Line Interface) browser with working search functionality and AI integration. It allows you to browse the web, search multiple engines, and get AI-powered answers directly from your terminal.

Is it really a browser?

Yes, but not in the traditional GUI sense. It's a text-based browser that displays web content in your terminal, similar to how Lynx or w3m work, but with modern features like AI assistance and multiple search engines.

Is this free to use?

Yes! NaviDuck is completely free and open-source under the MIT license. You can use it, modify it, and distribute it freely.

Who created NaviDuck?

NaviDuck was created by DAPOWER99 (also known as Dragon) on GitHub. The project is actively maintained and welcomes community contributions.

Installation & Setup

How do I install NaviDuck?

Simply download the main.py file and run it with Python 3.8 or higher:

python main.py

What are the system requirements?

  • Python: 3.8 or higher
  • Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux
  • Dependencies: Only requests is required
  • Optional: Nerd Fonts for enhanced icons, colorama for better colors

Why does it say "Nerd Font icons" but I see emoji?

You can toggle between Nerd Font icons and emoji in the settings. Go to settings → option 3. Nerd Fonts provide more detailed icons but require special fonts installed.

How do I get the icons to display correctly?

Install a Nerd Font from nerdfonts.com and set it as your terminal font. Popular choices include Fira Code, Hack, or Cascadia Code with Nerd Font patches.

Search & Browsing

Why is Brave the default search engine?

Brave Search is set as default because it's less likely to trigger CAPTCHA compared to other engines. You can change this in settings at any time.

How do I search for something?

There are several ways:

  • s python tutorial - Quick search
  • search wikipedia machine learning - Search with specific engine
  • Just type your query: weather london

Why do I sometimes get "CAPTCHA detected"?

Some search engines (especially Google) detect automated requests and show CAPTCHA challenges. NaviDuck automatically detects this and switches to an alternative engine.

Can I use my own search engine?

Currently, you can only use the built-in engines: Brave, DuckDuckGo (HTML and API), Google, and Wikipedia. More engines may be added in future versions.

How do I open a webpage?

  • go https://example.com - View in NaviDuck
  • open https://example.com - Open in your system browser
  • open 1 - Open the first result from your last search

Why does some web content look strange?

NaviDuck extracts and displays the textual content of webpages, stripping away HTML, JavaScript, and styling. This is normal for CLI browsers.

AI Features

What can NavAI do?

NavAI can answer questions by:

  • Searching the web for real answers
  • Using DuckDuckGo's Instant Answer API
  • Providing definitions and factual information
  • Handling greetings and simple queries

Is NavAI using ChatGPT or similar?

No, NavAI doesn't use large language models. It provides real answers by searching the web and parsing results, making it more accurate for current information.

How do I ask NavAI questions?

Use the ai command:

ai what is python?
ai who created linux?
ai how does dns work?

Can NavAI browse the web for me?

Yes! When you ask a question, NavAI searches multiple sources and summarizes the information for you.

Privacy & Security

Does NaviDuck track my searches?

No. All searches are performed directly between your computer and the search engines. No data is sent to NaviDuck servers because there aren't any.

Are my bookmarks and history stored locally?

Yes, everything is stored in ~/.naviduck_data.json on your local machine only.

Can I use Tor with NaviDuck?

Yes! Use tor start to enable Tor routing. This is useful for privacy or accessing onion sites. Note: You need to have Tor installed separately.

What information is sent to search engines?

Only your search query and standard HTTP headers (like User-Agent) are sent. No personal information is included.

Is it safe to browse random websites?

Exercise the same caution as with any browser. NaviDuck doesn't execute JavaScript or load external resources, which provides some protection, but malicious content could still be dangerous.

Technical Issues

Why do I get "requests library not installed"?

Install the required dependency:

pip install requests

Tor won't start on Windows

Ensure Tor is installed and the path is correct. By default, NaviDuck looks for Tor at:

D:\APPS&DATA\Tor Browser\Browser\TorBrowser\Tor\tor.exe

You can modify the path in the code if needed.

The colors don't work on my terminal

Install colorama for better color support:

pip install colorama

Or check your terminal's color support settings.

I'm getting encoding errors

Run NaviDuck with UTF-8 encoding:

python -X utf8 main.py

The program freezes during searches

Press Ctrl+X to exit immediately. You can also adjust timeouts in the configuration file.

How do I reset everything?

Delete the configuration and data files:

# Linux/macOS
rm ~/.naviduck_config.json ~/.naviduck_data.json 
# optional for deleting harmless tag (the file may not exist on some computers)
rm ~/.naviduck

# Windows
del %USERPROFILE%\.naviduck_config.json
del %USERPROFILE%\.naviduck_data.json
# optional for deleting harmless tag (the file may not exist on some computers)
del %USERPROFILE%\.naviduck

Features & Usage

How do I bookmark a page?

When viewing a page, press b and enter a title. Or from search results, press b to bookmark the first result.

Can I export my bookmarks?

Currently, bookmarks are stored in JSON format in ~/.naviduck_data.json. You can manually copy this file or extract the bookmarks array.

How do I see my browsing history?

Use the history command. You can select entries to revisit them.

What's the difference between go and open?

  • go displays the page content within NaviDuck
  • open launches the page in your system's default browser

Can I search multiple engines at once?

Not simultaneously, but you can quickly try different engines:

search google python
search ddg python
search brave python

How do I change the number of search results?

Currently fixed at 10 results per search. This may be configurable in future versions.

Performance

Why are searches sometimes slow?

Several factors can affect speed:

  • Network latency
  • Search engine response times
  • CAPTCHA detection and engine switching
  • Complex page parsing

Does it cache search results?

Yes, recent results are cached to improve performance on repeated searches.

How much memory does it use?

Typically 30-50MB, depending on your history size and cached data.

Can I run it on a Raspberry Pi?

Yes, NaviDuck should run on any system that supports Python 3.8+. Performance may vary based on the hardware.

Advanced Usage

Can I script NaviDuck?

Not directly, but you could create wrapper scripts that feed commands to it. The single-file architecture makes it easy to modify for specific use cases.

How do I contribute to development?

Visit the GitHub repository, fork the project, and submit pull requests. Check the contribution guidelines in the README.

Is there an API?

Not currently. NaviDuck is designed as an interactive CLI tool.

Can I customize the colors?

Yes, edit the Colors class in the code. Each color code corresponds to ANSI escape sequences.

How do I add custom search engines?

You would need to modify the SEARCH_ENGINES dictionary in the code and add parsing logic for the new engine's response format.

Troubleshooting

"No results found" but the website works

Some websites block automated requests. Try:

  1. Using a different search engine
  2. Enabling Tor (tor start)
  3. Waiting a few minutes before retrying

Icons show as weird symbols

You're seeing Nerd Font icons without the proper font installed. Either install a Nerd Font or switch to emoji mode in settings.

Ctrl+X doesn't work immediately

During network operations, there may be a brief delay before the interrupt is processed. Keep pressing it or wait a moment.

Configuration changes aren't saving

Check file permissions. The config file needs write permissions for your user.

"ModuleNotFoundError" for colorama

Either install colorama or remove/comment out the colorama imports and usage. NaviDuck will work without it, just with basic colors.

Tor starts but searches still fail

Make sure the search engine supports Tor. Some engines may block Tor exit nodes.

Future Features

What's coming in the next version?

Check the GitHub repository for the roadmap. Planned features include:

  • Image search support
  • More search engines
  • Enhanced AI capabilities
  • Plugin system

Can I request a feature?

Yes! Open an issue on GitHub with your feature request. Community feedback helps guide development.

Will there be a GUI version?

Possibly in the future, but the focus remains on the CLI version for now.

Is mobile support planned?

Not currently, but the codebase could potentially run on mobile Python implementations.

Miscellaneous

Why "NaviDuck"?

The name combines "Navigation" with "Duck" (Which as stated From the creator is his Favorites type of bird), reflecting its browsing and search capabilities.

Can I use it for web scraping?

While possible, please respect websites' terms of service and robots.txt files. NaviDuck is designed for personal browsing, not large-scale scraping.

Is there a community or forum?

Currently, discussions happen on GitHub Issues. A dedicated community space may be created if there's sufficient interest.

How do I report bugs?

Open an issue on GitHub with:

  1. What you were trying to do
  2. What happened
  3. What you expected to happen
  4. Your operating system and Python version

Can I donate to support development?

Check the GitHub repository for donation information if available. The best support is contributing code, testing, or documentation.

Quick Tips

Most Useful Commands

  • s [query] - Quick search
  • ai [question] - Ask NavAI
  • open # - Open search result
  • history - Browse history
  • tor start - Enable privacy mode

Time Savers

  • Just type queries without commands
  • Use open 1-5 for quick result access
  • b bookmarks from page view
  • Ctrl+X quits immediately

Best Practices

  1. Use Brave as default to avoid CAPTCHA
  2. Enable Tor for sensitive searches
  3. Regularly check history to revisit useful finds
  4. Use open for complex sites that need JavaScript

Still have questions? Open an issue on GitHub or check the documentation for more details.

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