LiteLLM

Overview

LiteLLM is an SDK and AI gateway that gives 100+ LLM providers one OpenAI-shaped interface. Its Search API does the same for web search backends. Nimble ships as the nimble search provider, built into LiteLLM itself. Calls go to Nimble’s Search API and come back in LiteLLM’s unified search response. No fork, no plugin, no custom adapter. The provider ships in LiteLLM v1.98.0 and later. Pin that floor rather than installing “latest”:

pip install "litellm>=1.98.0"

v1.97.0 shipped without the provider. An existing install that predates v1.98.0 needs an upgrade before search_provider="nimble" resolves.

What this integration covers

This is the Search API only. search_provider: nimble routes to POST /v2/search and nothing else. Extract, Map, Crawl, and the Web Search Agent research product are not reachable through LiteLLM today. To use those, call the Nimble SDK directly or connect the Nimble MCP server.

Quick Start

1. Get a Nimble API key

Get your API key from Nimble’s dashboard (free trial available) and export it:

export NIMBLE_API_KEY="your-api-key"

2. Search from the Python SDK

Call search() with search_provider="nimble":

import os
from litellm import search

os.environ["NIMBLE_API_KEY"] = "your-api-key"

response = search(
    query="latest AI developments",
    search_provider="nimble",
    max_results=5,
)

for result in response.results:
    print(f"{result.title}: {result.url}")
    print(result.snippet)

search_provider is required and has no default. LiteLLM does not pick a search backend for you, so installing the package is not enough to reach Nimble. An async asearch() with the same signature is also available.

3. Or search through the AI Gateway

search_tools:
  - search_tool_name: nimble-search
    litellm_params:
      search_provider: nimble
      api_key: os.environ/NIMBLE_API_KEY

Start the gateway:

litellm --config /path/to/config.yaml

# RUNNING on http://0.0.0.0:4000

Then call the search endpoint. The path segment is the search_tool_name you registered:

curl http://0.0.0.0:4000/v1/search/nimble-search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-1234" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": "latest AI developments",
    "max_results": 5
  }'

Send your LiteLLM virtual key in the Authorization header, not your Nimble key. The gateway holds the Nimble credential server-side, so callers never see it.

Credentials

NIMBLE_API_KEY

Required. Your Nimble API key. The provider reads it from the environment, or you can pass api_key= per call in the SDK and api_key: per search tool in the gateway config.Without it, the provider raises NIMBLE_API_KEY is not set before any request leaves your machine.

NIMBLE_API_BASE

Optional. Overrides the API base. Defaults to https://sdk.nimbleway.com/v2, and the provider appends /search itself. Set it only to point at a proxy or a regional endpoint.

Parameters

LiteLLM maps four unified parameters onto Nimble’s names, then forwards every other parameter to the Search API untouched.

Unified parameters LiteLLM maps

LiteLLM parameter	Sent to Nimble as
`query`	`query`. A list is joined with spaces, since Nimble takes one string.
`max_results`	`max_results`, unclamped. Nimble validates the 1 to 100 range and reports the error.
`country`	`country`, upper-cased to the ISO-2 form Nimble expects.
`search_domain_filter`	`include_domains`, with `-`-prefixed hosts going to `exclude_domains`.
`max_tokens_per_page`	Dropped. Nimble has no equivalent.

Passing Nimble’s own include_domains or exclude_domains overrides anything derived from search_domain_filter.

Nimble parameters passed straight through

Anything LiteLLM does not recognize goes into the request body as-is, so Nimble’s full parameter surface stays reachable. The values below are what the Search API accepts. LiteLLM does not validate them, so it is not the source of truth for allowed values.

response = search(
    query="latest tech news",
    search_provider="nimble",
    max_results=5,
    focus="general",
    search_depth="deep",
    time_range="week",
    output_format="markdown",
)

Parameter	Accepted values
`focus`	`general` (default), `news`, `location`, `coding`, `academic`, `geo`, `shopping`, `social`. Also takes a list of explicit Extract Template names.
`search_depth`	`lite`, `fast`, `deep`. Some focus modes accept only `lite` and `deep`: see Focus Modes.
`time_range`	`hour`, `day`, `week`, `month`, `year`. Cannot be combined with `start_date` or `end_date`.
`start_date` / `end_date`	`YYYY-MM-DD` or `YYYY`.
`output_format`	`plain_text`, `markdown` (default), `simplified_html`.
`content_type`	A list, never a string: `["pdf"]`, `["documents", "spreadsheets"]`. Only valid with `focus="general"`.
`locale`	Language code such as `en`, `fr`, `de`. Defaults to `en`.
`max_subagents`	1 to 10. Applies to the `shopping`, `social`, and `geo` focus modes.

Full reference: Search API.

Cost tracking on the gateway

nimble/search is priced in LiteLLM’s own model cost map, so Nimble spend lands in LiteLLM’s spend logs and dashboard alongside your model spend. No extra configuration is needed. LiteLLM’s figure is an estimate, not your invoice. It applies one flat per-query rate to every search, which does not model how Nimble bills:

Nimble prices Search by search_depth, and lite costs less per search than fast. LiteLLM charges the same figure for both.
search_depth="deep" adds a live extraction surcharge on top, billed at Extract rates for each page scraped in real time.
Volume plans price differently from pay-as-you-go.

See Pricing for the authoritative rates.

Additional Resources

Nimble on LiteLLM

The provider reference in LiteLLM’s own documentation.

Nimble Search API

Every parameter the provider can forward, with accepted values.

Search

Focus modes, search depth, and filtering explained.

Nimble MCP Server

Reach Extract, Map, and Crawl, which LiteLLM does not cover.

Agent Skills

MCP Server

Partnerships

Connectors

Proxy

Overview

What this integration covers

Quick Start

1. Get a Nimble API key

2. Search from the Python SDK

3. Or search through the AI Gateway

Credentials

Parameters

Cost tracking on the gateway

Additional Resources

Nimble on LiteLLM

Nimble Search API

Search

Nimble MCP Server

​Overview

​What this integration covers

​Quick Start

​1. Get a Nimble API key

​2. Search from the Python SDK

​3. Or search through the AI Gateway

​Credentials

​Parameters

​Cost tracking on the gateway

​Additional Resources

Nimble on LiteLLM

Nimble Search API

Search

Nimble MCP Server

Overview

What this integration covers

Quick Start

1. Get a Nimble API key

2. Search from the Python SDK

3. Or search through the AI Gateway

Credentials

Parameters

Cost tracking on the gateway

Additional Resources