About Morphic 1.6.0 — AI Search Engine With Generative UI
Morphic is an AI-powered search engine with a generative UI. You ask a question, it searches the web, and it answers with citations, but the answer is not limited to plain text: it can render images, grids and headings inline as the response streams in. It is released under the Apache 2.0 licence by miurla.
This page links to GitHub’s source archive of the v1.6.0 release. Bineret did not build Morphic and is not affiliated with it.
What it does
- Cited answers. Grounded in search results, with the sources credited.
- Generative UI. Answers render rich components, such as source-credited images, grids and headings, from a JSON spec streamed alongside the text.
- Two search modes. Quick and Adaptive.
- Your choice of model. It detects which providers you have keys for: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Ollama, Vercel AI Gateway, and any OpenAI-compatible API such as DeepSeek.
- Your choice of search. SearXNG, Tavily, Brave or Exa.
- History and sharing. Chats are stored in PostgreSQL and can be shared through unique URLs.
- File uploads, accounts and guest mode. Supabase Auth for sign-in, or anonymous guest use.
What Docker starts
docker compose up -d starts four services: PostgreSQL 17 with migrations run automatically, Redis, SearXNG as the search engine, and Morphic itself on port
key for at least one model provider, or a local Ollama.
- Because SearXNG is included, no search API key is needed; you only need a
Two things to know before you run it
Docker defaults to anonymous mode. The compose file sets ENABLE_AUTH=false, so anyone who can reach port 3000 can use the app, and every question they ask is paid for with your model API key. Keep it on your own machine or private network, or set up Supabase authentication before exposing it.
The database is optional, but features depend on it. For stateless guest chat you can run without PostgreSQL by setting ENABLE_GUEST_CHAT=true. Without a database there is no chat history, no shareable links, no file upload and no feedback.
What 1.6.0 changed
Released on 17 August 2026. It adds knowledge library notes with paginated loading, uses signed URLs for uploaded files, shows follow-up questions as inline links, and makes the overall daily chat limit configurable. The Langfuse integration moved to the Langfuse JS SDK v5, and several citation bugs were fixed, including domain display for compound top-level domains.
When to use something else
If you want a search answer engine that bundles everything into a single container, Vane is simpler to run. If you want to chat with your own documents rather than the web, AnythingLLM is built for that.
Key capabilities
Answers that are more than text
Morphic streams a JSON spec with each answer, so results can include source-credited images, grids and headings rendered inline, with citations back to the pages it searched.
Search included
Docker Compose starts SearXNG with Redis caching, so no search API key is needed. Tavily, Brave and Exa are there if you prefer a paid search API.
Any provider you have a key for
It detects OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Vercel AI Gateway and OpenAI-compatible providers from your keys, and discovers local Ollama models automatically.
Anonymous by default in Docker
ENABLE_AUTH=false means anyone who reaches port 3000 uses your API keys. Keep it private or set up Supabase authentication before exposing it.
History needs PostgreSQL
Guest chat can run stateless. Chat history, shareable links, file uploads and feedback all need the database, which Docker sets up and migrates for you.
Questions & Answers
Is Morphic free?
Yes, Apache 2.0. The model provider you connect bills you for usage; the bundled SearXNG needs no search API key.
Do I need a database?
Not for stateless guest chat, with ENABLE_GUEST_CHAT=true. Without one there is no chat history, no share links, no file upload and no feedback. Docker Compose sets PostgreSQL up for you.
Is it safe to put on the internet?
Not in its Docker defaults. ENABLE_AUTH=false means anyone who reaches it can run questions on your API keys. Set up Supabase authentication first, or keep it private.
Which search providers can it use?
SearXNG, which Docker includes, or Tavily, Brave or Exa with their own API keys.
Can it use a local model?
Yes. Set OLLAMA_BASE_URL and Ollama's models appear in the selector.
What is the "generative UI"?
Instead of only Markdown, answers can include components such as images with credited sources, grids and headings, built live from a JSON description streamed with the response.
Is Bineret connected to Morphic?
No. This page describes Morphic and links to the source archive GitHub generates for its release tag.
Tutorials
Run with Docker Compose
unzip morphic-1.6.0.zip
cd morphic-1.6.0
cp .env.local.example .env.localOpen .env.local and set a key for at least one model provider, for example OPENAI_API_KEY. Anthropic (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY), Google (GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY), Ollama (OLLAMA_BASE_URL) and Vercel AI Gateway (AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY) work too. Then:
docker compose up -dOpen http://localhost:3000 and pick a model in the selector. Compose starts PostgreSQL 17, Redis, SearXNG and Morphic, and runs the database migrations for you.
The compose file names its image ghcr.io/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY:-your-username/morphic}:latest. If it tries to pull from your-username, set GITHUB_REPOSITORY=miurla/morphic, or build this exact source instead:
docker compose up -d --buildRun without Docker
bun install
cp .env.local.example .env.local
bun devSet a model key and a search provider, such as TAVILY_API_KEY, in .env.local. For history, sharing and uploads, point DATABASE_URL at PostgreSQL and run bun run migrate.
Use a local model
OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434Ollama models are discovered automatically and appear in the model selector.
Use an OpenAI-compatible provider
OPENAI_COMPATIBLE_API_KEY=your-key
OPENAI_COMPATIBLE_API_BASE_URL=https://api.deepseek.com
OPENAI_COMPATIBLE_MODELS=deepseek-chat,deepseek-reasonerBefore anyone else can reach it
Docker runs with ENABLE_AUTH=false, so every visitor uses your API keys. Keep it private, or configure Supabase authentication as described in docs/CONFIGURATION.md.
Support
Where support comes from
Morphic is developed by miurla and contributors. The README, configuration guide and Docker guide cover setup, and bugs go to GitHub issues.
What Bineret covers
This page. If the download link is broken or something written here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it. We do not host Morphic or provide API keys.
No warranty
Apache 2.0 provides the software as-is. Answers are generated from web results, so open the cited sources before relying on an answer.
