otinstaller · Dark web

Install OnionSearch on Linux in one command

OnionSearch sends a query to a set of dark web search engines over Tor and collects the onion URLs they return into one CSV. It is a search aggregator, not a crawler.

OnionSearch in three lines

pipx install otinstaller
ot install onionsearch
ot run onionsearch -- url:https://example.com

Runs megadose/OnionSearch (GPL-3.0, ★ 1.8k, otinstaller v0.0.4, registry updated Oct 13, 2026). otinstaller installs and runs it; it does not change or verify it.

What OnionSearch is for

Finding onion sites that mention a term, name, or brand.
Seeding TorBot with URLs to crawl.

Typed inputs for OnionSearch

otinstaller translates these prefixes into OnionSearch's own flags. Anything else after -- is passed through unchanged, so every original flag still works.

url:: url · ot run onionsearch -- url:https://example.com

Run every installed tool that takes the same input at once: ot run --all url:https://example.com

Where the results go

Every run lands under ./results/onionsearch/<target>/ as a timestamped output file plus a .meta.json sidecar: the exact command, start and end time, exit code, and the SHA-256 of the output. Group runs with --case, compare the last two with ot diff onionsearch <target>, and pull indicators out with ot extract.

Before you run it

Needs Tor running locally. Pass the query with the original positional argument; q: covers it.

Update, remove, inspect

ot info onionsearch      # inputs, flags, keys
ot example onionsearch   # sample output
ot update onionsearch    # move to the next tested version
ot remove onionsearch    # delete its virtualenv

Full reference for this tool: docs for onionsearch.

Pairs with

TorBot

TorBot crawls an onion site through Tor, collects the links and emails it finds, and can build a tree of the site.

Sitedorks

Sitedorks builds search-engine queries that look for a term across a curated set of sites, such as paste sites, code hosts, and social networks, and opens them in your browser.

Instaloader

Instaloader downloads the public posts, stories, captions, and metadata of an Instagram profile into a folder.

FAQ

OnionSearch with otinstaller, answered

How do I install OnionSearch on Kali or Ubuntu?

Install otinstaller once with pipx install otinstaller, run ot init, then ot install onionsearch. The tool lands in its own virtualenv under ~/.otinstaller/, pinned to a version that was tested on Ubuntu, so nothing touches your system Python. ot doctor flags a missing git or venv module.

Which inputs does OnionSearch take through otinstaller?

url: (url). otinstaller maps each prefix to OnionSearch's own flag. Everything after -- that is not a typed input is passed through unchanged, so the original flags still work.

Where does otinstaller save OnionSearch results?

Under ./results/onionsearch/<target>/ in the folder you run from, as a timestamped output file plus a .meta.json sidecar with the exact command, timing, exit code, and SHA-256. Add --case <name> to group runs, and ot diff onionsearch <target> to compare the last two.

Does OnionSearch need an API key or a login?

No key is required for the basic run. Optional keys, where the project supports them, go in ~/.otinstaller/.env and are passed only to tools that declare them.

Can I run OnionSearch together with other tools?

Yes. ot run --all url:https://example.com runs every installed tool that accepts url input, in parallel, including OnionSearch. Save the combination as a playbook to repeat it.