CYBERSIDE.AITHE PRACTICAL AI COMMAND CENTER
Administrator guide • Keep the key server-side

Research Agent Setup Guide

Connect the Research Agent to OpenAI’s Responses API, keep the API key private, and run a safe launch test on your InterServer-hosted site.

🔐 Key stays on your server🧭 DirectAdmin friendly🧪 Includes launch test
Launch Research Agent →← Back to AI Agents
Before launch

What you need

  • Your updated CYBERSIDE.AI website package uploaded to your InterServer hosting account.
  • An OpenAI API account with billing and API access enabled.
  • An OpenAI API key. Treat it like a master key for billable access—never place it in page HTML, JavaScript, screenshots, or public downloads.
  • PHP cURL enabled for your domain’s selected PHP version. This is usually enabled on InterServer.
✅ The website is designed so that visitors talk only to api/research-agent.php. The browser never receives your OpenAI API key.
DirectAdmin walkthrough

Install the private configuration file

The public pages and the server-side endpoint are already included in the site package. You only need to add the key in the private configuration file.

1
Upload and extract the updated package
In DirectAdmin File Manager, upload the website ZIP into your domain’s public_html folder and extract it there as you normally do.
2
Open the API folder
Navigate to public_html/api/.
3
Copy the example configuration file
Find research-agent-config.php.example. Make a copy in the same folder named exactly research-agent-config.php.
4
Paste your OpenAI API key
Edit the new research-agent-config.php file and replace the placeholder key value while keeping the quotation marks.
5
Save and test
Visit https://your-domain.com/research-agent.html and run a low-risk test question from the checklist below.
'openai_api_key' => 'PASTE_YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE',
⚠️ Do not rename the file to something close-but-not-quite. The endpoint specifically looks for research-agent-config.php. The included api/.htaccess rules are there to block direct browser access to this private configuration file.
Recommended first launch

Starting settings

The configuration defaults are intentionally conservative:

'model' => 'gpt-5.5', 'max_requests_per_window' => 8,
  • Model: Use a web-search-capable Responses API model available to your OpenAI API account. Keep the default until you have a reason to change it.
  • Rate limit: A visitor may complete up to eight requests in a 15-minute window. This reduces the chance that a public page becomes a surprise API-cost black hole.
  • Research mode: Visitors can choose balanced, official-first, or recent-first sources; they can also choose quick or thorough research depth.
Protect people and the budget

Safety and cost controls

Keep the key privateNever put it in a front-end file, website setting, email, or public repository.
Monitor API usageReview usage and billing in the OpenAI dashboard shortly after launch and periodically afterward.
Keep human reviewThe agent supplies research support, not final medical, legal, financial, safety, or major-purchase decisions.
Avoid sensitive inputsTell visitors not to submit passwords, account numbers, private medical records, or other sensitive personal data.
The first release does not save visitor questions or research briefs in a database. It only uses a lightweight IP-hash-based file for the short rate-limit window.
Verify the warp drive

Testing checklist

  1. Open AI Agents and select Launch Research Agent.
  2. Run a low-risk question, such as: “Compare current ways to improve home Wi-Fi coverage in a two-story house.”
  3. Confirm a research brief appears with a bottom line, findings, uncertainty, and suggested next questions.
  4. Confirm the source list shows clickable links.
  5. Try opening /api/research-agent-config.php directly in a browser. It should be blocked.
  6. Run several requests in quick succession to make sure the rate limit behaves as expected.
Run a test mission →
Common signal failures

Troubleshooting

It says “installed but not connected yet.”

The configuration file is missing, misnamed, or still has the placeholder value. Confirm the filename is exactly research-agent-config.php and the key is inside the quotation marks.

It shows a server cURL error.

Ask InterServer support to enable the PHP cURL extension for the PHP version assigned to your domain. This feature does not need Composer, Node.js, or a separate server.

The page loads, but a request fails after setup.

Check that your OpenAI API account has billing/API access, the key is active, and the configured model supports the Responses API web-search workflow. Then review the endpoint’s returned error message for the next clue.

How can I reduce costs after launch?

Keep the rate limit enabled, monitor API usage, use quick research for everyday questions, and consider adding CAPTCHA or user sign-in before promoting the tool broadly.

Article details
Published 2026Last reviewed July 12, 2026By Lee Jones, Founder