Centous AI Search with Askiva adds AI-powered search to your WordPress site. It indexes published posts and pages, then lets visitors search your content and receive streamed AI answers with matching results.

Content indexing: batch sync of published posts and pages to Askiva
AI search: semantic search with streamed AI answers (GFM Markdown)
Rich results: list or grid layout, thumbnails, pagination, and “Read more” links
Query help: “Did you mean” suggestions when the API detects typos
Admin tools: connection settings, sync dashboard, statistics, and logs

The frontend search box uses AJAX by default: results and the AI answer load inline without a full page reload. Server-rendered results are still supported when a search URL contains a query parameter.

Full setup and usage guides: Centous AI Search with Askiva documentation.

External services

This plugin connects to third-party Askiva services. An Askiva account is required.

Askiva account portal

Website: https://askivasearch.com/

Used to register an account, add your WordPress site, and obtain your Site Identifier and API Key.

Askiva API

API Used to verify your connection, sync published WordPress content, run search queries, stream AI answers, and load dashboard statistics.

Data sent from your WordPress site to the API:

On connect (Verify Key): Site Identifier and API Key
On sync: published post/page title, URL, slug, excerpt, plain-text content, headings, categories, and tags
On search: search query, Site Identifier, API Key, pagination, and optional content type filter
On dashboard stats: Site Identifier and API Key

Data is sent only when you or a visitor triggers these actions (connect, sync, search, or when an administrator views the dashboard).

Requirements

WordPress 5.8+
PHP 7.4+
Valid Askiva account (Site Identifier and API Key from the Askiva dashboard)
Outbound HTTPS to the Askiva API host
Published content to index (drafts are skipped)

Features

Secure admin AJAX with nonces and manage_options checks
Site ID + Site Key connection with verify endpoint
Batch content sync with pause, resume, and restart
Real-time sync status and error logging
Streaming AI answers with GFM Markdown rendering
“Did you mean” typo suggestions from the API
List and grid result layouts with configurable thumbnails
Search popup shortcode for header and navigation use
Server-rendered and AJAX search modes
Theme template overrides
WordPress REST sync endpoints for automation
Cached dashboard statistics
First-run redirect to settings
Clean uninstall support

Configuration

Create your Askiva account and site

Register and log in at Askiva
In the dashboard sidebar, click Sites
On the Sites page, click Add Site
In the popup, enter your website details and click Add Site
Your site appears in the list: click it to open the site detail page
On the detail page, copy your Site Identifier and API Key (you will enter these in the WordPress plugin)

Connect your site

Open Centous Search Settings in WordPress admin
Enter your Site ID (the Site Identifier from the Askiva portal, e.g. my-site-aBc12XyZ)
Enter your Site Key (the API Key from the Askiva portal)
Click Verify Key: the plugin calls POST /wp/verify to validate credentials
When connected, Site ID and Site Key fields are locked until you disconnect

Saved settings also include numeric api_site_id when the verify response returns one (used for search API compatibility).

Sync your content

After a successful connection:

Go to Centous Search Sync
Click Start Sync to index your published WordPress content to Askiva
Wait for the sync to complete (monitor progress and logs on the Sync page)

When sync finishes, your site content is available for AI search.

Enable search on your site

Add the search shortcode to any page or post: [askiva_search]

Visitors can search your site and see streamed AI answers with semantic results. See Usage below for shortcode options and layout settings.

Search and display settings

Under Centous Search Settings:

Content Items per Index Cycle: posts/pages sent per sync batch (default: 10)
Results Display Mode: list or grid for search results (default: list)
Results per Page: results shown per page, 1–100 (default: 10)
Thumbnail Size: result thumbnail size in px, 48–400 (default: 96)

Usage

Search shortcode

Place [askiva_search] on any page, post, or widget area. Visitors search inline; the AI answer streams in and results appear below the form.

Common setup:

Create a page (for example /search/) with [askiva_search show_results="1"]
For a header or sidebar button that redirects to your search page, use [askiva_search_popup results_url="/search/" trigger_text="Search"]
Optionally set a global results URL for the popup shortcode:

add_filter( ‘askiva_search_results_url’, function () {
return site_url( ‘/search/’ );
} );

Note: [askiva_search show_results="0"] hides pre-loaded results on page load, but search still runs inline on that page via JavaScript. Use the popup shortcode to redirect visitors to a separate search page.

Shortcode attributes

placeholder (string, default: Search…): input placeholder
button_text (string, default: Search): button label (legacy)
site_id (string, default: from settings): override site ID; saved settings always win when set
type (string, default: empty): optional content type filter sent to the API
results_url (string, default: auto): full URL or path for the search results page
results_page_id (int, default: none): WordPress page ID for results (alternative to results_url)
show_results (auto, 0, or 1; default: auto): auto shows results when a query is present; 1 enables results; 0 hides pre-loaded results
results_limit (int, default: from settings): results per page (1–100)
view_all_limit (int, default: 50): max results when “view all” is used
ajax (0 or 1; default: 0): force AJAX rendering (legacy widget behavior)
live (bool, default: false): search while typing (debounced)
min_chars (int, default: 2): minimum characters before search runs
debug (0 or 1; default: 0): include API trace/debug data
limit (int, default: 10): legacy AJAX limit

URL query parameters

Search query: default name q (legacy alias askiva_q is still supported)
Page: default name askiva_page (pagination)
View all: default name view (use view=all for the expanded result limit)

Popup search shortcode

Opens a modal search box and redirects to your results page on submit: [askiva_search_popup results_url="/search/" trigger_text="Search"]

trigger_text (default: Search): button that opens the popup
placeholder (default: Search…): input placeholder
close_text (default: Close): close button label
results_url (default: auto): where to send the user after search
results_page_id (default: none): page ID alternative to results_url
min_chars (default: 2): minimum query length

Support

Documentation: https://docs.centousplugins.com/centous-ai-search-with-askiva

Plugin support: Centous, developer of this plugin.

Askiva (third-party service): account setup at Askiva.