πŸ“‘ In this article

  1. Prerequisites (5-minute checklist)
  2. Step 1: Sign up and get license key
  3. Step 2: Download aisearch.ocmod.zip
  4. Step 3: Install via OpenCart Installer
  5. Step 4: Modifications Refresh (important!)
  6. Step 5: Activate module + license key
  7. Step 6: Reindex catalog
  8. Step 7: Verify on frontend
  9. Troubleshooting common issues
  10. FAQ

Installing AI Search v1.0.5 on OpenCart 3 or 4 takes a real 5 minutes of active time plus 30-90 minutes of background reindex (store doesn't crash). No coding knowledge needed β€” everything via standard OpenCart Installer. Step by step with admin screenshots described.

Prerequisites

5 min
active work
OC 3+
or OpenCart 4
FTP/SSH
not needed
$0
for up to 200 SKU
  • Admin access to your OpenCart store (admin URL + login)
  • OpenCart 3.0.x or 4.0.x
  • ~5 minutes of active work (most time is background reindex)
  • No PHP, FTP, SSH, or code knowledge needed

Step 1: Sign up and get license key

  1. Go to ai-search.cc/register
  2. Sign up via Google (one click) or email + password
  3. Pick a tier: Free (up to 200 SKU free) for testing, or paid for production
  4. In dashboard: Licenses β†’ see your license key (format XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX, e.g. VMILJRPH-G1T5F7PM-IO4MMSUD)
πŸ”‘
License key is domain-bound. If testing on dev (dev.shop.com) and want to move to production (shop.com) β€” you can change domain freely in dashboard.

Step 2: Download aisearch.ocmod.zip

  1. Dashboard: Downloads
  2. Click "Download aisearch.ocmod.zip" β€” gets you a zip archive (~450 KB)
  3. File is named aisearch.ocmod.zip β€” DO NOT unzip! OpenCart-installer works with the zip directly

Step 3: Install via OpenCart Installer

  1. OpenCart admin: Extensions β†’ Installer
  2. Click Upload button (blue, top right)
  3. Select downloaded aisearch.ocmod.zip
  4. Wait for "Success: You have modified extensions!" (5-15 seconds)

Step 4: Modifications Refresh

This step is critical β€” without it module event hooks won't activate.

  1. Admin: Extensions β†’ Modifications
  2. Click Refresh button (orange, top right)
  3. Wait for "Success: You have modified modifications!"
❌
Most common mistake: "installed module β€” filters don't appear". 99% of cases β€” forgot Refresh modifications. Without this OpenCart doesn't activate our event hooks.

Step 5: Activate module + license key

  1. Admin: Extensions β†’ Extensions β†’ Modules
  2. Find AI Search, click green Install button (plus icon)
  3. After install click blue Edit button (pencil)
  4. In module admin panel: License Key (paste from dashboard), Status: Enabled, Default Language, Active Stores (multistore)
  5. Save

Step 5.1: Activate AI Filters (optional)

  1. Extensions β†’ Modules β†’ find AI Filters
  2. Install β†’ Edit β†’ Status: Enabled β†’ Save

Step 6: Reindex catalog

Without reindex module works as standard LIKE-fallback. To enable semantic search β€” index products (more in Documentation):

  1. Admin: Catalog β†’ AI Search Filters (submenu after install) or back to Extensions β†’ Extensions β†’ Modules β†’ AI Search β†’ Edit
  2. Click Reindex now
  3. Leave page open or come back in 30-90 minutes (depends on catalog)
βœ…
Store doesn't crash during reindex. Embedding compute on our GPU servers. Customers continue using the store with standard LIKE-fallback β€” once reindex completes, search-handler auto-switches to AI.

Reindex time depends on catalog size: 200-1000 SKU: ~2-5 minutes; 1000-5000: ~10-30 minutes; 5000-30,000: ~30-90 minutes; 30,000-100,000: ~2-3 hours (Pro/Enterprise tier).

Step 7: Verify on frontend

  1. Open frontend in new tab
  2. Try 3 query types in your store search:
    • Morphology: plural form ("kettles" instead of "Kettle")
    • Typo: "ipone" instead of "iphone"
    • Synonym: try alternate term for a product
  3. Expected: all 3 types return relevant products. If standard LIKE returned 0 β€” AI Search should find them.

Troubleshooting common issues

❓
"License key invalid" on activation. Check: 1) license active in dashboard; 2) license domain matches store URL; 3) you copied key whole, no extra spaces.
❓
Reindex stuck at 0%. Check: 1) GPU server reachable (sometimes brief outages) β€” status in Documentation; 2) admin session didn't expire during reindex β€” restart, progress is saved; 3) check storage/logs for HTTP errors to API.
❓
Frontend search still shows LIKE results. Clear OpenCart cache: Dashboard β†’ Storage β†’ Clear cache (Twig + Modification). If on Redis β€” also FLUSHALL.
❓
"Class not found" PHP errors. 99% β€” Step 4 (Modifications Refresh) not done.
❓
Multistore: module not activating for additional store. In AI Search β†’ Settings β†’ Active Stores explicitly select all stores (multi-select).

FAQ

Can I install AI Search without theme edits?

Yes. Module works through event hooks β€” no twig changes needed. Verified on thousands of OpenCart themes.

Do I need to disable standard search?

No. AI Search replaces backend search logic via event hooks. Standard search form in your theme header keeps working β€” results come from our core.

How much RAM on shop server for AI Search?

No more than standard OpenCart. Embedding compute on our GPUs, not yours. Shop only sends/receives API calls.

What if I want to revert to standard search?

Admin AI Search β†’ Settings β†’ Status: Disabled. Or full uninstall via Modules β†’ Uninstall.

Can I have AI Search and another search module simultaneously?

Technically yes, but they may conflict on event hooks. Recommend disabling competing module before activating AI Search.

How to update the module?

Dashboard ai-search.cc β†’ Downloads β†’ fresh zip β†’ Installer β†’ Upload (over old). Modifications β†’ Refresh. Done.