Despite rising interests in the manifestations of second language (L2) interactional competence (IC) in online language learning activities (e.g., Balaman & Sert, 2017a, 2017b), participants' interactional practices for managing epistemic stances in online searches remains largely unexplored. This paper examines how an intermediate-level learner of English jointly managed epistemics with a tutor in a text-and-voice teleconference session designed as a conversation-for-learning. The analysis focuses on web search sequences occasioned by emergent epistemic asymmetries in the ongoing talk, and how the participants leveraged resources to negotiate knowledge positions and display affiliation during online searches. Findings reveal that epistemic stance management is a prominent aspect of the IC involved in online search sequences. For example, during an online search, the tutee demonstrates his IC by citing and attributing responsibility to the source in response to epistemic primacy challenges. In the process, he also utilised affiliative resources such as laughter and a term of endearment to delicately manage disaffiliation. By focusing on the management of epistemic stances during online searches, this study informs the use of online searches in L2 learning activities to foster opportunities to perform stance-taking practices as part of the learner's IC.