Productivity

web-search

jwynia/agent-skills · updated Apr 8, 2026

$npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill web-search
summary

Web search using the agent's built-in WebSearch tool, no API key required.

  • Accepts simple query strings and returns relevant web results; best for current information, recent events, fact verification, and real-time research
  • Effective queries benefit from specificity, year inclusion for recency, and domain-specific terminology; iterative refinement recommended for broad or multi-perspective searches
  • Results cannot access paywalled content and depend on the agent's WebSearch implement
skill.md

Web Search

Search the web using the agent's built-in WebSearch capability. No external API keys required.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

  • You need to find current information not in your training data
  • The user asks about recent events, news, or updates
  • You need to verify facts or find sources
  • Research requires real-time web data

Do NOT use this skill when:

  • Information is already in your knowledge base
  • You're working with local files or code
  • You need advanced filtering (use web-search-tavily instead)
  • A more specific research skill applies

How to Search

Use the agent's built-in WebSearch tool directly. The tool accepts a query string and returns relevant web results.

Basic Search

Simply invoke WebSearch with your query:

Query: "React 19 new features"

Effective Query Strategies

Be specific and include context:

  • Bad: "react hooks"
  • Good: "React 19 useActionState hook tutorial"

Include the year for current information:

  • Bad: "best TypeScript practices"
  • Good: "TypeScript best practices 2025"

Use domain-specific terms:

  • Bad: "how to make website fast"
  • Good: "web performance optimization Core Web Vitals"

When to Search Multiple Times

Search iteratively when:

  1. Initial results are too broad → Refine with more specific terms
  2. Looking for multiple perspectives → Search different phrasings
  3. Verifying facts → Search for corroborating sources
  4. Deep research → Start broad, then drill into specifics

Output Handling

After receiving search results:

  1. Cite sources - Always include URLs when sharing information
  2. Synthesize - Combine information from multiple results
  3. Verify - Cross-reference claims across sources
  4. Date-check - Note publication dates for time-sensitive information

Source Attribution Format

When sharing information from search results:

According to [Source Name](URL), ...

Sources:
- [Title 1](url1)
- [Title 2](url2)

Limitations

  • Results depend on the agent's WebSearch implementation
  • Cannot access paywalled or login-required content
  • May not have the most recent information (depends on indexing)
  • No domain filtering or relevance scoring (use web-search-tavily for these features)

Related Skills

  • web-search-tavily - Advanced search with API key, domain filtering, and relevance scores
  • research-workflow - Structured research with planning and synthesis
  • fact-check - Verify specific claims against sources
  • claim-investigation - Investigate viral claims and social media content
general reviews

Ratings

4.510 reviews
  • Shikha Mishra· Oct 10, 2024

    web-search is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • Piyush G· Sep 9, 2024

    Keeps context tight: web-search is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • Chaitanya Patil· Aug 8, 2024

    Registry listing for web-search matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • Sakshi Patil· Jul 7, 2024

    web-search reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • Ganesh Mohane· Jun 6, 2024

    I recommend web-search for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Oshnikdeep· May 5, 2024

    Useful defaults in web-search — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Dhruvi Jain· Apr 4, 2024

    web-search has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • Rahul Santra· Mar 3, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: web-search is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • Pratham Ware· Feb 2, 2024

    We added web-search from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

  • Yash Thakker· Jan 1, 2024

    web-search fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.