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Web Search Agent Skill

Search the web using the agent's built-in WebSearch tool. Use when you need to find current information, verify facts, or research topics. No API key required. Keywords: search, web, internet, lookup, find, research, current events, facts.

765 tokens
context cost
the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
files
instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
128
stars on the repo
on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository
npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill web-search

What it tells the agent to use

found in the instruction text
WebSearch reads your files

The instruction itself

10 sections, as written by the author

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

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

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:

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

Output Handling

After receiving search results:

  • Cite sources - Always include URLs when sharing information
  • Synthesize - Combine information from multiple results
  • Verify - Cross-reference claims across sources
  • 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)
  • 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

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How to use it

Copy the folder

Take jwynia/web-search from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.