web-search

name	web-search
description	Search public websites for real-world things — flights, hotels, car rentals, cars for purchase, and apartments/rentals. No credentials needed. Trigger when the user asks to find, compare, or book flights, accommodation, rental cars, used/new cars, or apartments. Uses headless browser automation (pinchtab) to navigate live sites and return real results.

Web Search

Search public websites for travel, accommodation, vehicles, and real estate using the headless browser (pinchtab). No API keys or credentials required.

Prerequisite

Before any search, ensure the browser is running:

pinchtab_ensure || exit 1

pinchtab_ensure is defined and injected by the pinchtab extension. If it is not already defined in your shell session, refer to the pinchtab skill for the full definition.

Dispatch Table

Identify the search category from the user's intent, then read the corresponding reference file before proceeding.

User intent keywords	Category	Reference file
flight, fly, airline, plane ticket	Flights	references/flights.md
hotel, hostel, stay, accommodation, resort, inn	Hotels	references/hotels.md
rent a car, car hire, rental car, hire car	Car rental	references/car-rental.md
buy a car, used car, new car, car for sale	Car purchase	references/car-purchase.md
apartment, flat, rent apartment, house for rent/sale, real estate	Apartments	references/apartments.md

Always read the reference file for the matched category before navigating. It contains the site selection rationale, exact URL format, and step-by-step workflow.

Parameter Collection

Do not navigate to any site until you have all required parameters. Ask the user for anything missing.

Flights (required: origin, destination, departure date)

• Origin airport or city
• Destination airport or city
• Departure date
• Return date (ask if not given — confirm one-way only if explicitly stated)
• Passengers: number of adults; children with ages (ages affect pricing); infants
• Cabin class: economy / premium economy / business / first (default: economy)
• Nonstop only? (default: show all; apply filter if requested)
• Sort by: cheapest / fastest / best (default: cheapest)

Hotels (required: city, check-in date, check-out date)

• City or area
• Check-in and check-out dates
• Number of adults and children (with ages if children)
• Number of rooms (default: 1)
• Star rating or price range (optional)
• Sort by: lowest price / rating / distance (default: lowest price)

Car rental (required: pickup location, pickup date, dropoff date)

• Pickup location (city name or airport IATA code)
• Pickup date and time
• Dropoff date and time
• Same location dropoff? (if not, ask for dropoff location)
• Driver age (under-25 surcharges vary by provider)
• Car category preference: economy / compact / SUV / etc. (optional)

Car purchase (required: make/model or open search, location/country)

• Make and/or model (or open description e.g. "any SUV")
• New or used
• Maximum price or price range
• Location / country (determines which site to use)
• Maximum mileage (for used cars)
• Year range (optional)

Apartments (required: city, rent or buy, short-term or long-term)

• City or neighbourhood
• Rent or buy
• Short-term (nightly, like Airbnb) or long-term (monthly lease)?
• Price range (per night or per month)
• Number of bedrooms
• Move-in / available-from date

Output Format

Present results as a numbered list. Limit to top 5–10 unless the user requests more.

1. [Airline / Hotel name / Car type / Listing title]
   Price: [amount + currency]
   Details: [duration + stops, or rating + location, or mileage + year, etc.]
   Dates: [if applicable]
   Link: [URL if visible in the page]

2. ...

Always state the site used and the search parameters at the top of the reply so the user can verify.

Error Handling

• CAPTCHA or bot block: note it, try the fallback site listed in the reference file.
• Empty results: try relaxing one constraint (e.g. remove nonstop-only filter, expand dates ±1 day, widen price range). Inform the user what was relaxed.
• Page timeout / snapshot failure: retry once with an additional sleep 5 before the snapshot. If it fails again, report the error and the last output.
• Consent banner blocking content: find the dismiss/accept button ref via pinchtab snap -i -c and click it, then re-navigate.
• Max cycles: do not loop more than 3 interaction cycles on a single page without reporting progress to the user.

Token Efficiency

Match the pinchtab command to the task:

Task	Command	~Tokens
Read result prices/names	pinchtab text	~800
Find filter controls to click	pinchtab snap -i -c	~3,600
Full page understanding	pinchtab snap	~10,500

Always start with pinchtab text. Only escalate to snap -i -c when you need to interact with a filter or button. Never use full snap for this skill.