| name | web-search |
| description | Search the internet with Google or DuckDuckGo, inspect results, and extract selected pages as readable Markdown. Use when answers require current web sources, JavaScript-rendered pages, or browser access that can handle bot protection. Prefer dedicated tools such as GitHub CLI for GitHub data and curl for direct files or simple URLs. |
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | Requires Node.js 20.19+, Bun for dependency installation, network access, and a local Chromium-family browser. |
Web Search
Use the bundled CLI to search through a local browser, visit results, and extract pages as clean Markdown for agent context. The persistent browser daemon reduces bot-detection failures and avoids repeated browser startup costs.
The entry point is {baseDir}/web-search.js, where {baseDir} is the absolute directory containing this SKILL.md. Always invoke that absolute path. Never run ./web-search.js from the caller's project directory.
Setup
If dependencies are missing, run bun install in the skill directory.
The CLI auto-detects Chromium-family browsers. Override detection with
WEB_SEARCH_BROWSER_BIN or --browser-bin <path>.
Search and fetch
{baseDir}/web-search.js "query"
{baseDir}/web-search.js "query" -n 10
{baseDir}/web-search.js --from <result-set-id> --fetch 1,3,5
{baseDir}/web-search.js --url https://example.com
{baseDir}/web-search.js --url https://example.com --full
Each search prints a result-set ID. Always pass that ID with --from when fetching numbered results; result sets expire after ten minutes. Use --full only when the complete page text is needed.
Browser daemon
Direct calls use a local daemon by default for a warm browser session.
{baseDir}/web-search.js --daemon status
{baseDir}/web-search.js --daemon start
{baseDir}/web-search.js --daemon stop
{baseDir}/web-search.js --daemon restart
{baseDir}/web-search.js --no-daemon --url https://example.com
Troubleshooting
Treat one blocked page as a normal site-specific failure. Retry once, use another result, or try the direct URL before changing browser state.
For repeated timeouts, daemon errors, or blocks across multiple attempts:
- Check
{baseDir}/web-search.js --daemon status.
- Run
{baseDir}/web-search.js --daemon restart and retry.
- If blocks persist, inspect
health.profileDir in the status output. Stop the daemon, delete only that hidden skill profile directory, then start the daemon again. This resets stale cookies and browser storage without touching the user's normal browser profile.
Never clear the profile after a single block. Profile reset is a last resort for persistent failures.
Reporting
Use the URLs actually searched or fetched as sources. Cite those URLs when
answering from web material.
