web-search

name	web-search
description	Real-time internet search
enabled	true

Web Search Skill

Instructions

When the user asks about current events, live data, recent news, or anything that requires up-to-date information beyond your training cutoff, use the web_search tool.

How It Works

The web search tool uses the Microsoft Foundry Responses API with web_search_preview, powered by Bing Grounding. It returns real-time web results with URL citations so responses are grounded in verifiable sources.

When to Use

• Current events, breaking news, or recent developments
• Live market data, stock prices, or financial news
• Weather, sports scores, or time-sensitive information
• Verifying facts that may have changed since training
• Researching companies, people, or topics the user asks about
• Any query where the user explicitly asks to "search the web"

Response Guidelines

• Always include source URLs from the citations returned by the tool
• Present information as concise bullet points or a brief summary
• Caveat any time-sensitive data with "as of [date]" when the information may change
• If the search returns no relevant results, let the user know and suggest refining the query
• Do not fabricate URLs — only use citations returned by the tool

Error Handling

If web search returns an error or no results:

• Report the issue transparently to the user
• Suggest alternative search terms or a narrower query
• Do not fall back to generating an answer from memory when the user explicitly asked for a web search
• Do not fabricate URLs — only use citations returned by the tool