web-search

name	web-search
description	Tools for web search

Web Search Skill

Metadata

• Skill Name: web-search
• Trigger Tag: #fetch
• MCP Server: fetch (web search MCP server)
• Category: Information Retrieval

Note: This skill is activated with #fetch, not #web-search. The directory name is web-search but the trigger tag is #fetch.

Description

Query the web for current, up-to-date information. Use when the question involves recent events, new releases, current status, or any information that may have changed since the model's training cutoff. Returns AI-synthesized answers with citations.

Capabilities

• Search the web for current information and news
• Find latest software releases, changelogs, and announcements
• Look up current statistics, prices, or status
• Retrieve content from specific URLs
• Synthesize information from multiple web sources with citations

Activation

Include #fetch tag in your prompt to activate this skill.

Usage Examples

Latest Release Info

#fetch What's the latest stable version of Node.js and its key changes?

Current Status Check

#fetch Is there an ongoing GitHub outage?

Combined with Documentation Search

#fetch #ref Latest React 19 features and official migration guide

Combined with Environment Skills

#grafana-prd #fetch What does this Prometheus metric http_request_duration_seconds measure?

Fetch a Specific Page

#fetch Read https://github.com/expressjs/express/releases and summarize recent changes

Configuration

MCP server is configured in the .copilot/mcp-config.json.

Environment Variables

Use environment variables defined in .copilot/.env.

Connectivity Check

Before taking any action, verify internet connectivity and the web search MCP server is reachable:

1. The first web_search call serves as an implicit connectivity probe.
2. If the call returns a connectivity error or service unavailable response, immediately stop and report: "Web search MCP server is unavailable or no internet connectivity. Cannot proceed."
3. Only proceed with further requests after the initial call succeeds.

Best Practices

• Use whenever the answer may depend on information newer than training data
• Combine with #ref when official documentation context is also needed
• Prefer over training data knowledge for version numbers, current APIs, and changelogs
• Avoid for purely historical or well-established, stable information

Limitations

• Requires internet connectivity
• API rate limits may apply
• Real-time data (live prices, live metrics) is better retrieved from environment skills like #grafana-prd

GitHub Copilot & LLM Optimization Context

• Environment Indicator: You are operating within the GitHub Copilot CLI context. Always leverage native GitHub Copilot capabilities when interacting with codebases.
• Model Optimization: This prompt is optimized specifically for Claude Opus 4.5.
  • Leverage Claude Opus 4.5's deep comprehension and superior coding accuracy for complex architectural and logical tasks.
  • Ensure responses are direct, code-focused, and minimize conversational filler to optimize for developer workflows.