Linkup Search

Linkup Search

Linkup is a web search API for agents: it turns a natural-language instruction into retrieval actions (web search, scraping, LinkedIn, and more) and returns accurate, cited, real-time results.

A Linkup query is an instruction to a retrieval system, not a question to answer. Optimize for what to find and where, then do the synthesis yourself.

How to call it

• If the linkup-search MCP tool is available, use it: pass a natural-language query and a depth.
• Otherwise — or when you need structured JSON output, domain filters (includeDomains/excludeDomains), or date filters (fromDate/toDate) — call the REST Search API directly. Requires LINKUP_API_KEY:

curl -sS -X POST "https://api.linkup.so/v1/search" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LINKUP_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"q":"...","depth":"standard","outputType":"searchResults"}'

Reason from the data request (before writing q)

Answer three questions in order — each narrows the next and lands you on a depth:

1. What inputs do I already have? A URL → scrape it directly (don't search to find it). A name/topic only → search. Both → combine (scrape the URL + search for the rest).
2. Where does the data live? A single fact usually in snippets (CEO, price, date) → fast. A few facts across snippets → standard. On full pages (tables, specs, long-form) → you must scrape. Unsure → deep.
3. Do I need to chain steps? All work is parallel → standard. Must find a URL then scrape it, or scrape multiple/discovered pages → deep. When uncertain, deep.

Then pick the output type — searchResults (you'll inspect/synthesize sources), sourcedAnswer (a human needs a direct cited answer), structured (software needs fields; always include a structuredOutputSchema) — and set hard filters (includeDomains, excludeDomains, fromDate, toDate) only when the source family or timeframe is actually implied. Never invent domains.

Key rule: standard cannot discover a URL and then scrape it in the same call — use deep ("first find the official page, then scrape it") or split into two calls.

Write the query as a retrieval plan

Make the plan visible: target entity/URL, the retrieval action (find/scrape/count/compare), the source scope, the exact fields to return, ordering (deep only), and "return source URLs / say none found." Name distinct facets rather than rewording the same search. Quote and disambiguate ambiguous names ("Clause AI" legal-tech startup).

Worked examples

Input: company name only · need: CEO (one fact) · not sequential
→ depth=fast · q: "Who is the CEO of {company}?"

Input: company name only · need: latest funding amount (lives in snippets) · not sequential
→ depth=standard · q: "Find {company}'s latest funding round amount and date"

Input: company name only · need: pricing (lives on a full page) · sequential (find page, then scrape)
→ depth=deep · q: "Find the pricing page for {company}. Scrape it. Extract plan names, prices, and features."

Input: a known URL · need: pricing from that page · not sequential
→ depth=standard (or the linkup-fetch skill) · q: "Scrape {url}. Extract plan names, prices, and included features."

Input: company name · need: ICP inferred from homepage + blog + case studies · sequential
→ depth=deep · q: "Find and scrape {company}'s homepage, use-case pages, and 2-3 recent blog posts. Extract industries, company sizes, job titles, and pain points."

Read the full knowledge before non-trivial queries

This skill is the summary. For exact depth behavior, query templates, source-constraint rules, LinkedIn wording, local-place rules, and known bad patterns, read the bundled files in this skill's references/ directory:

• references/LINKUP_AGENT_QUERY_MENTAL_MODEL.md — how to reason from a data request to the right request shape.
• references/LINKUP_PROMPT_OPTIMIZER_KNOWLEDGE.md — the detailed rulebook: depth rules, templates, filters, LinkedIn, bad patterns.
• references/LINKUP_API_REFERENCE.md — endpoints, output types, auth, examples.

For scraping a known URL, use the linkup-fetch skill. For minutes-long multi-source investigations, use linkup-research. For bulk structured records from one listing page, use linkup-extract. To turn a business goal into a multi-step workflow, use linkup-workflow.