tangledgroup websearch
Search the web via DuckDuckGo and return structured results.
Overview
websearch fetches search results from DuckDuckGo, parses the HTML response, and outputs them in a structured format.
Supports three output formats: markdown (default), CSV, and JSON. Results can be written to stdout or a file.
Usage
# Basic search (markdown to stdout)
websearch.sh "react hooks tutorial"
# JSON output to file
websearch.sh "python async patterns" --format json --output results.json
# CSV output
websearch.sh "rust vs go 2025" --format csv
# Help
websearch.sh --help
Options
| Flag | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--format |
markdown |
Output format: markdown, csv, json |
--output |
stdout |
Output destination: stdout or a file path |
Gotchas
- DuckDuckGo blocks automated requests — the script impersonates Safari (iPhone/Mac user agents) to reduce blocking. If results are empty, the site may have rate-limited the IP.
- URLs in results are DuckDuckGo redirect links — the
uddgparameter contains the actual URL (URL-encoded). The parser extracts and decodes it automatically. - Results are limited to one page (10 results) — pagination is not supported. Use more specific queries to surface relevant results on the first page.