# Web Search

> Use this skill whenever the user wants to search the web, look up current information, research a topic, find recent news, verify facts, or answer questions that may have changed since the knowledge cutoff. Trigger on phrases like "search for", "look up", "find out", "what's the latest on", "is X still", "who currently", "recent news about", "check if", or any question that requires up-to-date or real-time information. Also trigger when the user asks about prices, stock quotes, weather, sports scores, current events, recent product releases, or anything where recency matters. Use this skill proactively — if there's any chance the answer has changed recently, search rather than relying on training data alone.

- Skill: `yantyx/web-search` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add yantyx/web-search`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/yantyx/web-search/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: yantyx (https://skillmd.com/u/yantyx)
- Updated: 2026-09-10
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/yantyx/web-search

---


# Web Search Skill

A skill for searching the web to find current, accurate information beyond the knowledge cutoff.

---

## When to Search

Search whenever:
- The user asks about **current events**, news, prices, people in roles, or anything time-sensitive
- The question includes words like "latest", "current", "now", "still", "recently", "today"
- The answer could have changed in the past year
- The user explicitly asks you to search or look something up
- You're uncertain whether your training data is up to date on the topic

Do NOT search for:
- Timeless facts, definitions, math, or stable historical events
- Topics you can answer confidently without recent data
- When the user is asking for your opinion or for creative output

---

## How to Search Effectively

### Query construction
- Keep queries **short and specific** (1–6 words works best)
- Start broad, then narrow if needed
- Never use quotes, `-` operators, or `site:` unless explicitly asked
- Include the year (e.g. "2026") when asking about current holders of roles or recent events
- Use `today` for breaking news (e.g. "Fed interest rate decision today")

### Scale to complexity
| Query type | Tool calls |
|---|---|
| Single fact (price, score, who holds a role) | 1 |
| Topic overview or recent news | 2–4 |
| Research or comparison across multiple sources | 5–10 |
| Deep investigation | Suggest the Research feature |

### Fetch full articles when needed
Search snippets are often too brief. Use `web_fetch` to read the full page when:
- You need detail beyond the snippet
- The user references a specific URL
- Snippets conflict and you need the source of truth

---

## Responding with Search Results

### Citing sources
- Cite **every specific claim** that came from search results using `<cite>` tags
- Use the minimum citations needed — don't over-cite
- Always paraphrase; **never quote 15+ words** from any source
- Use **one direct quote per source maximum** — then switch to paraphrasing

### Tone and structure
- Lead with the most recent and relevant information
- Be concise — only include what's useful to the user
- Note conflicting sources when relevant
- Prefer original sources (official sites, gov pages, company blogs) over aggregators

### Copyright rules (mandatory)
- **Hard limit**: No direct quote may exceed 14 words
- **One quote per source**: After quoting a source once, only paraphrase it thereafter
- **Never reproduce**: song lyrics, poems, article paragraphs verbatim, or any full creative works
- Paraphrase is always preferred — quotes are a last resort

---

## Example Workflows

### Simple fact lookup
```
User: "Who is the current CEO of OpenAI?"
→ web_search: "OpenAI CEO 2026"
→ Respond with cited answer
```

### News summary
```
User: "What's been happening with the Fed lately?"
→ web_search: "Federal Reserve interest rates 2026"
→ web_fetch the most relevant article
→ Summarize in 2–4 sentences with citations
```

### Comparison research
```
User: "Compare the top AI coding assistants right now"
→ web_search: "best AI coding assistants 2026"
→ web_search: "GitHub Copilot vs Cursor 2026"
→ web_search: "Claude Code review 2026"
→ Synthesize into a comparison, citing each source
```

---

## Handling Uncertainty

- If search results conflict, say so and note which sources disagree
- If results are thin or inconclusive, say what you found and what's still unclear
- If a topic is prone to misinformation or SEO manipulation, note that and prefer authoritative sources
- Never invent citations or attribute claims without a source