Web Search Skill

Search the web for real-time information via the Skywork search API. This skill lets you run up to 3 queries in a single invocation and returns structured results with source URLs and content snippets.

When to use

• The user asks you to research a topic or find current information
• You need up-to-date facts, statistics, or news to answer a question
• Another task (writing a report, creating a PPT, drafting a document) needs web research as a preliminary step
• The user explicitly asks to search or look something up

Authentication (Required First)

Before using this skill, authentication must be completed. Run the auth script first:

# Authenticate: checks env token / cached token / browser login
python3 <skill-dir>/scripts/skywork_auth.py || exit 1

Token priority:

1. Environment variable SKYBOT_TOKEN → if set, use directly
2. Cached token file ~/.skywork_token → validate via API, if valid, use it
3. No valid token → opens browser for login, polls until complete, saves token

IMPORTANT - Login URL handling: If script output contains a line starting with [LOGIN_URL], you MUST immediately send that URL to the user in a clickable message (e.g. "Please open this link to log in: <url>"). The user may be in an environment where the browser cannot open automatically, so always surface the login URL.

How to use

Run the bundled script from this skill's scripts/ directory:

python3 <skill-path>/scripts/web_search.py "query1" ["query2"] ["query3"]

• Pass 1–3 search queries as positional arguments
• Results are saved to individual text files in a temporary directory
• The script prints the file paths to stdout so you can read them

Crafting good queries

Search quality depends heavily on query phrasing. A few tips:

• Be specific: "Tesla Q4 2025 revenue" works better than "Tesla financials"
• Use natural language: The API handles full questions well — "What is the current population of Tokyo?" is fine
• Split broad topics: If the user wants a comprehensive overview, break it into 2–3 focused queries rather than one vague one
• Include time context when relevant: "best Python web frameworks 2026" rather than just "best Python web frameworks"

Reading results

After running the script, read the output files. Each file contains:

query: <the original query>

[result-1] <source URL>
<content snippet>

[result-2] <source URL>
<content snippet>
...

Synthesize the results into a clear answer for the user. Always cite sources when presenting factual information — include the URLs from the results so the user can verify.

Example workflow

User asks: "What are the latest developments in quantum computing?"

1. Run the search with focused queries:

   python3 <skill-path>/scripts/web_search.py \
     "quantum computing breakthroughs 2026" \
     "quantum computing industry news latest"

2. Read the result files
3. Synthesize findings into a clear, sourced summary for the user

Limitations

• Maximum 3 queries per invocation (the script caps it)
• Each query has a 30-second timeout
• Results depend on the Skywork search API availability