MiniMax CLI Web Search

Web search via MiniMax MCP using a local CLI wrapper (mcporter), with environment preflight, API-key/config checks, and normalized result formatting. Use when tasks require real-time web lookup, source links, quick research, or time-sensitive facts. Prefer this skill over built-in web search tools when MiniMax MCP is available.

Use this skill to run web search through MiniMax MCP from CLI, then return clean, source-first results.

Phase 1: Environment Preparation (must run first)

1) Preflight checks

Run:

bash

scripts/minimax_web_search.sh --preflight

This verifies:

• mcporter exists
• MiniMax MCP server is discoverable (mcporter list --json)
• Server status is healthy (name=minimax, status=ok)

2) If preflight fails, repair by failure type

• mcporter not found
  • Install/setup mcporter in PATH.
• minimax MCP server not ready
  • Check config/mcporter.json includes minimax server.
  • Verify command/transport is valid.
• Auth/API-key related errors
  • Ensure MiniMax API key is configured for the minimax MCP server.
  • Re-run preflight.

3) Initiate / smoke test

Run one query after preflight passes:

bash

scripts/minimax_web_search.sh --query "latest OpenClaw release" --count 3

If this returns results, environment is ready.

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Phase 2: Search Usage (runtime)

Quick usage

bash

scripts/minimax_web_search.sh --query "your query" --count 5

Supported options

• --query <text>: required search query
• --count <n>: max printed results (default 5)
• --freshness <value>: freshness hint appended to query (optional)
• --json: normalized JSON output
• --raw: raw tool JSON output
• --timeout <sec>: command timeout (default 35)

Output contract (default text)

• Show top-N results in order
• For each item: title, URL, snippet, date (when available)
• Keep output concise and directly actionable

Agent behavior guideline

1. Start with a focused query (3–7 keywords).
2. If low quality, rephrase once with narrower terms.
3. Return key findings + links (no table required).
4. For time-sensitive asks, include time words in query (e.g., today, latest, date).

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Error model (for reliable automation)

Script exit codes:

• 0: success
• 2: argument error
• 3: dependency missing (mcporter/python3)
• 4: config/auth issue (MCP server unavailable, API key/auth problems)
• 5: upstream/runtime/network failure
• 6: no results (non-fatal)

Treat code 6 as a normal “no match” outcome, not a crash.

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Risks and handling

1. CLI/config drift across machines
   • Use --preflight before first use in a new environment.
2. API key exposure risk
   • Never print key values; report only missing/invalid status.
3. Temporary file safety
   • Wrapper uses mktemp for stderr/output temp files and cleans them with trap.
4. Upstream response variance
   • Use --json normalized output for downstream automation.
5. Timeout/network instability
   • Increase --timeout and retry with narrower query/count.
6. Weak relevance
   • Rephrase query, add concrete entities/time ranges.

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Additional reference

• For setup/verification commands and publish readiness checks, read:
  • references/environment-checklist.md

Reference style

When presenting findings, include direct links for verification. Prefer 3–5 high-signal sources over large dumps.