BigModel Web Search Fallback

Use Zhipu / BigModel web search as a non-invasive fallback when the built-in web_search route is unavailable, failing, or the user explicitly wants 智谱 / BigModel / GLM search. Supports both direct structured search results and chat-completions search-with-summary. Supports engine switching across search_std, search_pro, search_pro_sogou, and search_pro_quark.

Use this skill when you want Zhipu search without modifying OpenClaw core.

It provides a local wrapper script with two execution modes:

• raw — call Zhipu Web Search API directly and get structured results
• chat — call Zhipu chat completions with the built-in web_search tool and get a synthesized answer

Requirements

Make sure the OpenClaw host has one of these environment variables set:

• ZAI_API_KEY
• ZHIPUAI_API_KEY
• BIGMODEL_API_KEY

If none is present, stop and report missing auth instead of retrying blindly.

Engine selection

This skill supports four Zhipu search engines:

• search_std — default, lowest-cost/basic search
• search_pro — stronger general search quality
• search_pro_sogou — 搜狗-backed route
• search_pro_quark — 夸克-backed route

Default to search_std unless the user asks for:

• better search quality
• broader retrieval coverage
• a specific upstream engine
• result comparison across engines

When the user explicitly names an engine, honor it.

Quick decision

• Use raw when you want structured results such as title/link/summary/media/date and you will write the final answer yourself.
• Use chat when you want GLM to search and summarize in one call.
• Use search_std first for routine lookups.
• Switch to search_pro when quality matters more than cost.
• Switch to search_pro_sogou or search_pro_quark when the user wants to test or compare engines.

Commands

Run commands from the skill directory or use absolute paths.

Raw structured search

bash

python scripts/zhipu_web_search.py raw --query "OpenClaw 是什么" --engine search_std --count 5 --pretty

Search + answer synthesis

bash

python scripts/zhipu_web_search.py chat --query "请简要说明 OpenClaw 是什么，并给出搜索来源。" --engine search_std --count 5 --pretty

Higher-quality search

bash

python scripts/zhipu_web_search.py raw --query "今天的 AI 新闻" --engine search_pro --count 5 --pretty

Explicit engine comparison

bash

python scripts/zhipu_web_search.py raw --query "OpenClaw 是什么" --engine search_pro_sogou --count 5 --pretty
python scripts/zhipu_web_search.py raw --query "OpenClaw 是什么" --engine search_pro_quark --count 5 --pretty

Workflow

1. Decide whether the task needs raw results or a chat-generated answer.
2. Pick the engine:
   • default search_std
   • search_pro for better quality
   • search_pro_sogou / search_pro_quark for explicit engine routing or comparison
3. Run the wrapper script.
4. If using raw, summarize the returned results yourself and cite the best links.
5. If using chat, still sanity-check the answer before sending it.
6. If the user asks how this relates to built-in web_search, explain that this is a non-invasive fallback and does not replace OpenClaw core tooling.

Notes

• The script prints JSON to stdout for easy parsing.
• Supported flags include --domain-filter, --recency, --content-size, --count, and --engine.
• Read references/api-notes.md if you need API details, engine guidance, or more examples.