Claude Code WebSearch

Free web search using Claude Code CLI or Codex CLI's built-in WebSearch tool — no Tavily, Brave, or Exa API key required. Activate when the user says "websearch", "搜一下", "search the web", or when Tavily/Brave quota is exhausted and you need to search the web.

Claude WebSearch Skill

Use the bundled script to search the web via Claude Code CLI (primary) or Codex CLI (fallback). Both CLIs expose a native WebSearch tool — no third-party search API key needed.

When to Use

• Tavily / Brave / Exa quota is exhausted
• User says "websearch搜一下X", "search for X", "查一下X"
• Any web search need where no API key is configured

Quick Usage

bash

# Primary (Claude Code CLI — fast, recommended)
scripts/websearch.sh "your query"

# With result count
scripts/websearch.sh "your query" --max 3

# Explicit backend
scripts/websearch.sh "your query" --backend codex

Or use the global alias (if installed):

bash

ccws "your query"

How It Works

Backend	CLI flag	Notes
claude (default)	--allowedTools "WebSearch"	Fast (~5s), clean output
codex	--search + reasoning_effort=low	Slower (~30-60s), use as fallback

The script auto-detects which CLI is available; claude is preferred when both exist.

Setup (one-time)

Install the global alias ccws for quick access:

bash

ln -sf "$(pwd)/scripts/websearch.sh" ~/.local/bin/ccws

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
claude: command not found	Install Claude Code CLI: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
codex: command not found	Install Codex CLI: npm install -g @openai/codex
Claude returns empty output	Check claude auth status; re-login if expired
Codex times out	Normal — use --backend claude instead
Not inside a trusted directory (Codex)	Script handles this by running from a temp dir