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Openclaw Tavily Search
v0.2.0Web search and data retrieval via Tavily API. Use when you need to search the web, get news, find answers, or look up sources. Supports 5 modes: search (gene...
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MIT-0
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LicenseMIT-0 · Free to use, modify, and redistribute. No attribution required.
Security Scan
OpenClaw
Suspicious
medium confidencePurpose & Capability
The name/description match the included script: the Python code calls Tavily search/news/qna/images/context endpoints and formats results as described. That alignment is coherent.
Instruction Scope
SKILL.md instructs running the included Python script and documents TAVILY_API_KEY, but the code also looks for a fallback key in ~/.openclaw/.env (reads the file from the user's home). The registry metadata did not declare this config-file access. Reading a home-directory file is outside what a minimal search client necessarily needs to do (it could rely solely on an env var).
Install Mechanism
No install spec; this is an instruction-only skill with an included script. Nothing is downloaded or written to disk at install time by the package itself.
Credentials
SKILL.md and the script expect a TAVILY_API_KEY (and optional TAVILY_SEARCH_DEPTH). However the registry metadata lists no required env vars or primary credential. The script will also permissively read ~/.openclaw/.env to extract the key, which is a broader file access than the registry declares.
Persistence & Privilege
The skill is not always-enabled and does not request elevated/system-wide persistence. It does not modify other skills or system configuration.
What to consider before installing
This skill is broadly what it claims (a Tavily API search client), but there are a few mismatches you should consider before installing:
- Required credential not declared: the package registry metadata does not list any required env vars, yet both SKILL.md and the script require TAVILY_API_KEY. Expect to provide that API key to use the skill.
- Hidden config-file fallback: the script will try to read ~/.openclaw/.env to find TAVILY_API_KEY if the env var is not set. If you store the key there, review the file contents and its permissions; the skill reads the file from your home directory.
- Network behavior: the script sends your queries and the API key to api.tavily.com. Only proceed if you trust Tavily and are comfortable with the queries being sent to that third party.
- Metadata inconsistencies: internal _meta.json values (version/owner) differ from registry metadata, which could indicate sloppy packaging.
Recommendations:
- If you plan to use it, set TAVILY_API_KEY explicitly as an environment variable rather than relying on the fallback file.
- Inspect ~/.openclaw/.env before placing any secrets in it; prefer secure storage with limited file permissions.
- Verify you trust the Tavily service (api.tavily.com) and the skill author. If unsure, avoid exposing production or multi-service credentials to this skill.
Confidence notes: The code is readable and not obfuscated; the main concerns are metadata/env-var mismatches and the undocumented file read. These suggest sloppy packaging or insufficient declarations rather than clearly malicious behavior.Like a lobster shell, security has layers — review code before you run it.
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License
MIT-0
Free to use, modify, and redistribute. No attribution required.
