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 "websea...

Security Scan

The skill does what it says: it runs a small shell script that calls the user's installed Claude Code or Codex CLI to perform web searches; requirements and instructions are proportionate and self-consistent.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description ask for a free web search via Claude Code or Codex CLI and the skill only requires those CLIs (anyBins: claude or codex). There are no unrelated credentials, binaries, or config paths requested.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md and the included scripts confine themselves to invoking the detected CLI with a search prompt, optional alias creation, and (for Codex) running from a temp directory. The instructions do not read arbitrary files, environment variables, or post data to third-party endpoints beyond the CLIs' normal network activity.

Install Mechanism

No install spec (instruction-only) and the included script is small and readable. The README suggests installing the CLIs via npm and creating a symlink in ~/.local/bin for an alias — both are normal but users should be aware a symlink can shadow existing commands in PATH.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables or secrets. It does rely on whatever authentication the installed Claude/Codex CLIs already have configured — that is expected for this purpose but means those CLIs (not the skill) will use any stored tokens.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is not always-enabled, does not request elevated privileges, and does not modify other skills or system-wide agent settings. The only persistent change it suggests is an optional symlink in the user's home directory.

Assessment

Summary of risks and recommendations before installing: - The skill itself is a small wrapper script and is consistent with its description. It does not exfiltrate files or request unrelated credentials. - The script invokes your installed Claude Code or Codex CLI; those CLIs will perform network requests and use any authentication already configured on your machine. Ensure you trust the installed CLIs and that they were obtained from official sources. - The README suggests creating a symlink (~/.local/bin/ccws). Creating such an alias can shadow existing commands in your PATH — only do it if you’re comfortable. - If you want extra caution: inspect the local claude/codex binaries you have installed, avoid creating the symlink, or run the script manually instead of giving it automatic invocation. Also verify the skill's source (the registry metadata owner/slug) if provenance matters to you.

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

# 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):

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:

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