DuckDuckGo(API)

Use when needing to search the web in AI coding tools or OpenClaw. Uses DuckDuckGo API without API key.

DuckDuckGo Web Search Skill

An Agent Skill for searching web content via DuckDuckGo.

Overview

This Skill provides a command-line tool for web search using the ddgs Python package. Suitable for:

• Real-time web information needs in AI coding tools
• Fetching search results in OpenClaw workflows

Core Features

• Web Search: General web search
• News Search: Dedicated news content search
• Multiple Output Formats: Text or JSON format
• Flexible Configuration: Region, time limits, and safe search level
• Proxy Support: HTTP/HTTPS/SOCKS5 proxy via CLI args or environment variables

Installation

This project uses uv as the Python package manager.

Option 1: Run with uv (Recommended)

# Run the script directly (uv will auto-install dependencies)
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "Python programming"

# Or navigate to the directory first
cd skills/ddgs-search
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "machine learning"

Option 2: Manual Dependency Installation

# Install dependencies using uv
uv pip install ddgs

# Or use pip
pip install ddgs

Quick Start

Basic Usage

# Run with uv (recommended)
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "Python programming"

# Limit the number of results
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "machine learning" --max-results 5

# Search news
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "tech news" --news

# JSON output (for programmatic parsing)
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "API documentation" --json

# Time limit (today)
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "breaking news" --timelimit d

Complete Parameter Reference

Parameter	Short	Description	Default
query	-	Search keywords	Required
--max-results	-n	Maximum number of results	10
--region	-r	Region code	wt-wt
--safesearch	-s	Safe search (on/moderate/off)	moderate
--timelimit	-t	Time limit (d/w/m/y)	-
--backend	-b	Search backend (auto/html/lite)	auto
--proxy	-p	Proxy server (http/https/socks5)	-
--news	-	Search news	-
--json	-j	JSON format output	-
--verbose	-v	Show detailed information	-

Proxy Configuration

Proxy settings are resolved in the following priority order:

1. Command line: --proxy / -p
2. Environment variable: HTTP_PROXY or http_proxy
3. Environment variable: DDGS_PROXY

Proxy format examples:

• http://proxy.example.com:8080
• http://user:[e-mail]:8080
• socks5://127.0.0.1:9150 (Tor Browser)
• socks5h://user:[e-mail]:32325

Region Code Examples

• wt-wt - Worldwide (default)
• us-en - United States English
• cn-zh - China Chinese
• jp-jp - Japan
• uk-en - United Kingdom

Time Limits

• d - Past day
• w - Past week
• m - Past month
• y - Past year

Usage in OpenClaw

In OpenClaw workflows, you can invoke it via the bash tool:

# Example workflow step
- name: search_web
  tool: bash
  command: cd skills/ddgs-search && uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "{{ query }}" --json

Or using the Python tool:

# Assuming the current directory is the project root
import subprocess
import json

result = subprocess.run(
    ["uv", "run", "skills/ddgs-search/scripts/ddgs_search.py", "Python tips", "--json"],
    capture_output=True,
    text=True
)
data = json.loads(result.stdout)

Return Result Format

Web Search Results

[
  {
    "title": "Result Title",
    "href": "https://example.com/page",
    "body": "Page snippet/description..."
  }
]

News Search Results

[
  {
    "title": "News Headline",
    "href": "https://news.example.com/article",
    "body": "Article summary...",
    "date": "2024-01-15",
    "source": "News Source Name"
  }
]

Usage Examples

Example 1: Search Technical Documentation

uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "FastAPI documentation" -n 5

Example 2: Get Latest News

uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "artificial intelligence" --news -t d -n 3

Example 3: Chinese Search

uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "机器学习教程" -r cn-zh -n 8

Example 4: JSON Output Processing

uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "python tips" --json | jq '.[0].href'

Example 5: Using Proxy

# Via command line argument
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "query" --proxy http://1.2.3.4:8080

# Via HTTP_PROXY environment variable
export HTTP_PROXY="http://proxy.example.com:8080"
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "query"

# Via DDGS_PROXY environment variable
export DDGS_PROXY="socks5://127.0.0.1:9150"
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "query"

FAQ

uv Not Installed

# macOS/Linux
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Windows
powershell -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

ImportError: No module named 'ddgs'

# Install using uv
uv pip install ddgs

# Or run in the script directory (uv will auto-handle)
cd skills/ddgs-search
uv run scripts/ddgs_search.py "query"

Empty Search Results

• Check network connection
• Try changing the --backend parameter (auto/html/lite)
• Some regions may require a proxy (see Proxy Configuration)

Proxy Not Working

• Verify proxy format: http://host:port or socks5://host:port
• Check if authentication is required: http://user:pass@host:port
• Ensure the proxy server is accessible from your network
• Try using HTTP_PROXY environment variable instead of command line argument

Rate Limiting

DuckDuckGo has implicit rate limiting. If frequent requests fail:

• Reduce request frequency
• Add delays between requests
• Use a different backend

Dependencies

• Python 3.9+
• uv (package manager)
• ddgs >= 8.0.0