Search Agent Skill

AI-powered search agent that performs intelligent web searches, aggregates results, and provides summarized answers with source citations. Use when: user nee...

Security Scan

The skill's code and documentation expect a SEARCH_API_KEY and perform web fetching, but the registry metadata declares no required credentials or config — this mismatch and a few other inconsistencies warrant caution.

Purpose & Capability

The skill's name/description (web search, summarization) aligns with the code and README: axios/cheerio are used to fetch and parse web pages and the module exposes search, quickSearch, factCheck, etc. Requiring a search API key and AI model for summarization is coherent with the stated purpose. However the registry metadata lists no required environment variables/credentials even though both SKILL.md and index.js reference SEARCH_API_KEY and AI_MODEL — a provenance/metadata inconsistency.

Instruction Scope

The SKILL.md instructions and the code focus on web search, content fetching, analysis, and formatting. The runtime instructions do not ask the agent to read unrelated local files or other credentials. The code fetches arbitrary URLs returned by search results (normal for a search tool), which means it will make outbound network requests and retrieve remote content.

Install Mechanism

No install spec is provided (instruction-only at registry level), which is low-risk for installation. The package includes code files and a package.json with dependencies (axios, cheerio) so the skill can be executed if installed via npm; there is no download-from-arbitrary-URL or extract step. Still, the registry/source is listed as 'unknown' while package.json points to a GitHub repo — source provenance should be confirmed before installing.

Credentials

The SKILL.md and index.js both reference environment variables (SEARCH_API_KEY, AI_MODEL, SEARCH_MAX_RESULTS, SEARCH_TIMEOUT, SEARCH_LANGUAGE). The registry metadata, however, declares no required env vars or primary credential. SEARCH_API_KEY (and potentially an AI_MODEL credential) is reasonable for this skill, but the failure to declare required credentials in the registry is a mismatch that could hide needed secrets. No unrelated credentials are requested.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is not always-enabled and does not request elevated system persistence. It does not modify other skills or claim to write system-wide configuration. It will make outbound HTTP requests when invoked, which is expected for a search agent.

What to consider before installing

This skill appears to implement a legitimate web-search and summarization tool, but there are a few things to check before installing or using it: - Confirm required credentials: the SKILL.md and index.js reference SEARCH_API_KEY and AI_MODEL, but the registry metadata declares none. You should assume an API key is needed; ask the publisher or check the upstream repository for which search service and key format are required. - Verify source provenance: registry 'Source' is unknown while package.json points to github.com/clawhub/search-agent. Inspect that repository (or the uploaded files) to ensure it matches and is maintained by a trustworthy owner. - Network behavior: the skill will fetch arbitrary webpages and call search APIs. Do not run it in an environment containing sensitive internal-only URLs you don't want exposed. Avoid giving it private or sensitive queries unless you control the search target and understand where requests go. - Review dependencies & run audits: the package uses axios and cheerio (common), but run a dependency audit and optionally sandbox execution before granting it access to production systems. - Ask for clarification: request that the publisher update the registry metadata to list SEARCH_API_KEY (and any other required env vars) and provide the concrete search API endpoints used (performSearch currently contains placeholder endpoints). If the publisher confirms the above and provides a verifiable source repo/release, and you only provide the minimal API key with rate/permission controls, the inconsistencies would be explainable and the risk lowered.

An intelligent AI-powered search agent that performs advanced web searches, aggregates results from multiple sources, and provides comprehensive, cited answers to user queries.

Overview

Search Agent is a powerful research tool that combines web search capabilities with AI summarization. It helps users quickly find accurate, up-to-date information from across the internet without manually browsing multiple websites.

Key Features

🔍 Multi-Source Search

• Web Search: Real-time search across major search engines
• News Search: Latest news and current events
• Academic Search: Scholarly articles and research papers
• Image Search: Visual content discovery
• Code Search: Programming solutions and documentation

🤖 AI-Powered Analysis

• Smart Summarization: Condenses multiple sources into coherent answers
• Fact Verification: Cross-references information across sources
• Source Credibility: Ranks sources by reliability and authority
• Context Understanding: Maintains conversation context for follow-up questions

📊 Result Organization

• Structured Output: Presents information in easy-to-read formats
• Citation Tracking: Every claim is backed by source links
• Confidence Scoring: Indicates reliability of information
• Related Topics: Suggests related queries for deeper exploration

Use Cases

1. Research & Learning

• Academic Research: Find scholarly articles and citations
• Topic Exploration: Get comprehensive overviews of complex subjects
• Fact Checking: Verify claims with multiple authoritative sources
• Learning New Skills: Find tutorials, documentation, and best practices

2. Professional Work

• Market Research: Gather industry trends and competitor information
• Technical Documentation: Find official docs and community solutions
• News Monitoring: Stay updated on relevant industry news
• Data Collection: Aggregate statistics and reports

3. Daily Life

• Product Research: Compare features, prices, and reviews
• Travel Planning: Find destinations, hotels, and local information
• Health Information: Access reliable medical and wellness information
• Current Events: Get summaries of breaking news and developments

Usage Examples

Basic Search

User: "What are the latest developments in quantum computing?"
Search Agent: Performs web search → Aggregates results → Provides summary with citations

Technical Query

User: "How to implement JWT authentication in Node.js?"
Search Agent: Searches code repositories → Finds tutorials → Provides code examples with sources

Fact Verification

User: "Is it true that Python is the most popular programming language in 2024?"
Search Agent: Cross-references multiple sources → Provides verified answer with statistics

News Search

User: "What happened in the tech industry this week?"
Search Agent: Searches recent news → Summarizes key events → Provides timeline

Search Capabilities

Supported Search Types

Type	Description	Best For
general	Broad web search	General knowledge, how-to guides
news	Recent news articles	Current events, trending topics
academic	Scholarly sources	Research, citations, studies
code	Code repositories	Programming solutions, libraries
images	Visual content	Reference images, diagrams

Advanced Search Operators

• "exact phrase" - Search for exact matches
• site:example.com - Search within specific domain
• filetype:pdf - Find specific file types
• -exclude - Exclude specific terms
• OR - Search for either term

Output Format

Search Agent provides structured responses:

## Summary
[Concise answer to the query]

## Key Findings
- [Point 1 with citation]
- [Point 2 with citation]
- [Point 3 with citation]

## Sources
1. [Source Title](URL) - [Credibility Score]
2. [Source Title](URL) - [Credibility Score]

## Related Queries
- [Suggested follow-up 1]
- [Suggested follow-up 2]

Technical Architecture

Components

1. Search Engine Interface: Connects to multiple search APIs
2. Content Fetcher: Retrieves and parses web pages
3. AI Analyzer: Processes and summarizes content
4. Citation Manager: Tracks and formats source references
5. Response Formatter: Structures output for readability

Data Flow

User Query → Search APIs → Content Extraction → AI Analysis → Citation Mapping → Formatted Response

Configuration

Environment Variables

SEARCH_API_KEY=your_search_api_key
AI_MODEL=gpt-4  # or other supported models
MAX_RESULTS=10  # number of sources to analyze
TIMEOUT=30000   # request timeout in milliseconds

Customization Options

• Result Count: Adjust number of sources analyzed
• Source Filters: Whitelist/blacklist specific domains
• Language Preferences: Prioritize results in specific languages
• Time Range: Filter results by date (past day, week, month, year)

Best Practices

When to Use Search Agent

✅ Current information not in training data ✅ Verifying facts or claims ✅ Researching new or niche topics ✅ Finding specific technical solutions ✅ Gathering multiple perspectives

When NOT to Use Search Agent

❌ Information already known to be in training data ❌ Personal or private information ❌ Highly sensitive queries ❌ When offline functionality is required

Limitations

• Search Dependency: Requires internet connectivity
• API Rate Limits: Subject to search API quotas
• Source Availability: Limited by indexed web content
• Real-time Lag: News may have slight delays
• Language Support: Optimized for major languages

Privacy & Security

• No Query Logging: User searches are not stored
• Secure Connections: All API calls use HTTPS
• Source Verification: Filters known malicious domains
• Data Minimization: Only fetches necessary content

Integration

With Other Skills

• findskills: Discover complementary skills
• code-reviewer: Verify code solutions found
• translator: Translate search results

API Usage

// Example: Using Search Agent programmatically
const searchAgent = require('search-agent');

const result = await searchAgent.search({
  query: "renewable energy trends 2024",
  type: "news",
  maxResults: 5
});

Version History

• v1.0.0 (Current)
  • Initial release
  • Multi-source search capability
  • AI-powered summarization
  • Citation tracking

Support & Feedback

For issues, feature requests, or contributions:

• GitHub Issues: [repository-url]
• Documentation: [docs-url]
• Community: [community-url]

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

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Keywords: search, research, web search, AI search, information retrieval, fact checking, news aggregation, academic search, code search, intelligent agent, knowledge discovery, source citation, automated research