Tavily Search Native Node

Minimal Tavily web search for OpenClaw - native Node.js, zero dependencies, auditable in 5 minutes. Use when the user asks to search the web, look up current information, find news, research a topic, check recent events, compare options, or get real-time data. Returns summarized, AI-optimized results with source citations. Requires TAVILY_API_KEY in the process environment. NOT for scraping individual URLs (use web_fetch for that). For caching, raw content, extract endpoint, and usage stats, see tavily-search-pro-native-node.

Minimal, auditable Tavily web search.

Native Node.js. Zero dependencies. Two files. Small enough to audit in a few minutes.

Security behavior

• Reads TAVILY_API_KEY from the process environment only.
• Does not read credential files or ~/.openclaw/.env.
• Sends only the search request/options to https://api.tavily.com/search.
• Does not write files, cache responses, log queries, transmit local files, or print the API key.

When to use

Trigger phrases: "search for", "look up", "what's the latest on", "find recent news about", "research", "compare", "current info on".

Use this when:

• The user needs information past the model's training cutoff
• Current events, news, market data, prices, weather context, recent releases
• Research that needs citations the user can verify

Do NOT use this when:

• The user gives a specific URL to read -> use the web_fetch tool instead
• The question is answerable from training knowledge (basic facts, definitions)
• Privacy-sensitive queries (searches transmit to api.tavily.com)

Want caching, raw full-page content, extract endpoint, or usage stats? Use tavily-search-pro-native-node instead.

How to run

The script is in scripts/search.mjs.

Basic search:

node "<skill-dir>/scripts/search.mjs" "your query here"

News search (past ~7 days by default, freshness-biased):

node "<skill-dir>/scripts/search.mjs" --topic news "software release notes"

Deeper research (costs 2 credits per call):

node "<skill-dir>/scripts/search.mjs" --depth advanced "AI agents market analysis 2026"

(Where <skill-dir> is typically workspace/skills/tavily-search-native-node/.)

All flags

Flag	Values	Default	Purpose
--topic	general | news	general	news biases to fresh articles
--depth	basic | advanced	basic	advanced = deeper analysis, 2x credits
--max	1-20	5	How many results to return
--days	integer	7 (news only)	Age window for news topic
--include	comma list	(none)	Only these domains, e.g. github.com,stackoverflow.com
--exclude	comma list	(none)	Skip these domains
--json	flag	off	Return raw JSON instead of formatted output

Examples

# Compare frameworks, GitHub+SO only
node "./scripts/search.mjs" --include "github.com,stackoverflow.com" "React Native vs Flutter 2026"

# Recent news, 10 results, last 14 days
node "./scripts/search.mjs" --topic news --max 10 --days 14 "small business AI adoption"

# Deep research with JSON for programmatic use
node "./scripts/search.mjs" --depth advanced --json "small business VPN options"

Output format

Human-readable by default:

• Top-line header with query, topic, depth, result count
• Tavily's synthesized Answer (short summary)
• Numbered list of results - title, URL, date (news), snippet
• Footer line with timing info
• ASCII-safe punctuation by default for clean Windows redirection, logs, and email bodies

JSON mode (--json) dumps the full Tavily response as-is, useful for piping into follow-up scripts.

Credentials

Requires TAVILY_API_KEY in the process environment.

If it is not set, the script exits with a clear error message.

Get a key: https://app.tavily.com - free tier is 1,000 searches/month.

Cost & rate limits

• --depth basic = 1 credit per search
• --depth advanced = 2 credits per search
• Free tier: 1000 credits/month
• Tavily rate limits on the free tier are per-minute; on 429 the script surfaces the Retry-After in the error.

Agent usage pattern

When invoking this skill, prefer batching:

1. Run one well-crafted search per topic rather than many narrow ones
2. Prefer basic depth unless the user explicitly asks for a deep dive
3. Use --include to scope to trusted domains when appropriate
4. Quote the sources you cite so the user can verify

Troubleshooting

• "TAVILY_API_KEY not set" -> export the env var in the process environment
• HTTP 401 -> key is invalid or revoked; regenerate at app.tavily.com
• HTTP 429 -> rate limited; wait, retry with longer spacing (script surfaces Retry-After)
• HTTP 432 -> monthly credit cap hit; check usage dashboard
• Network timeout -> transient; retry once

What this skill does

• Reads the Tavily API key from the process environment only
• Sends a POST request to https://api.tavily.com/search
• Prints formatted results to stdout

What this skill does NOT do

• Does not write any files
• Does not make any network calls other than to api.tavily.com
• Does not modify any configuration
• Does not auto-update
• Does not cache (see Pro version for caching)

Publishability notes

This skill is intentionally small and dependency-free for auditability. Before publishing or updating, run node --check scripts/search.mjs, node scripts/search.mjs --help, and a no-key smoke test with a temporary home directory to verify clear credential errors without spending API credits.