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shikamaru-cc

Web Search

by shikamaru-cc · GitHub ↗ · v1.0.1 · MIT-0
cross-platform ✓ Security Clean
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Install in OpenClaw
/install shikamaru-web-search
Description
Search the public web through Exa's hosted MCP endpoint without an API key. Use this whenever the user needs discovery rather than direct retrieval: finding...
README (SKILL.md)

\r \r

Web Search\r

\r Use this skill for web discovery.\r \r Typical cases:\r

  • the user wants recent facts, news, releases, or announcements\r
  • you need to find the right docs page, blog post, repo, or product page\r
  • you need multiple external sources before summarizing or comparing them\r
  • the user asks vague things like “find the official docs”, “look up current pricing”, or “see what changed recently”\r \r If the user already gave an exact URL and wants its contents, use web-fetch instead.\r \r

Command\r

\r Run:\r \r

node ./search.mjs --query "\x3Cquery>"\r
```\r
\r
Optional flags:\r
- `--numResults \x3Cn>`\r
- `--type auto|fast|deep`\r
- `--livecrawl fallback|preferred`\r
- `--contextMaxCharacters \x3Cn>`\r
\r
Example:\r
\r
```bash\r
node ./search.mjs \\r
  --query "Anthropic Model Context Protocol latest announcements" \\r
  --numResults 5 \\r
  --type fast\r
```\r
\r
## How to form good queries\r
\r
Turn the user's request into a focused search query before running the tool.\r
\r
Prefer queries that include:\r
- the exact product, company, library, framework, or topic name\r
- the aspect you need, such as pricing, release notes, docs, migration guide, API reference, benchmark, or comparison\r
- time qualifiers when relevant, like `2026`, `latest`, `recent`, or a version number\r
- source hints when useful, such as `site:docs.example.com` or `site:github.com`\r
\r
When needed, do multiple narrower searches instead of one broad search.\r
\r
Examples:\r
- `next.js app router caching docs site:nextjs.org`\r
- `openai responses api pricing 2026`\r
- `cloudflare workers durable objects migration guide`\r
- `site:github.com vercel ai sdk tool calling examples`\r
\r
## Search strategy\r
\r
1. Start with a tight query.\r
2. Review the returned sources and snippets.\r
3. If results are weak, refine the query rather than repeating the same one.\r
4. If you identify a promising URL that needs close inspection, follow up with `web-fetch`.\r
5. For comparisons or research summaries, prefer gathering a few solid sources over many noisy ones.\r
\r
## Choosing options\r
\r
Use the defaults unless the task clearly calls for something else.\r
\r
- `--type auto`: good default\r
- `--type fast`: use for quick fact-finding and straightforward discovery\r
- `--type deep`: use for harder research tasks where recall matters more than speed\r
- `--numResults`: lower it for narrow queries, increase it when surveying a space\r
- `--contextMaxCharacters`: increase only when you truly need more returned context\r
- `--livecrawl preferred`: use when freshness matters and you want more live data\r
\r
## How to handle output\r
\r
The CLI returns raw search context from Exa.\r
\r
After searching:\r
- summarize the findings instead of dumping the raw output unless the user asks for it\r
- cite or mention the most relevant sources clearly\r
- call out uncertainty, stale-looking results, or conflicts between sources\r
- if the user asked a precise question and the search output is still ambiguous, fetch one or two authoritative pages and inspect them with `web-fetch`\r
\r
## Failure handling\r
\r
If the search fails or returns weak results:\r
- tighten or reframe the query\r
- reduce scope to a specific vendor, site, product, or timeframe\r
- split a compound question into separate searches\r
- tell the user plainly if the source quality is weak or current information is hard to verify\r
\r
## Notes\r
\r
- No API key is required.\r
- The endpoint mirrors opencode's Exa-backed search flow.\r
- This skill is for discovery first; pair it with `web-fetch` for detailed page retrieval.\r
Usage Guidance
This skill appears to do what it claims: run the included Node script that sends your query to Exa's MCP endpoint and returns search snippets. Before installing or running it: 1) avoid sending passwords, API keys, or other sensitive data in queries since they will be transmitted to exa.ai; 2) note the publisher and homepage are unknown—if you need stronger assurance, review the search.mjs contents yourself (it's short) or run it in an isolated environment; 3) if you require guaranteed privacy, prefer using an enterprise/trusted search integration or a local search tool.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill Name: shikamaru-web-search Version: 1.0.1 The skill provides a legitimate web search capability by querying the Exa MCP endpoint (https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp). The implementation in search.mjs is straightforward, containing standard argument validation and a clean fetch-based request to the stated service without any evidence of data exfiltration, obfuscation, or malicious execution.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
Name/description, SKILL.md, and the included search.mjs all align: the skill performs web discovery by POSTing a JSON-RPC search request to Exa's hosted MCP endpoint. It does not request unrelated credentials or binaries.
Instruction Scope
Runtime instructions are tight: run node ./search.mjs with a query and optional flags. The script only collects the provided query and search options and sends them to https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp. Important privacy note: the user's query text is transmitted to a third party (exa.ai), so avoid sending secrets or sensitive data.
Install Mechanism
No install spec (instruction-only) and a single small script is included. Nothing is downloaded from untrusted URLs or written to non-standard locations. The script will be executed locally with node.
Credentials
No environment variables or credentials are required, which is proportional. However, queries are sent over the network to an external service (mcp.exa.ai), so the main proportionality concern is data exposure of query contents rather than overbroad credential requests.
Persistence & Privilege
The skill does not request persistent/system-wide privileges, does not set always:true, and does not modify other skills or system config.
How to Use
  1. Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
  2. Run the install command in chat: /install shikamaru-web-search
  3. After installation, invoke the skill by name or use /shikamaru-web-search
  4. Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.1
- Minor release with no functional changes. - SKILL.md was updated to correct minor formatting, without changing instructions or usage. - No updates to core features or functionality.
v1.0.0
Initial release
Metadata
Slug shikamaru-web-search
Version 1.0.1
License MIT-0
All-time Installs 0
Active Installs 0
Total Versions 2
Frequently Asked Questions

What is Web Search?

Search the public web through Exa's hosted MCP endpoint without an API key. Use this whenever the user needs discovery rather than direct retrieval: finding... It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 239 downloads so far.

How do I install Web Search?

Run "/install shikamaru-web-search" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.

Is Web Search free?

Yes, Web Search is completely free, licensed under MIT-0. You can download, install and use it at no cost.

Which platforms does Web Search support?

Web Search is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).

Who created Web Search?

It is built and maintained by shikamaru-cc (@shikamaru-cc); the current version is v1.0.1.

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