web-search

jwynia/agent-skills · updated May 30, 2026

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$npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill web-search
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summary

Web search using the agent's built-in WebSearch tool, no API key required.

  • Accepts simple query strings and returns relevant web results; best for current information, recent events, fact verification, and real-time research
  • Effective queries benefit from specificity, year inclusion for recency, and domain-specific terminology; iterative refinement recommended for broad or multi-perspective searches
  • Results cannot access paywalled content and depend on the agent's WebSearch implement
skill.md

Web Search

Search the web using the agent's built-in WebSearch capability. No external API keys required.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

  • You need to find current information not in your training data
  • The user asks about recent events, news, or updates
  • You need to verify facts or find sources
  • Research requires real-time web data

Do NOT use this skill when:

  • Information is already in your knowledge base
  • You're working with local files or code
  • You need advanced filtering (use web-search-tavily instead)
  • A more specific research skill applies

How to Search

Use the agent's built-in WebSearch tool directly. The tool accepts a query string and returns relevant web results.

Basic Search

Simply invoke WebSearch with your query:

Query: "React 19 new features"

Effective Query Strategies

Be specific and include context:

  • Bad: "react hooks"
  • Good: "React 19 useActionState hook tutorial"

Include the year for current information:

  • Bad: "best TypeScript practices"
  • Good: "TypeScript best practices 2025"

Use domain-specific terms:

  • Bad: "how to make website fast"
  • Good: "web performance optimization Core Web Vitals"

When to Search Multiple Times

Search iteratively when:

  1. Initial results are too broad → Refine with more specific terms
  2. Looking for multiple perspectives → Search different phrasings
  3. Verifying facts → Search for corroborating sources
  4. Deep research → Start broad, then drill into specifics

Output Handling

After receiving search results:

  1. Cite sources - Always include URLs when sharing information
  2. Synthesize - Combine information from multiple results
  3. Verify - Cross-reference claims across sources
  4. Date-check - Note publication dates for time-sensitive information

Source Attribution Format

When sharing information from search results:

According to [Source Name](URL), ...

Sources:
- [Title 1](url1)
- [Title 2](url2)

Limitations

  • Results depend on the agent's WebSearch implementation
  • Cannot access paywalled or login-required content
  • May not have the most recent information (depends on indexing)
  • No domain filtering or relevance scoring (use web-search-tavily for these features)

Related Skills

  • web-search-tavily - Advanced search with API key, domain filtering, and relevance scores
  • research-workflow - Structured research with planning and synthesis
  • fact-check - Verify specific claims against sources
  • claim-investigation - Investigate viral claims and social media content
how to use web-search

How to use web-search on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • Active project directory or workspace where you want to add web-search
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill web-search

The skills CLI fetches web-search from GitHub repository jwynia/agent-skills and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/web-search

Reload or restart Cursor to activate web-search. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /web-search) or your agent's skill management interface.

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

GET_STARTED →

Use Cases

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install product management skill
  2. 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7.Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This

✓ Use When

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.
general reviews

Ratings

4.775 reviews
  • Pratham Ware· Dec 28, 2024

    I recommend web-search for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Chen Dixit· Dec 28, 2024

    Useful defaults in web-search — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Li Ramirez· Dec 28, 2024

    Useful defaults in web-search — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Mateo Martinez· Dec 28, 2024

    web-search reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • Ama Kim· Dec 24, 2024

    web-search has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • Ama Huang· Dec 4, 2024

    web-search is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • Camila Gill· Nov 23, 2024

    web-search reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • Yash Thakker· Nov 19, 2024

    Useful defaults in web-search — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Li Perez· Nov 19, 2024

    I recommend web-search for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Chen Flores· Nov 19, 2024

    I recommend web-search for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

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