--- name: web-search description: This skill should be used when users need to search the web for information, find current content, look up news articles, search for images, or find videos. It uses DuckDuckGo's search API to return results in clean, formatted output (text, markdown, or JSON). Use for research, fact-checking, finding recent information, or gathering web resources. ---

Web Search

Overview

Search the web using DuckDuckGo's API to find information across web pages, news articles, images, and videos. Returns results in multiple formats (text, markdown, JSON) with filtering options for time range, region, and safe search.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when users request:

• Web searches for information or resources
• Finding current or recent information online
• Looking up news articles about specific topics
• Searching for images by description or topic
• Finding videos on specific subjects
• Research requiring current web data
• Fact-checking or verification using web sources
• Gathering URLs and resources on a topic

Prerequisites

Install the required dependency:

bash
pip install duckduckgo-search

This library provides a simple Python interface to DuckDuckGo's search API without requiring API keys or authentication.

Core Capabilities

1. Basic Web Search

Search for web pages and information:

bash
python scripts/search.py "<query>"

Example:

bash
python scripts/search.py "python asyncio tutorial"

Returns the top 10 web results with titles, URLs, and descriptions in a clean text format.

2. Limiting Results

Control the number of results returned:

bash
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --max-results <N>

Example:

bash
python scripts/search.py "machine learning frameworks" --max-results 20

Useful for:

• Getting more comprehensive results (increase limit)
• Quick lookups with fewer results (decrease limit)
• Balancing detail vs. processing time

3. Time Range Filtering

Filter results by recency:

bash
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --time-range <d|w|m|y>

Time range options:

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

Example:

bash
python scripts/search.py "artificial intelligence news" --time-range w

Great for:

• Finding recent news or updates
• Filtering out outdated content
• Tracking recent developments

4. News Search

Search specifically for news articles:

bash
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --type news

Example:

bash
python scripts/search.py "climate change" --type news --time-range w --max-results 15

News results include:

• Article title
• Source publication
• Publication date
• URL
• Article summary/description

5. Image Search

Search for images:

bash
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --type images

Example:

bash
python scripts/search.py "sunset over mountains" --type images --max-results 20

Image filtering options:

Size filters:

bash
python scripts/search.py "landscape photos" --type images --image-size Large

Options: Small, Medium, Large, Wallpaper

Color filters:

bash
python scripts/search.py "abstract art" --type images --image-color Blue

Options: color, Monochrome, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, Brown, Black, Gray, Teal, White

Type filters:

bash
python scripts/search.py "icons" --type images --image-type transparent

Options: photo, clipart, gif, transparent, line

Layout filters:

bash
python scripts/search.py "wallpapers" --type images --image-layout Wide

Options: Square, Tall, Wide

Image results include:

• Image title
• Image URL (direct link to image)
• Thumbnail URL
• Source website
• Dimensions (width x height)

6. Video Search

Search for videos:

bash
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --type videos

Example:

bash
python scripts/search.py "python tutorial" --type videos --max-results 15

Video filtering options:

Duration filters:

bash
python scripts/search.py "cooking recipes" --type videos --video-duration short

Options: short, medium, long

Resolution filters:

bash
python scripts/search.py "documentary" --type videos --video-resolution high

Options: high, standard

Video results include:

• Video title
• Publisher/channel
• Duration
• Publication date
• Video URL
• Description

7. Region-Specific Search

Search with region-specific results:

bash
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --region <region-code>

Common region codes:

• us-en - United States (English)
• uk-en - United Kingdom (English)
• ca-en - Canada (English)
• au-en - Australia (English)
• de-de - Germany (German)
• fr-fr - France (French)
• wt-wt - Worldwide (default)

Example:

bash
python scripts/search.py "local news" --region us-en --type news

8. Safe Search Control

Control safe search filtering:

bash
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --safe-search <on|moderate|off>

Options:

• on - Strict filtering
• moderate - Balanced filtering (default)
• off - No filtering

Example:

bash
python scripts/search.py "medical information" --safe-search on

9. Output Formats

Choose how results are formatted:

Text format (default):

bash
python scripts/search.py "quantum computing"

Clean, readable plain text with numbered results.

Markdown format:

bash
python scripts/search.py "quantum computing" --format markdown

Formatted markdown with headers, bold text, and links.

JSON format:

bash
python scripts/search.py "quantum computing" --format json

Structured JSON data for programmatic processing.

10. Saving Results to File

Save search results to a file:

bash
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --output <file-path>

Example:

bash
python scripts/search.py "artificial intelligence" --output ai_results.txt
python scripts/search.py "AI news" --type news --format markdown --output ai_news.md
python scripts/search.py "AI research" --format json --output ai_data.json

The file format is determined by the --format flag, not the file extension.

Output Format Examples

Text Format

1. Page Title Here
   URL: https://example.com/page
   Brief description of the page content...
2. Another Result
   URL: https://example.com/another
   Another description...

Markdown Format

markdown
1. Page Title Here
URL: https://example.com/page
Brief description of the page content...
2. Another Result
URL: https://example.com/another
Another description...

JSON Format

json
[
  {
    "title": "Page Title Here",
    "href": "https://example.com/page",
    "body": "Brief description of the page content..."
  },
  {
    "title": "Another Result",
    "href": "https://example.com/another",
    "body": "Another description..."
  }
]

Common Usage Patterns

Research on a Topic

Gather comprehensive information about a subject:

bash
Get overview from web
python scripts/search.py "machine learning basics" --max-results 15 --output ml_web.txt
Get recent news
python scripts/search.py "machine learning" --type news --time-range m --output ml_news.txt
Find tutorial videos
python scripts/search.py "machine learning tutorial" --type videos --max-results 10 --output ml_videos.txt

Current Events Monitoring

Track news on specific topics:

bash
python scripts/search.py "climate summit" --type news --time-range d --format markdown --output daily_climate_news.md

Finding Visual Resources

Search for images with specific criteria:

bash
python scripts/search.py "data visualization examples" --type images --image-type photo --image-size Large --max-results 25 --output viz_images.txt

Fact-Checking

Verify information with recent sources:

bash
python scripts/search.py "specific claim to verify" --time-range w --max-results 20

Academic Research

Find resources on scholarly topics:

bash
python scripts/search.py "quantum entanglement research" --time-range y --max-results 30 --output quantum_research.txt

Market Research

Gather information about products or companies:

bash
python scripts/search.py "electric vehicle market 2025" --max-results 20 --format markdown --output ev_market.md
python scripts/search.py "EV news" --type news --time-range m --output ev_news.txt

Implementation Approach

When users request web searches:

1. Identify search intent: - What type of content (web, news, images, videos)? - How recent should results be? - How many results are needed? - Any filtering requirements?

2. Configure search parameters: - Choose appropriate search type (--type) - Set time range if currency matters (--time-range) - Adjust result count (--max-results) - Apply filters (image size, video duration, etc.)

3. Select output format: - Text for quick reading - Markdown for documentation - JSON for further processing

4. Execute search: - Run the search command - Save to file if results need to be preserved - Print to stdout for immediate review

5. Process results: - Read saved files if needed - Extract URLs or specific information - Combine results from multiple searches

Quick Reference

Command structure:

bash
python scripts/search.py "<query>" [options]

Essential options:

• -t, --type - Search type (web, news, images, videos)
• -n, --max-results - Maximum results (default: 10)
• --time-range - Time filter (d, w, m, y)
• -r, --region - Region code (e.g., us-en, uk-en)
• --safe-search - Safe search level (on, moderate, off)
• -f, --format - Output format (text, markdown, json)
• -o, --output - Save to file

Image-specific options:

• --image-size - Size filter (Small, Medium, Large, Wallpaper)
• --image-color - Color filter
• --image-type - Type filter (photo, clipart, gif, transparent, line)
• --image-layout - Layout filter (Square, Tall, Wide)

Video-specific options:

• --video-duration - Duration filter (short, medium, long)
• --video-resolution - Resolution filter (high, standard)

Get full help:

bash
python scripts/search.py --help

Best Practices

1. Be specific - Use clear, specific search queries for better results 2. Use time filters - Apply --time-range for current information 3. Adjust result count - Start with 10-20 results, increase if needed 4. Save important searches - Use --output to preserve results 5. Choose appropriate type - Use news search for current events, web for general info 6. Use JSON for automation - JSON format is easiest to parse programmatically 7. Respect usage - Don't hammer the API with rapid repeated searches

Troubleshooting

Common issues:

• "Missing required dependency": Run pip install duckduckgo-search
• No results found: Try broader search terms or remove time filters
• Timeout errors: The search service may be temporarily unavailable; retry after a moment
• Rate limiting: Space out searches if making many requests
• Unexpected results: DuckDuckGo's results may differ from Google; try refining the query

Limitations:

• Results quality depends on DuckDuckGo's index and algorithms
• No advanced search operators (unlike Google's site:, filetype:, etc.)
• Image and video searches may have fewer results than web search
• No control over result ranking or relevance scoring
• Some specialized searches may work better on dedicated search engines

Advanced Use Cases

Combining Multiple Searches

Gather comprehensive information by combining search types:

bash
Web overview
python scripts/search.py "topic" --max-results 15 --output topic_web.txt
Recent news
python scripts/search.py "topic" --type news --time-range w --output topic_news.txt
Images
python scripts/search.py "topic" --type images --max-results 20 --output topic_images.txt

Programmatic Processing

Use JSON output for automated processing:

bash
python scripts/search.py "research topic" --format json --output results.json
Then process with another script
python analyze_results.py results.json

Building a Knowledge Base

Create searchable documentation from web results:

bash
Search multiple related topics
python scripts/search.py "topic1" --format markdown --output kb/topic1.md
python scripts/search.py "topic2" --format markdown --output kb/topic2.md
python scripts/search.py "topic3" --format markdown --output kb/topic3.md

Resources

scripts/search.py

The main search tool implementing DuckDuckGo search functionality. Key features:

• Multiple search types - Web, news, images, and videos
• Flexible filtering - Time range, region, safe search, and type-specific filters
• Multiple output formats - Text, Markdown, and JSON
• File output - Save results for later processing
• Clean formatting - Human-readable output with all essential information
• Error handling - Graceful handling of network errors and empty results

The script can be executed directly and includes comprehensive command-line help via --help.

ddgs — free DuckDuckGo search fallback (added 2026-06-21)

from ddgs import DDGS; list(DDGS().text("query", max_results=5)) — free, no API key, no server. ROLE: never-stop FREE fallback when paid search quotas (Tavily/Perplexity/Brave) are exhausted, and for bulk/private queries. Verified live. Part of the research arsenal: Tavily+Perplexity+Brave+Firecrawl+trafilatura+browser-use+ddgs (web) + OpenAlex+SemanticScholar+arXiv+Crossref+Scholar+PubMed (academic).