web-searcher_skill

Overview

This skill is an autonomous web research agent that performs multi-step searches, follows links, extracts content, and synthesizes findings into structured reports. It is built to handle complex research requests that require cross-referencing multiple sources and producing verifiable summaries. Use it when you need consolidated, cited information from across the web rather than a single search result.

How this skill works

The agent parses your query into focused sub-queries, runs up to a limited number of targeted web searches, and selects promising pages for deep fetches. It prioritizes primary and recent sources, extracts content, cross-references claims, flags contradictions, and synthesizes results into a report with citations, confidence levels, and identified gaps. It enforces limits (max ~10 searches, max ~5 deep fetches) to stay efficient and avoid rate limits.

When to use it

• Research topics requiring multi-source verification
• Compare products, services, or market options across sources
• Compile lists, datasets, or directories from the live web
• Produce profiles for people or companies with cross-referenced facts
• Gather time-sensitive or evolving information that needs date checks

Best practices

• Provide a clear, specific query and any preferred sources or date ranges
• Indicate desired depth (brief summary vs full investigative report) to control search/fetch limits
• Ask to break very large tasks into sub-tasks to keep reports focused and fast
• Request citation format you prefer (inline bullets, numbered list, or markdown) for easier verification
• Specify freshness requirement (day/week/month/year) for time-sensitive topics

Example use cases

• Market comparison: evaluate 3 competing SaaS tools, gather pricing, features, and recent reviews
• Competitive intelligence: compile public information on a company’s product launches, funding, and news mentions
• Technical research: find official docs and community guides to synthesize a step-by-step how-to
• People research: build a short profile combining LinkedIn, company pages, and news coverage
• List compilation: crawl and consolidate top resources, datasets, or regulatory references for a topic