robbyczgw-cla/web-search-plus
Overview
This skill unifies multiple search providers and automatically selects the best one for each query using multi-signal analysis and confidence scoring. It supports Serper (Google), Tavily (research), Exa (neural similarity), You.com (RAG/real-time), and SearXNG (privacy/self-hosted) behind a single interface. Auto-routing reduces provider choice friction while allowing explicit overrides and fallback handling.
How this skill works
The skill analyzes each query for intent, keywords, URL patterns, and real-time signals, then ranks providers by suitability and confidence. It dispatches the query to the selected provider, returns standardized results with a routing block (provider, confidence, fallback flags), and can automatically retry alternative providers on errors. Developers can enable explain-mode to see routing rationale or force a provider via CLI flags or API parameters.
When to use it
- General web queries without choosing a provider manually
- Shopping, local, or news lookups (auto-routes to Serper)
- Academic or deep research questions (auto-routes to Tavily)
- Finding similar pages, startups, or semantic matches (auto-routes to Exa)
- Privacy-first searches or cost-free/self-hosted needs (use SearXNG)
Best practices
- Start with one API key and add providers progressively for coverage
- Use auto-routing for most queries; override with -p when you need a specific engine
- Enable --explain-routing to debug ambiguous routing decisions
- Configure a sensible fallback_provider and set a confidence_threshold for stricter routing
- Self-host SearXNG for private, unlimited queries and set it as fallback if budget is a concern
Example use cases
- Price comparison: ask “iPhone 16 price” and get Serper-powered shopping results
- Research deep topics: “climate change research 2024” routes to Tavily for scholarly context
- Similarity search: “companies like Stripe” uses Exa for neural matches
- Breaking news or real-time updates: “latest AI regulation news” routes to You.com
- Private searches or cost-free fallback: route sensitive queries to a self-hosted SearXNG instance
FAQ
No. You only need keys for the providers you plan to use. The skill works with a single key and can add more later.
What if auto-routing chooses the wrong provider?
Use the -p provider override or run the tool with --explain-routing to see why it chose a provider and adjust query or config.
