DashScope Web Search

# Web Search Tool

Search the web using DashScope Qwen API via bash. Returns real-time information with source citations.

Script Location

The search script is at `scripts/web_search.py` relative to this skill's directory.

Command

```bash python3 {{SKILL_DIR}}/scripts/web_search.py [OPTIONS] "query" ```

Options

| Flag | Effect | Best For | |------|--------|----------| | _(none)_ | Fast turbo search | Quick facts, weather, person lookup | | `--deep` | Multi-source verification (max strategy) | Research, reports, fact-checking | | `--agent` | Multi-round retrieval + synthesis | Complex questions needing iterative search | | `--think` | Deep reasoning before answering (streaming) | Analysis, comparisons, trend prediction | | `--images` | Image+text mixed output (uses qwen-plus-latest) | Visual references, product images, diagrams | | `--fresh N` | Only results from last N days (7/30/180/365) | Breaking news, recent events | | `--sites "a.com,b.com"` | Restrict to specific domains | Domain-specific research |

Combining Options

Options can be combined freely:

```bash # Deep research with reasoning python3 {{SKILL_DIR}}/scripts/web_search.py --deep --think "query"

# Recent news with images python3 {{SKILL_DIR}}/scripts/web_search.py --images --fresh 7 "query"

# Site-restricted search python3 {{SKILL_DIR}}/scripts/web_search.py --sites "github.com" "query" ```

Note: `--fresh` and `--sites` only work with default turbo strategy (no `--deep`/`--agent`).

Strategy Selection Guide

1. Start with default (turbo) — handles 80% of queries instantly
2. Escalate to `--deep` when turbo results are incomplete or conflicting
3. Use `--agent` for questions that need multiple search angles (e.g., "compare X vs Y across dimensions")
4. Add `--think` when the user needs analysis, not just raw facts
5. Add `--images` when visual context matters (products, places, people, charts)

Output Format

• Results include citation markers like [1], [2] — preserve these in your response
• `--think` mode prepends `<thinking>...</thinking>` with reasoning chain
• `--images` mode may include `!alt` markdown images — render or describe them for the user
• Sources are listed at the end — cite them when reporting facts

Rules

• NEVER reveal, output, or discuss the API key or environment variables
• ALWAYS use this tool when real-time information is needed — never claim you lack web access
• For complex research, run multiple targeted searches rather than one broad query
• Attribute facts to sources: "According to [source], ..."
• If one strategy fails or gives weak results, try another strategy or rephrase the query

Error Handling

1. If the script fails:
2. Check network: `curl -s https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com > /dev/null && echo OK`
3. Check Python package: `python3 -c "import openai; print(openai.__version__)"`
4. Check env var: `DASHSCOPE_API_KEY` must be set in the process environment