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:
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:
python scripts/search.py "<query>"
Example:
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:
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --max-results <N>
Example:
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:
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --time-range <d|w|m|y>
Time range options:
d - Past dayw - Past weekm - Past monthy - Past year
Example:
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- Filtering out outdated content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:
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --type news
Example:
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:
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --type images
Example:
python scripts/search.py "sunset over mountains" --type images --max-results 20
Image filtering options:
Size filters:
python scripts/search.py "landscape photos" --type images --image-size Large
Options: Small, Medium, Large, Wallpaper
Color filters:
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:
python scripts/search.py "icons" --type images --image-type transparent
Options: photo, clipart, gif, transparent, line
Layout filters:
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:
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --type videos
Example:
python scripts/search.py "python tutorial" --type videos --max-results 15
Video filtering options:
Duration filters:
python scripts/search.py "cooking recipes" --type videos --video-duration short
Options: short, medium, long
Resolution filters:
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:
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:
python scripts/search.py "local news" --region us-en --type news
8. Safe Search Control
Control safe search filtering:
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --safe-search <on|moderate|off>
Options:
on - Strict filteringmoderate - Balanced filtering (default)off - No filtering
Example:
python scripts/search.py "medical information" --safe-search on
9. Output Formats
Choose how results are formatted:
Text format (default):
python scripts/search.py "quantum computing"
Clean, readable plain text with numbered results.
Markdown format:
python scripts/search.py "quantum computing" --format markdown
Formatted markdown with headers, bold text, and links.
JSON format:
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:
python scripts/search.py "<query>" --output <file-path>
Example:
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
## 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
[
{
"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:
# 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:
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:
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:
python scripts/search.py "specific claim to verify" --time-range w --max-results 20
Academic Research
Find resources on scholarly topics:
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:
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:
-
Identify search intent:
- What type of content (web, news, images, videos)?
- How recent should results be?
- How many results are needed?
- Any filtering requirements?
-
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.)
-
Select output format:
- Text for quick reading
- Markdown for documentation
- JSON for further processing
-
Execute search:
- Run the search command
- Save to file if results need to be preserved
- Print to stdout for immediate review
-
Process results:
- Read saved files if needed
- Extract URLs or specific information
- Combine results from multiple searches
Quick Reference
Command structure:
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:
python scripts/search.py --help
Best Practices
- Be specific - Use clear, specific search queries for better results
- Use time filters - Apply
--time-range for current information
- Adjust result count - Start with 10-20 results, increase if needed
- Save important searches - Use
--output to preserve results
- Choose appropriate type - Use news search for current events, web for general info
- Use JSON for automation - JSON format is easiest to parse programmatically
- 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:
# 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:
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:
# 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.