Unified real-time search engine skill for AI agents. Supports general web search, vertical domain search, parallel batch search, and full-page content extraction.

Download & Install

For AI Agents

If your agent platform supports a skill marketplace/store, search for anysearch and install from there. Otherwise, download and install manually:

# Download (pin to a specific release version)
curl -L -o anysearch-skill.zip https://github.com/anysearch-ai/anysearch-skill/archive/refs/heads/main.zip
# or: wget -O anysearch-skill.zip https://github.com/anysearch-ai/anysearch-skill/archive/refs/heads/main.zip

# Verify integrity (replace with actual checksum from the release page)
# sha256sum anysearch-skill.zip

# Unzip
unzip anysearch-skill.zip

# Move to your agent's skill directory (example paths below, adjust for your agent)
# Claude Code:    mv anysearch-skill ~/.claude/skills/anysearch
# OpenCode:       mv anysearch-skill ~/.config/opencode/skills/anysearch
# Cursor/Windsurf: mv anysearch-skill <project>/.skills/anysearch
# Generic:        mv anysearch-skill <your_agent_skill_dir>/anysearch
# Shared agents:  mv anysearch-skill ~/.agents/skills/anysearch

~/.agents/skills/ is a useful shared install location when multiple AI tools read from the same skill directory, including Codex, Cursor, and OpenClaw personal agent skills.

For Humans

1. Download the zip: https://github.com/anysearch-ai/anysearch-skill/archive/refs/heads/main.zip
2. Unzip to your agent's skill directory
3. Configure API key (see below)
4. Run the entry test to verify installation

API Key Configuration

An API key is optional but strongly recommended. Without a key, you can still use all search features via anonymous access, but with lower rate limits and quota.

How to configure

Copy the example env file and fill in your key:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and set: ANYSEARCH_API_KEY=<your_api_key_here>

Or set the environment variable directly:

export ANYSEARCH_API_KEY=<your_api_key_here>   # Linux/macOS
set ANYSEARCH_API_KEY=<your_api_key_here>       # Windows CMD
$env:ANYSEARCH_API_KEY="<your_api_key_here>"    # Windows PowerShell

Get an API Key

Visit https://anysearch.com/console/api-keys to sign up and create a free API key.

Key priority order: --api_key CLI flag > .env file > environment variable > anonymous

Post-Install Verification

After installation, probe the platform and run the entry test:

Step 1: Detect available runtime

Run these checks in order. The first success determines the active CLI:

# Check Python (recommended)
python --version   # Need >= 3.6, requires `requests` library
python3 --version  # Need >= 3.6, requires `requests` library
# Check Node.js (alternative)
node --version     # Need >= 12, no external dependencies
# Check Shell (fallback)
# Windows: PowerShell 5.1+ / Linux/macOS: bash 4+

Priority: Python > Node.js > Shell

Important: do not assume python exists. On many macOS systems, the correct executable is python3. Check both python and python3; if either works, Python is available.

Step 2: Run entry test (probe all available runtimes)

Run the doc command with each available runtime to verify the skill works, and observe which runs without errors or warnings:

# Python
python <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py doc

# Python 3 fallback (common on macOS)
python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py doc

# Node.js (if available)
node <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.js doc

# PowerShell (Windows)
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.ps1 doc

# Bash (Linux/macOS)
bash <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.sh doc

For each runtime, record whether the command succeeded and any errors/warnings encountered. The runtime that completes without errors and produces the cleanest output is the recommended runtime for this environment.

Step 3: Persist recommended runtime to configuration file

Based on the entry test results, write the recommended runtime to <skill_dir>/runtime.conf:

echo "Runtime: <RUNTIME>" > <skill_dir>/runtime.conf
echo "Command: <COMMAND>" >> <skill_dir>/runtime.conf

Example for Python:

echo "Runtime: Python" > <skill_dir>/runtime.conf
echo "Command: python <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py" >> <skill_dir>/runtime.conf

Example for Python 3:

echo "Runtime: Python" > <skill_dir>/runtime.conf
echo "Command: python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py" >> <skill_dir>/runtime.conf

Example for Node.js:

echo "Runtime: Node.js" > <skill_dir>/runtime.conf
echo "Command: node <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.js" >> <skill_dir>/runtime.conf

Example for PowerShell:

echo "Runtime: PowerShell" > <skill_dir>/runtime.conf
echo "Command: powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.ps1" >> <skill_dir>/runtime.conf

Example for Bash:

echo "Runtime: Bash" > <skill_dir>/runtime.conf
echo "Command: bash <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.sh" >> <skill_dir>/runtime.conf

Important: Runtime preferences are stored in runtime.conf, NOT in SKILL.md. The agent reads runtime.conf on skill load to determine the active CLI. If the file is missing or corrupted, the agent falls back to the Platform Detection procedure in SKILL.md. If runtime.conf already exists, replace it instead of appending.

Routine agent usage

After runtime.conf exists, agents should use the stored Command directly for routine calls instead of running doc before every search. For example, if runtime.conf contains Command: python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py, use:

python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py search "query" --max_results 5
python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py batch_search --queries '[{"query":"q1","max_results":5},{"query":"q2","max_results":5}]'
python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py extract "https://example.com/page"
python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py extract --url "https://example.com/page"

extract output is already Markdown. Do not pass --format markdown, --format json, or --markdown; the extract command only accepts the URL positional argument or --url/-u. If a subcommand argument is unclear or fails, run <command> <subcommand> --help for that subcommand rather than the full doc command.

Step 4 (optional): Test a real search

python <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py search "hello world" --max_results 1

If your system does not provide python, use:

python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/anysearch_cli.py search "hello world" --max_results 1

A successful JSON response confirms the API connection is working.

File Structure

anysearch/
├── .env.example              # API key configuration template
├── .env                      # Your API key (gitignored, create from .env.example)
├── runtime.conf              # Detected runtime preferences (gitignored)
├── runtime.conf.example      # Runtime configuration template
├── SKILL.md                  # Skill definition for AI agents
├── README.md                 # This file
└── scripts/
    ├── anysearch_cli.py       # Python CLI
    ├── anysearch_cli.js       # Node.js CLI
    ├── anysearch_cli.ps1      # PowerShell CLI
    └── anysearch_cli.sh       # Bash CLI