Web Search Skill
Every language model has a knowledge cutoff. After a certain date, it simply has no clue what happened in the world. Ask about last week's news, the current price of something, or a fresh software release, and you will get either a wrong answer or an honest "I don't have that information."
That is exactly why your ClawStart agent has web search built in. Whenever it needs something current, it goes and searches for it, reads through what it finds, picks out what is relevant, and puts together a real answer for you. Not ten blue links you have to click through yourself. An actual answer with the sources listed at the bottom.
How it works
You just ask your question in plain language. Behind the scenes the agent rewrites it into an effective search query. For example, "what's new with React" gets turned into something like "React 19 release notes changelog 2026" because that actually gets better results. Then it runs the search, goes through the pages that come back, and writes up the answer.
Sometimes one search is not enough, so the agent runs a second or third one. If different sources say contradicting things, it will mention that. If you ask where the information came from, it gives you the URLs. All of this usually happens within a few seconds.
You do not need to configure anything. The skill works on every ClawStart plan, free tier included.
What you can search for
Pretty much anything you would normally type into Google, except here you get a synthesized answer instead of a list of links.
- - Current events and news. Tech headlines, election results, game scores. The agent checks news sources and gives you the gist of it.
- - Product comparisons. Say you want to compare the new MacBook Air and the Dell XPS 14 including current prices. The agent looks at several retailers and review sites and tells you what it found.
- - Developer docs. Fresh API changes, new library versions, migration guides. This one is especially handy when you need something that came out after the model's training was finished.
- - Travel planning. Flights, hotels, visa rules, weather. The agent pulls from multiple sources so you get a broader picture.
- - Checking facts. "Is it true that...?" The agent looks for primary sources and tells you what the evidence says.
Example conversation
You:
"What are the biggest changes in React 19?"
Agent:
"React 19 came out in December 2024. The biggest things are the new useActionState hook for forms, a use() function that unwraps promises and context directly, and built-in support for <title> and <meta> tags. Server components are now officially stable. Sources: [react.dev blog], [GitHub release notes]."
You:
"Can I safely upgrade from React 18?"
Agent:
"Mostly yes, but watch out for a few things. propTypes are gone entirely, so if you still use them, the checks just silently disappear. defaultProps on function components is deprecated. I also found 3 GitHub issues about hydration problems when upgrading apps that had custom streaming setups. The React team has a migration guide here: [link]."
You:
"Did any popular libraries break?"
Agent:
"React Router v6 is fine. Older Formik and react-beautiful-dnd versions have trouble because of how refs work now. Material UI v5 already put out a fix. Best bet is to check the React 19 compatibility tracker on GitHub for your specific dependencies."
Three separate searches in one conversation, each building on the last answer. That is fundamentally different from a single search box where you type a query and get a page of links. Here you can keep drilling down and the agent remembers the whole context.
How it compares to ChatGPT search
On the surface both do the same thing: you ask, they search, you get an answer. But look closer and the differences become clear. ChatGPT search runs on OpenAI's infrastructure and you can only use it through their app. ClawStart search runs inside your personal container, so your queries are private.
The real difference though is what comes after the search. ChatGPT gives you an answer and that is where it stops. Your ClawStart agent can actually do something with what it learned. Search for flight prices, then open a browser and go to the booking site. Research a topic, then email you the summary. Find some documentation and save it straight to Notion. The search is just one step in a bigger workflow.
And you can do all of this from Telegram too. Just text your agent "search for X" from your phone and get the answer right there.
Works even better with other skills
Search by itself is already quite useful, but it really shines when you combine it with other things. Find something interesting, then tell the agent to open that page with Browser Control and pull out the details. Or do some research and have the agent send you the results as an email.
Since you can also talk to the agent via Telegram, the whole thing works on the go. Ask "find the best Italian places in Berlin" while walking down the street and get a real answer, not a Google results page.
What it cannot do
There are honest limitations here and you should know about them:
- - Paywalled stuff. If an article needs a login or subscription, the agent sees the snippet from search results but cannot get to the full text. It will tell you though.
- - Second-by-second data. Stock tickers, crypto prices, live game scores refresh constantly. The search skill works with data that is at least a few minutes old. If you need real-time feeds, that requires a dedicated API.
- - Events from the last hour. Search engines have indexing delays. Something that happened 30 minutes ago might not show up yet.
- - Content behind forms or logins. If you need to fill in a form or log into something to see the data, search will not reach it. For those cases, browser control is the right tool.
Privacy
All searches happen inside your agent's container. Nothing is logged or shared between users. The agent only reads publicly available pages on the web.
Getting started
Web search is on by default, no setup required. Create your agent and ask it something that needs current info. It figures out on its own when a search is necessary.
Take a look at the other skills and MCP servers your agent can use.
Frequently asked questions
Can the agent search in languages other than English?
Absolutely. Write your query in German, Japanese, Portuguese, whatever works for you. The agent will search in that language and return results accordingly. You can also ask in English and tell the agent to look for sources in a specific language.
How many searches can I run per day?
There is no hard cap on searches specifically. The agent decides when a search is needed based on your conversation. Your plan has a monthly message limit, but one message can trigger multiple searches behind the scenes. Paid plans give you more messages to work with.
Does it access paywalled content?
No. Web search only reads what is publicly available. If something is behind a login or paywall, the agent gets the title and snippet from search results but cannot read the full article. It will tell you when that is the case.
How accurate are the search results?
The agent works with real search engine results, so the sources are as good as what you would find yourself. It does not make up sources or URLs. That said, just like any reader, it can misinterpret what a page says. If accuracy really matters, ask for the source links and check them yourself.
How is this different from ChatGPT's search?
ChatGPT searches run on OpenAI servers and you only get them through their app. On ClawStart, web search runs in your own container and your queries stay private. Plus you can chain search with browser control, Gmail, MCP integrations, and access everything through Telegram.