search-tips
Search Tips provides practical guidance for conducting thorough web research using Exa's semantic search engine, Firecrawl CLI for content extraction, and Reddit MCP tools. It covers the research cycle of searching for sources and fetching their content, query reformulation techniques for better results, domain filtering, and content-type-specific strategies. The skill includes troubleshooting for common scraping issues and operational patterns for efficient multi-source investigation.
Search Tips teaches web research strategies using Exa semantic search, Firecrawl content extraction, and Reddit tools for multi-source investigation.
AI-generated summary based on this skill's SKILL.md
Install
malob/nix-config/search-tips · repository language: Python
git clone https://github.com/malob/nix-config
cp -r nix-config/configs/claude/skills/search-tips ~/.claude/skills/search-tipsFrequently asked questions
AI-generated answers based on this skill's SKILL.md and metadata
What are the best practices for searching with Exa and Firecrawl?
Search Tips recommends using Exa's semantic search engine for finding relevant sources across the web, then employing Firecrawl CLI to extract and process content from those sources. The core research cycle involves formulating semantic queries (which understand meaning beyond keywords), retrieving candidate sources, and fetching full content for analysis. Combine domain filtering to target specific websites, reformulate queries iteratively based on initial results, and use content-type-specific strategies—such as Reddit MCP tools for social sentiment—to gather comprehensive information efficiently.
How can I improve my web research with semantic search vs keyword search?
Search Tips emphasizes that semantic search, powered by Exa, understands the intent and meaning behind your query rather than just matching keywords. This approach finds more relevant sources on the first attempt. Semantic search works best when you describe what you're looking for conceptually; keyword search requires exact term matching and often needs multiple reformulations. Search Tips teaches query reformulation techniques to refine your semantic queries when initial results miss the mark, helping you discover better sources faster than traditional keyword-based research methods.
What strategies should I use for researching topics online efficiently?
Search Tips outlines a multi-source research workflow: start with semantic queries to identify diverse sources, use domain filtering to focus on authoritative sites, then extract content systematically with Firecrawl. The skill covers query reformulation—adjusting your search terms based on what you learn—to dig deeper into topics. For social sentiment and community perspectives, Search Tips includes strategies for finding and analyzing Reddit discussions. This structured approach to multi-source investigation helps you conduct deep dives without wasting time on irrelevant results.
How do I extract information from websites without getting blocked?
Search Tips addresses common web scraping challenges and provides best practices for content extraction using Firecrawl CLI. The skill covers operational patterns that respect website policies and avoid triggering anti-scraping protections. It includes troubleshooting guidance for extraction failures on complex websites, helping you identify when content is behind paywalls or requires special handling. Search Tips teaches you to recognize which extraction methods work best for different site structures, ensuring reliable data collection while maintaining ethical scraping practices.
How can I find and compare information across multiple online sources?
Search Tips provides techniques for discovering diverse sources using Exa's semantic search with domain filtering, then systematically fetching and comparing their content. The skill teaches you to structure multi-source research workflows that gather perspectives from different websites, academic sources, and community discussions via Reddit MCP tools. By combining semantic search for source discovery with Firecrawl for content extraction, Search Tips helps you build comprehensive comparisons and identify consensus or divergent viewpoints across the internet efficiently.
What should I do when web scraping or content extraction fails?
Search Tips includes troubleshooting strategies for common web scraping and content extraction failures. The skill helps you diagnose issues like blocked requests, paywall-protected content, and complex website structures that resist extraction. It covers operational patterns and best practices to minimize failures, and teaches you to recognize when a source requires alternative approaches. Search Tips provides practical solutions to keep your research workflow moving when standard extraction methods encounter obstacles.
SKILL.md
rendered from the published skill — quoted content, verbatim
Search Tips
Accumulated guidance for web research using Exa, Firecrawl CLI, and Reddit MCP tools. These
are starting points, not rigid rules -- think strategically about each situation and
adapt. If a different approach makes more sense for what you're trying to do, go with it.
Run npx firecrawl-cli <command> --help to check available options beyond what's documented
here. Reference files cover tool-specific deep dives -- see bottom of this file.
Setup
Before starting research, load the required MCP tools using ToolSearch:
- Exa tools --
web_search_advanced_exaand
(truncated - see the full file via the links below)
Read as markdown · JSON record · Browse the source repository
File tree — 10 files
configs/claude/skills/search-tips/SKILL.md
configs/claude/skills/search-tips/references/academic-search.md
configs/claude/skills/search-tips/references/code-github.md
configs/claude/skills/search-tips/references/exa-tips.md
configs/claude/skills/search-tips/references/firecrawl-tips.md
configs/claude/skills/search-tips/references/people-companies.md
configs/claude/skills/search-tips/references/personal-sites.md
configs/claude/skills/search-tips/references/reddit.md
configs/claude/skills/search-tips/references/scraping-issues.md
configs/claude/skills/search-tips/references/twitter.md