tavily-search - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: tavily-search description: Use when querying Tavily through ArkSpace web_search routing, configuring Tavily API-backed search, or using Tavily-specific search controls such as depth, topic, time range, domain filters, or answer summaries.

Tavily Search

Use Tavily as an API-backed web_search provider when ArkSpace routes a search task to Tavily or when the user explicitly asks for Tavily search.

Tavily configuration is managed by provider-manager; do not ask the user to edit config files by hand.

Source References

Official docs: https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/agent-skills
API reference: https://docs.tavily.com/api-reference/endpoint/search
Official skills: https://github.com/tavily-ai/skills
OpenClaw guide: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/tavily
OpenClaw plugin: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/tree/main/extensions/tavily

Before Use

Resolve the installed ArkSpace package root before running commands. Replace <installed-arkspace-path> with the directory two levels above this loaded SKILL.md, such as /Users/<user>/.claude/plugins/cache/ark-space/ark-space/0.1.2. Use the installed package path, not a repository-relative command.

Check configuration:

python3 <installed-arkspace-path>/scripts/arkspace.py provider check tavily --capability web_search

Set up Tavily once:

python3 <installed-arkspace-path>/scripts/arkspace.py provider setup tavily --wizard

For multiple API keys:

python3 <installed-arkspace-path>/scripts/arkspace.py provider setup tavily --wizard --key-count 2

The provider config stores env:<NAME> references. Raw keys saved through setup live in ArkSpace's local private secrets file, not in committed package files. The agent should help run these commands when the user asks to configure Tavily.

Missing Configuration Recovery

If the provider check reports a missing Tavily API key:

Ask the user whether to start setup now: "Tavily is not configured. Should I start the ArkSpace setup wizard now?"
Present exactly two choices:
- "Start setup wizard" - start interactive setup with python3 <installed-arkspace-path>/scripts/arkspace.py provider setup tavily --wizard.
- "Not now" - leave Tavily unconfigured; if the user still wants results, ask whether to continue with a clearly labeled non-ArkSpace fallback.
Run the setup command for the user only when the host shell can provide interactive secret input. If the shell is non-interactive, do not run --wizard through that tool.
In Claude Code non-interactive tool sessions, tell the user the wizard needs interactive secret input and offer:
- run ! python3 <installed-arkspace-path>/scripts/arkspace.py provider setup tavily --wizard in the Claude prompt or terminal, or
- paste the API key in chat and let the agent save it with python3 <installed-arkspace-path>/scripts/arkspace.py provider setup tavily --save-secret TAVILY_API_KEY --secret-stdin.
Re-run the provider check after setup.
If setup succeeds, rerun or tell the user to rerun the original invocation, such as /ark-space:tavily-search <query>.
Do not return Tavily search results until the provider check succeeds.
If the user declines, defers, or cannot complete setup and still wants results, ask whether to continue with a clearly labeled non-ArkSpace fallback.

Helper Script

Basic search:

python3 <installed-arkspace-path>/scripts/arkspace.py web search --provider tavily "agent skills" --output json

Search with Tavily controls:

python3 <installed-arkspace-path>/scripts/arkspace.py web search --provider tavily "AI coding assistants" \
  --search-depth basic \
  --max-results 5 \
  --topic general \
  --time-range month \
  --include-domains github.com,docs.tavily.com \
  --output json

Routing Notes

Use registry/search-providers.yaml before execution.
Use tavily-extract or another web_fetch provider when the user provides a URL to read.
Use Tavily search results as discovery snippets unless include_answer or raw content is explicitly requested.
Record provider failures through the helper so key rotation can cool down failing keys.