home / skills / openclaw / skills / internet-lookup-verifier
This skill verifies factual questions by performing an internet search and returning a concise, sourced answer.
npx playbooks add skill openclaw/skills --skill internet-lookup-verifierReview the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.
---
name: internet-lookup-verifier
description: Verify information by performing an internet lookup before answering questions.
---
# Internet Lookup Verifier
## Purpose
When a user asks a factual question, this skill performs an online search to confirm the answer and returns a concise verified response. It ensures that the assistant’s reply is backed by current, reliable sources.
## How it works
1. **Trigger** – The skill activates when the system prompt or another skill signals a need for verification. Typically this happens before answering a question that contains keywords like *fact*, *true/false*, *verify*, or *source*.
2. **Search** – Uses the `web_search` tool to retrieve up to 5 relevant results (default 3). The query is the user’s question or a re‑phrased version suitable for search engines.
3. **Extract** – From each result, the skill pulls the title, URL and snippet. If needed, it can fetch the full page with `web_fetch` for deeper analysis.
4. **Evaluate** – The assistant checks that at least one source explicitly supports the answer. If sources disagree or none are found, it reports uncertainty.
5. **Respond** – Returns a short verified answer followed by a list of URLs (and optionally snippets) that back the claim.
## Usage example
> *User:* Is the capital of Australia Canberra?
>
> *Assistant (using this skill):* Yes, Canberra is the capital of Australia. Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Canberra-Australia
## Limitations
- Relies on the quality of public search results.
- May not handle niche or very new information if it hasn’t indexed yet.
- Does not guarantee 100 % accuracy; it only indicates that sources support the claim.
## Extensibility
Add a `references/` folder with detailed guidelines for interpreting ambiguous results or handling conflicting sources. The skill can be extended to use more advanced NLP techniques for source credibility scoring.
This skill verifies factual answers by performing an internet lookup before replying. It runs targeted web searches, extracts supporting snippets or pages, and returns a concise, source-backed answer. The goal is to reduce unsupported claims and show users where the verification came from.
The skill triggers when verification is requested or detected from the prompt, then issues a web_search for the question (usually 3–5 results). It extracts titles, URLs, and snippets and optionally fetches full pages for deeper checks. The assistant confirms that at least one reliable source explicitly supports the answer, reports uncertainty when sources conflict or are absent, and returns a short verified conclusion plus source links.
What happens if sources disagree?
The skill reports uncertainty, summarizes the conflicting claims, and provides links so users can review the evidence themselves.
Can it fetch full pages for deeper verification?
Yes — the skill can use a web_fetch step when snippets are insufficient, but it limits full fetches to cases that need deeper analysis to avoid added delay.