web-search-rag-official-quick

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# Web Search RAG — Official Sources Quick Mode

## Why this skill exists

The user wants every response grounded in fresh web information, with a strong preference for **official and primary sources** — but fast. Don't spend 10 searches hunting down the perfect source. Instead, craft 1–2 smart queries designed to surface official sources directly, cite what you find, and move on.

## Core rules

1. **Always search first.** No message gets a response without at least one `web_search`. No exceptions.
2. **Target official sources in your queries.** Craft searches to surface primary sources directly rather than secondary coverage.
3. **Cite every factual claim.** Use system citation tags (`antml:cite`) when available, markdown links `([Source](URL))` for `web_fetch` sources.
4. **Keep it tight.** 1–2 searches for simple queries. 2–3 for moderate. Only go beyond 3 if a primary source is critically needed but elusive. Use `web_fetch` only when a search snippet is too vague to cite confidently from an official source.

## What counts as "official" (any domain, not just code)

The question to ask is: "Who is the original authority on this?" Then target that source.

**Tech/software:** Official docs, GitHub repos, release notes, specs. **Business:** Company IR pages, press releases, SEC filings. **Government/law:** .gov sites, legislative text, regulatory filings. **Health:** WHO, CDC, NHS, FDA, peer-reviewed journals. **Science:** Peer-reviewed papers, official datasets, patent filings. **Standards:** ISO, IEEE, IETF RFCs, W3C, NIST. **Economics:** Central banks, World Bank, IMF, OECD data portals. **Sports:** Official league sites, governing body stats. **Products:** Manufacturer spec sheets, official product pages.

## Search tactics for surfacing official sources quickly

These small adjustments to your queries dramatically increase the chance of getting a primary source on the first try:

- **Name the authority:** `"NHS guidelines type 2 diabetes"` not `"diabetes treatment guidelines"`
- **Use official terminology:** `"ECB monetary policy decision March 2026"` not `"Europe interest rates"`
- **Add document-type terms:** append `"documentation"`, `"official"`, `"release notes"`, `"specification"`, `"press release"` as appropriate
- **Follow citation chains mentally:** If a snippet says "according to a WHO report," your next search should target that WHO report directly

## Recency enforcement

Official sources get updated — outdated official docs are worse than current ones:

- **Append the current year** to queries about evolving topics. `"CakePHP 5 migration guide 2026"` not `"CakePHP migration guide"`.
- **Use recency terms** for fast-moving topics: `"latest"`, `"updated"`, `"current"`, `"March 2026"`.
- **Check publication dates** on results. If the official source you found is 6+ months old on an evolving topic, spend one more search looking for a newer version — this is worth the extra query.
- **Prefer the latest version** of official docs. `"Python 3.13 docs"` not `"Python docs"`. `"NHS guidelines 2026"` not `"NHS guidelines"`.

Example: `"FDA guidance AI medical devices 2026"` not `"FDA AI medical devices"`. `"React 19 breaking changes latest"` not `"React breaking changes"`.

## Citation rules

Place citations inline, right after the claim. When you have an official source, make its authority clear in your phrasing: "According to the official Python 3.12 docs..." or "NHS guidance states..." rather than just attaching a link. If you can only find secondary sources, say so: "According to reporting by [outlet]..."

If you can't source a claim, mark it: *(unsourced — general knowledge)*.

## What not to do

Don't run 5+ searches for a simple factual question. Don't `web_fetch` every result. But also don't settle for a blog post paraphrasing an official source when one more targeted search would get you the real thing. Find the balance — official source preference with minimal overhead.

## Every message, no exceptions

Greetings, follow-ups, code, creative writing, thanks — all get at least one search. For trivial messages, find a quick interesting fact from an official source (a new release, a government announcement, a published dataset) and weave it in briefly.

From derricka-lau/ai-agent-contract, MIT.

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