X Search

Use the local x-search command when the user specifically needs information from X posts rather than general web results. Assumes x-search is already installed and authenticated.

Trigger conditions

• Use this skill when the user asks for reactions on X, cited X post URLs, or summaries grounded in X search results.
• Use this skill when the user wants X results filtered by handle, date, image, or video.
• Do not use this skill for general web research unless X is the required source.
• If X is the primary source, use this skill first and add non-X sources only when the user needs supplemental context.

Core workflow

1. Convert the request into one clear X-search prompt with topic, timeframe, and expected deliverable.
2. Pick the output mode first: summary, citations, URLs, or full JSON.
3. Add only the narrowest filters needed: handle, date, image, or video.
4. Run x-search once and inspect whether the result is broad, empty, or missing evidence.
5. Tighten the prompt before stacking many flags.
6. If the user needs evidence, rerun with --mode citations or --mode urls.
7. Verify that the result matches the requested timeframe, topic, and evidence level before answering.

Mode selection

• Use --mode answer for a direct summary.
• Use --mode citations for labeled citation URLs.
• Use --mode urls for raw source collection.
• Use --mode json for debugging or downstream parsing.

Option rules

• Use --allowed-handle for a trusted-account subset.
• Use --excluded-handle to remove noisy accounts.
• MUST NOT combine --allowed-handle and --excluded-handle.
• MUST use --from-date and --to-date only with YYYY-MM-DD.
• Convert relative dates such as today, yesterday, or this week into explicit bounds when feasible.
• Only enable --image or --video when the request depends on media understanding.
• The default model is grok-4.3. Override with --model only when the task needs a different tradeoff.

Prompt rules

• Ask for one concrete deliverable per call.
• Include the topic, timeframe, and angle in the prompt text.
• Prefer prompts such as Summarize reactions on X, Find posts discussing, or Compare opinions on X.
• If recency matters, say so in the prompt even when date filters are present.
• Prompt text may be written in English for consistency with the command examples.

Failure handling

• If x-search is not found, stop and report that the CLI must be installed first.
• If the command fails because of invalid arguments, fix the command shape before retrying.
• If the command exits non-zero, check authentication or Hermes configuration next.
• If the result is empty, too broad, or lacks evidence, refine the prompt and rerun once.
• If citations are required but the summary is not enough, rerun with --mode citations, --mode urls, or --mode json.
• If the query comes from standard input, pipe it into x-search instead of rewriting the content by hand.

References

• For ready-to-run command templates, see references/COMMANDS.md.