Video Searching Skill

Use this skill when the user asks to find, compare, or analyze social videos (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter/X), or explicitly invokes /video_search.

This skill calls the Memories.ai Video Searching API — a managed, token-authenticated endpoint that searches across platforms and returns structured results via SSE.

Triggering

Run this workflow when either condition is true:

1. Message starts with /video_search.
2. The user asks for video sourcing/trend/creator/brand analysis and wants concrete video links.

If /video_search is used with no query body, ask for the missing query.

Execution contract

1. Resolve query text:

   • /video_search ... → strip /video_search and use remaining text.
   • Free-form → use user message as query.

2. Build the API request JSON body:

   • query (required): the user's search query
   • platforms (optional): array of youtube, tiktok, instagram, twitter — only set if user specifies platforms
   • max_results (optional, default 10): number of video results
   • time_frame (optional): past_24h, past_week, past_month, past_year — only set if user specifies recency
   • max_steps (optional, default 10): max agent iterations
   • enable_clarification (optional, default false): set to true if user query is vague

3. Call the runner script:

   <skill_dir>/scripts/run_video_query.sh \
     --query "<query>" \
     [--platforms "youtube,tiktok"] \
     [--max-results 10] \
     [--time-frame past_week] \
     [--enable-clarification]
   

4. Start with exec using background: true.

5. Poll with process using action: "poll" every 2–4 seconds until process exits.

6. Parse NDJSON output and render only these events:

   • started → send: 🔍 Starting video search...
   • progress → send concise progress update from message field (throttle: skip if last update was < 3s ago)
   • complete → send final formatted response (see below)
   • clarification → ask the clarification question directly; treat as final response
   • error → send concise failure reason with one actionable next step

7. Do not forward raw tool_call or tool_result events to the user.

Final response format

When terminal event is complete:

1. One short paragraph conclusion (from answer field).
2. Top video references (up to 5 by default):
   • title
   • url
   • platform badge (e.g. 🎬 YouTube, 🎵 TikTok, 📸 Instagram, 🐦 X)
   • one-line relevance_note
   • key metrics: views, likes, engagement rate (if available)
3. Footer: ⏱ {execution_time_seconds}s · {steps_taken} steps · {tools_used}

If fewer videos exist, show all available references.

When terminal event is clarification:

1. Ask the clarification question directly.
2. Present options if provided.
3. Treat as final response for the current run.

When terminal event is error:

1. Send concise failure reason.
2. Include one actionable next step.

Safety and fallback

1. If MEMORIES_API_KEY is not set, tell the user:

   ⚠️ Missing MEMORIES_API_KEY. Set it in your OpenClaw environment variables to use this skill. Get your API key at https://api-tools.memories.ai

2. If the API returns a non-SSE error (HTTP 4xx/5xx), display the error message.
3. Never fabricate video URLs or metrics.
4. If the API is unreachable, suggest checking network connectivity and API status.