@pencil-agent/nano-pencil 2.0.0 → 2.0.1

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Files changed (195) hide show
  1. package/README.md +267 -267
  2. package/dist/build-meta.json +3 -3
  3. package/dist/core/export-html/AGENT.md +11 -11
  4. package/dist/core/export-html/template.css +971 -971
  5. package/dist/core/export-html/template.html +54 -54
  6. package/dist/core/mcp/mcp-client.d.ts +3 -1
  7. package/dist/core/mcp/mcp-client.js +6 -6
  8. package/dist/core/mcp/mcp-config.d.ts +3 -3
  9. package/dist/core/mcp/mcp-config.js +1 -1
  10. package/dist/core/mcp/mcp-manager.d.ts +5 -1
  11. package/dist/core/mcp/mcp-manager.js +1 -1
  12. package/dist/core/platform/config/resource-loader.d.ts +2 -0
  13. package/dist/core/platform/config/resource-loader.js +2 -2
  14. package/dist/core/runtime/agent-session.d.ts +12 -0
  15. package/dist/core/runtime/agent-session.js +8 -8
  16. package/dist/core/runtime/sdk.d.ts +8 -0
  17. package/dist/core/runtime/sdk.js +1 -1
  18. package/dist/extensions/builtin/AGENT.md +115 -115
  19. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/AGENT.md +17 -17
  20. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/agent_helpers.py +12 -12
  21. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/amazon/product-search.md +198 -198
  22. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/archive-org/scraping.md +341 -341
  23. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/arxiv/scraping.md +311 -311
  24. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/arxiv-bulk/scraping.md +333 -333
  25. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/atlas/overview.md +70 -70
  26. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/booking-com/scraping.md +578 -578
  27. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/capterra/scraping.md +440 -440
  28. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/centilebrain/generate-estimates.md +110 -110
  29. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/coingecko/scraping.md +325 -325
  30. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/coinmarketcap/scraping.md +463 -463
  31. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/coursera/scraping.md +360 -360
  32. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/craigslist/scraping.md +390 -390
  33. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/crossref/scraping.md +568 -568
  34. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/dev-to/scraping.md +323 -323
  35. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/duckduckgo/scraping.md +349 -349
  36. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/ebay/scraping.md +435 -435
  37. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/etsy/scraping.md +506 -506
  38. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/eventbrite/scraping.md +363 -363
  39. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/expedia/automation.md +168 -168
  40. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/facebook/groups.md +236 -236
  41. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/facebook/pages.md +295 -295
  42. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/framer/editor.md +108 -108
  43. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/fred/scraping.md +493 -493
  44. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/g2/scraping.md +580 -580
  45. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/genius/scraping.md +511 -511
  46. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/github/repo-actions.md +65 -65
  47. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/github/scraping.md +184 -184
  48. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/glassdoor/scraping.md +543 -543
  49. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/gmail/compose.md +122 -122
  50. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/goodreads/scraping.md +461 -461
  51. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/gutenberg/scraping.md +383 -383
  52. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/hackernews/scraping.md +243 -243
  53. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/howlongtobeat/scraping.md +473 -473
  54. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/imdb/scraping.md +271 -271
  55. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/itch-io/scraping.md +436 -436
  56. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/job-boards/indeed-glassdoor.md +1021 -1021
  57. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/letterboxd/scraping.md +349 -349
  58. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/linkedin/invitation-manager.md +109 -109
  59. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/loom/folder-enumeration.md +170 -170
  60. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/macrotrends/scraping.md +537 -537
  61. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/medium/article-hydration.md +120 -120
  62. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/medium/scraping.md +414 -414
  63. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/metacritic/scraping.md +477 -477
  64. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/musicbrainz/scraping.md +478 -478
  65. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/nasa/scraping.md +339 -339
  66. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/news-aggregation/multi-source.md +205 -205
  67. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/open-library/scraping.md +472 -472
  68. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/openalex/scraping.md +470 -470
  69. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/openstreetmap/scraping.md +490 -490
  70. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/package-registries/npm-pypi.md +478 -478
  71. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/polymarket/scraping.md +234 -234
  72. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/producthunt/scraping.md +307 -307
  73. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/pubmed/scraping.md +421 -421
  74. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/quora/scraping.md +364 -364
  75. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/rawg/scraping.md +352 -352
  76. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/reddit/scraping.md +124 -124
  77. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/rest-countries/scraping.md +233 -233
  78. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/sec-edgar/scraping.md +361 -361
  79. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/shopify-admin/README.md +36 -36
  80. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/shopify-admin/embedded-apps.md +72 -72
  81. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/shopify-admin/knowledge-base.md +109 -109
  82. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/shopify-admin/polaris-inputs.md +137 -137
  83. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/soundcloud/scraping.md +362 -362
  84. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/spotify/scraping.md +339 -339
  85. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/stackoverflow/scraping.md +435 -435
  86. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/steam/scraping.md +575 -575
  87. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/substack/scraping.md +338 -338
  88. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/thetechgeeks/pricing.md +52 -52
  89. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/tiktok/upload.md +107 -107
  90. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/tradingview/scraping.md +309 -309
  91. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/trello/boards-and-lists.md +88 -88
  92. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/trustpilot/scraping.md +375 -375
  93. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/walmart/scraping.md +444 -444
  94. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/wayback-machine/scraping.md +306 -306
  95. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/weather/scraping.md +398 -398
  96. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/wellfound/scraping.md +596 -596
  97. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/world-bank/scraping.md +356 -356
  98. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/xiaohongshu/scraping.md +84 -84
  99. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/youtube/scraping.md +418 -418
  100. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/agent-workspace/domain-skills/zillow/scraping.md +433 -433
  101. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/browser.md +73 -73
  102. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/install.md +142 -142
  103. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/connection.md +48 -48
  104. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/cookies.md +3 -3
  105. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/cross-origin-iframes.md +3 -3
  106. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/dialogs.md +64 -64
  107. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/downloads.md +3 -3
  108. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/drag-and-drop.md +3 -3
  109. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/dropdowns.md +3 -3
  110. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/iframes.md +3 -3
  111. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/network-requests.md +3 -3
  112. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/print-as-pdf.md +3 -3
  113. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/profile-sync.md +90 -90
  114. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/screenshots.md +17 -17
  115. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/scrolling.md +3 -3
  116. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/shadow-dom.md +3 -3
  117. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/tabs.md +69 -69
  118. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/uploads.md +1 -1
  119. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/interaction-skills/viewport.md +3 -3
  120. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/src/browser_harness/AGENT.md +15 -15
  121. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/src/browser_harness/__init__.py +8 -8
  122. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/src/browser_harness/_ipc.py +90 -90
  123. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/src/browser_harness/admin.py +722 -722
  124. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/src/browser_harness/daemon.py +328 -328
  125. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/src/browser_harness/helpers.py +396 -396
  126. package/dist/extensions/builtin/browser/src/browser_harness/run.py +103 -103
  127. package/dist/extensions/builtin/discipline/skills/brainstorming/SKILL.md +33 -33
  128. package/dist/extensions/builtin/discipline/skills/executing-plans/SKILL.md +25 -25
  129. package/dist/extensions/builtin/discipline/skills/finishing-development-branch/SKILL.md +25 -25
  130. package/dist/extensions/builtin/discipline/skills/receiving-code-review/SKILL.md +22 -22
  131. package/dist/extensions/builtin/discipline/skills/requesting-code-review/SKILL.md +31 -31
  132. package/dist/extensions/builtin/discipline/skills/systematic-debugging/SKILL.md +28 -28
  133. package/dist/extensions/builtin/discipline/skills/test-driven-development/SKILL.md +32 -32
  134. package/dist/extensions/builtin/discipline/skills/using-git-worktrees/SKILL.md +25 -25
  135. package/dist/extensions/builtin/discipline/skills/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md +27 -27
  136. package/dist/extensions/builtin/discipline/skills/writing-plans/SKILL.md +26 -26
  137. package/dist/extensions/builtin/goal/README.md +67 -67
  138. package/dist/extensions/builtin/grub/README.md +112 -112
  139. package/dist/extensions/builtin/link-world/agent-workspace/README.md +16 -16
  140. package/dist/extensions/builtin/link-world/internet-search/internet-search.md +65 -65
  141. package/dist/extensions/builtin/link-world/link-world-agent.md +82 -82
  142. package/dist/extensions/builtin/link-world/linkworld.md +313 -313
  143. package/dist/extensions/builtin/link-world/network-routing/network-routing.md +67 -67
  144. package/dist/extensions/builtin/loop/README.md +92 -92
  145. package/dist/extensions/builtin/mcp/figma-design.md +68 -68
  146. package/dist/extensions/builtin/mcp/mcp-management.md +85 -85
  147. package/dist/extensions/builtin/recap/AGENT.md +15 -15
  148. package/dist/extensions/builtin/sal/README.md +72 -72
  149. package/dist/extensions/builtin/security-audit/README.md +289 -289
  150. package/dist/extensions/builtin/team/AGENT.md +112 -112
  151. package/dist/extensions/builtin/team/TESTING.md +299 -299
  152. package/dist/extensions/builtin/token-save/README.md +56 -56
  153. package/dist/extensions/optional/AGENT.md +10 -10
  154. package/dist/modes/interactive/interactive-mode.js +36 -36
  155. package/dist/modes/interactive/theme/dark.json +85 -85
  156. package/dist/modes/interactive/theme/light.json +84 -84
  157. package/dist/modes/interactive/theme/theme-schema.json +335 -335
  158. package/dist/modes/interactive/theme/warm.json +81 -81
  159. package/dist/node_modules/@pencil-agent/agent-core/dist/agent-loop.js +3 -2
  160. package/dist/node_modules/@pencil-agent/agent-core/dist/structured-adaptive-agent-loop.js +2 -1
  161. package/dist/node_modules/@pencil-agent/ai/dist/cli.js +0 -0
  162. package/docs/cc-agent-design.md +1297 -0
  163. package/docs/cc-tui-design.md +1333 -0
  164. package/docs/codex-goal-command-impl.md +1055 -1055
  165. package/docs/codex-goal-vs-grub.md +500 -500
  166. package/docs/custom-provider.md +27 -27
  167. package/docs/extensions.md +27 -27
  168. package/docs/keybindings.md +27 -27
  169. package/docs/loop /351/207/215/346/236/204/345/256/214/346/210/220/346/200/273/347/273/223.md" +250 -250
  170. package/docs/loop /351/207/215/346/236/204/345/256/214/346/210/220/346/212/245/345/221/212.md" +122 -122
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  173. package/docs/loop /351/207/215/346/236/204/346/226/271/346/241/210/345/257/271/346/257/224/345/210/206/346/236/220.md" +128 -128
  174. package/docs/loop /351/207/215/346/236/204/350/256/241/345/210/222.md" +320 -320
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  177. package/docs/nanoPencil-/345/255/246/344/271/240/350/256/241/345/210/222.md +170 -0
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  179. package/docs/pi-design-philosophy.md +457 -457
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  183. package/docs/scan-report.md +3820 -0
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  185. package/docs/skills.md +27 -27
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@@ -1,349 +1,349 @@
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- # DuckDuckGo — Instant Answer API
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-
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- `https://api.duckduckgo.com` — completely public, no auth, no API key. Returns Wikipedia-sourced abstracts, infoboxes, and instant answers for well-known entities, calculations, and utility queries. Not a search engine — it does not return a list of web results for arbitrary queries.
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-
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- ## Do this first: pick your query type
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-
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- | Query type | Example | `Type` | Returns |
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- |------------|---------|--------|---------|
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- | Named entity (specific) | `apple inc` | A | Full abstract + infobox |
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- | Ambiguous term | `python` | D | Disambiguation list in `RelatedTopics` |
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- | Instant answer | `random number` | E | Direct answer in `Answer` field |
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- | No match | `how to cook pasta` | `""` | All fields empty |
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-
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- **Use `skip_disambig=1` and `no_html=1` in almost every call.** `skip_disambig=1` upgrades D→A when there's an obvious primary result (e.g., `elon musk` goes from disambiguation to full article). `no_html=1` removes `<b>` tags from the `Answer` field and strips bold markup from `Result` HTML strings.
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-
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- **Never use a browser.** Everything is a single `http_get` JSON call, 183–320ms.
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-
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- ---
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-
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- ## Fastest path: entity lookup
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-
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- ```python
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- import json, urllib.parse
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- from helpers import http_get
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-
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- def ddg_instant(query: str) -> dict:
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- q = urllib.parse.quote(query)
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- raw = http_get(
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- f"https://api.duckduckgo.com/?q={q}&format=json&no_html=1&skip_disambig=1"
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- )
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- return json.loads(raw)
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-
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- # Entity with Wikipedia abstract + infobox
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- data = ddg_instant("openai")
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- # data['Type'] == 'A'
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- print(data['Heading']) # 'OpenAI'
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- print(data['AbstractText']) # 'OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence research...'
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- print(data['AbstractURL']) # 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenAI'
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- print(data['OfficialWebsite'])# 'https://openai.com/'
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- print(data['Entity']) # 'company'
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-
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- # Person lookup (skip_disambig resolves D→A automatically)
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- data = ddg_instant("elon musk")
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- print(data['Type']) # 'A' (was 'D' without skip_disambig)
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- print(data['AbstractText'][:100]) # 'Elon Reeve Musk is a businessman...'
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- print(data['Image']) # '/i/be2a8644.jpg' — prepend https://duckduckgo.com
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-
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- # Full image URL
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- img_url = f"https://duckduckgo.com{data['Image']}" if data['Image'] else None
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- ```
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-
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- ---
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-
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- ## Instant answers (Type = E)
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-
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- ```python
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- import json, urllib.parse
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- from helpers import http_get
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-
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- def ddg_answer(query: str) -> tuple[str, str]:
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- """Returns (answer_text, answer_type). answer_text is '' if no result."""
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- q = urllib.parse.quote(query)
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- raw = http_get(
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- f"https://api.duckduckgo.com/?q={q}&format=json&no_html=1&no_redirect=1"
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- )
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- data = json.loads(raw)
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- ans = data.get('Answer', '')
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- # Answer can be a dict when it's a widget (calculator, converter) — only string Answers are usable
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- return (ans if isinstance(ans, str) else '', data.get('AnswerType', ''))
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-
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- # Confirmed working instant answers:
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- text, kind = ddg_answer("random number")
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- # text='0.245013228691281 (random number)', kind='rand'
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-
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- text, kind = ddg_answer("generate password")
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- # text='ZCsbe8iY (random password)', kind='pw'
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-
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- text, kind = ddg_answer("ip address")
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- # text='Your IP address is 73.158.74.222 in San Francisco, California, United States (94121)', kind='ip'
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-
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- text, kind = ddg_answer("base64 encode hello")
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- # text='Base64 encode d: aGVsbG8=', kind='base64_conversion'
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-
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- text, kind = ddg_answer("md5 hash hello")
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- # text='5d41402abc4b2a76b9719d911017c592', kind='md5'
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-
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- text, kind = ddg_answer("pi")
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- # text='3.14159', kind='constants'
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-
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- text, kind = ddg_answer("today date")
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- # text='\nS M T W T F S April 2026\n...|18|...', kind='calendar'
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-
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- text, kind = ddg_answer("timer 5 minutes")
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- # text='300', kind='timer' — returns raw seconds
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-
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- text, kind = ddg_answer("lorem ipsum")
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- # text='Ea hic quia corporis. Minus consequuntur...', kind='lorem_ipsum'
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-
99
- # Color lookup — must URL-encode the # sign:
100
- text, kind = ddg_answer("color #FF5733")
101
- # text='Hex: #FF5733 ~ RGBA(255, 87, 51, 1) ~ RGB(100%, 34%, 20%) ~ HSL(11, 100%, 60%) ~ CMYB(0%, 66%, 80%, ...', kind='color_code'
102
- ```
103
-
104
- **Widget answers return a dict, not a string** — `sqrt(144)`, `1 mile in km`, `100 USD in EUR`, and `stopwatch` all return `Answer` as a dict like `{'from': 'calculator', 'id': 'calculator', 'result': '', ...}`. The `result` key is empty — the actual computation happens client-side in a JS widget. Treat dict `Answer` values as "not usable via API".
105
-
106
- ---
107
-
108
- ## Full response schema
109
-
110
- Every response has exactly these 21 top-level keys (all always present):
111
-
112
- ```
113
- Abstract # same as AbstractText (redundant, use AbstractText)
114
- AbstractSource # "Wikipedia" when present, "" otherwise
115
- AbstractText # Wikipedia-sourced summary paragraph (up to ~1000 chars)
116
- AbstractURL # Wikipedia article URL
117
- Answer # string or dict — instant answer result (see above)
118
- AnswerType # string key identifying the answer plugin (e.g. "rand", "ip")
119
- Definition # almost always "" — not reliably populated
120
- DefinitionSource # almost always ""
121
- DefinitionURL # almost always ""
122
- Entity # entity type: "company", "programming language", "person", etc.
123
- Heading # entity display name
124
- Image # relative path e.g. "/i/4d83768732377cf3.png" — prepend https://duckduckgo.com
125
- ImageHeight # int or "" when no image
126
- ImageIsLogo # 0 or 1 integer when image present; "" otherwise
127
- ImageWidth # int or "" when no image
128
- Infobox # dict with "content" and "meta" lists, or "" if no infobox
129
- OfficialDomain # e.g. "openai.com" — only for entities with a known website
130
- OfficialWebsite # e.g. "https://openai.com/" — only when DDG knows it
131
- Redirect # target URL when query is a bang (e.g. !g python) with no_redirect=1
132
- RelatedTopics # list — see below
133
- Results # list — official site links (usually 0 or 1 item)
134
- Type # "A", "D", "C", "N", "E", or ""
135
- meta # API plugin metadata — rarely needed
136
- ```
137
-
138
- ### `RelatedTopics` item structure
139
-
140
- Each item is one of two shapes:
141
-
142
- **Plain topic** (the common case):
143
- ```python
144
- {
145
- "FirstURL": "https://duckduckgo.com/Deep_learning",
146
- "Icon": {"Height": "", "URL": "/i/abc123.png", "Width": ""}, # URL often ""
147
- "Result": "<a href=\"...\">Deep learning</a>— branch of ML...", # HTML
148
- "Text": "Deep learning — branch of ML concerned with artificial neural networks."
149
- }
150
- ```
151
-
152
- **Section** (disambiguation pages only — when `Type` is `D` without `skip_disambig`):
153
- ```python
154
- {
155
- "Name": "Science & Technology", # section heading
156
- "Topics": [ # list of plain topic objects
157
- {"FirstURL": "...", "Icon": {...}, "Result": "...", "Text": "..."},
158
- ...
159
- ]
160
- }
161
- ```
162
-
163
- For A-type results, `RelatedTopics` are Wikipedia category links (e.g. `"American aerospace engineers"` pointing to `https://duckduckgo.com/c/...`). These are not web search results — they are DDG topic pages.
164
-
165
- ### `Results` item structure
166
-
167
- Usually 0 or 1 item. When present, it's the official website:
168
- ```python
169
- {
170
- "FirstURL": "https://www.apple.com/",
171
- "Icon": {"Height": 16, "URL": "/i/apple.com.ico", "Width": 16},
172
- "Result": "<a href=\"https://www.apple.com/\">Official site</a>...",
173
- "Text": "Official site"
174
- }
175
- ```
176
- Icon URLs in `Results` are relative — prepend `https://duckduckgo.com`.
177
-
178
- ### `Infobox` structure
179
-
180
- ```python
181
- ib = data['Infobox'] # dict or "" (empty string when absent)
182
- if isinstance(ib, dict):
183
- content = ib['content'] # list of structured fields
184
- # Each content item:
185
- # {"data_type": "string", "label": "Founded", "value": "December 08, 2015"}
186
- # {"data_type": "string", "label": "Founders", "value": "Sam Altman, Elon Musk, ..."}
187
-
188
- meta = ib['meta'] # list of metadata items
189
- # {"data_type": "string", "label": "article_title", "value": "OpenAI"}
190
- # {"data_type": "string", "label": "template_name", "value": "infobox company"}
191
-
192
- # Extract infobox as flat dict:
193
- if isinstance(data['Infobox'], dict):
194
- fields = {item['label']: item['value'] for item in data['Infobox']['content']}
195
- # fields['Founded'] == 'December 08, 2015'
196
- # fields['Products'] == 'ChatGPT, GPT-5...'
197
- ```
198
-
199
- `Infobox` is `""` (empty string, not `None`, not `{}`) when absent. Always check with `isinstance(data['Infobox'], dict)`.
200
-
201
- ---
202
-
203
- ## Query parameters
204
-
205
- | Parameter | Values | Effect |
206
- |-----------|--------|--------|
207
- | `q` | URL-encoded query | The search query |
208
- | `format` | `json` | Required — omit for HTML response |
209
- | `no_redirect` | `1` | Returns redirect URL in `Redirect` field instead of HTTP 302; required for bang queries (`!g`, `!yt`) |
210
- | `no_html` | `1` | Strips `<b>` from `Answer`; strips bold markup from `Result` HTML; use in almost every call |
211
- | `skip_disambig` | `1` | Resolves ambiguous D-type queries to the primary result; upgrades D→A when unambiguous |
212
- | `t` | any string | Source identifier tag (e.g. `t=myapp`); has no effect on results |
213
- | `callback` | function name | Wraps response in JSONP: `mycallback({...})` |
214
-
215
- ---
216
-
217
- ## Type field values
218
-
219
- | Type | Meaning | AbstractText | RelatedTopics |
220
- |------|---------|--------------|---------------|
221
- | `A` | Article — specific Wikipedia entity | Full paragraph | Category links |
222
- | `D` | Disambiguation — ambiguous term | Empty `""` | List of possible meanings (may include sections) |
223
- | `C` | Categories | Varies | Category items |
224
- | `N` | Name | Varies | Name-related items |
225
- | `E` | Exclusive — instant answer widget | Empty `""` | Empty `[]` |
226
- | `""` | No result | Empty `""` | Empty `[]` |
227
-
228
- In practice, C and N types are rare. A, D, E, and empty cover nearly all queries.
229
-
230
- ---
231
-
232
- ## What returns useful results vs empty
233
-
234
- **Returns AbstractText (A type):**
235
- - Named companies: `apple inc`, `openai`, `google`
236
- - Specific technologies: `python programming language`, `javascript`, `linux kernel`
237
- - Well-known people with `skip_disambig=1`: `elon musk`, `ada lovelace`
238
- - Scientific concepts: `machine learning`, `photosynthesis`, `circumference`
239
- - Specific software: `vim`, `postgresql`, `nginx`
240
-
241
- **Returns RelatedTopics only (D type):**
242
- - Ambiguous single words: `python`, `linux`, `react`, `programming`
243
- - Ambiguous names: `apple` (returns empty — too ambiguous even for D), `new york`
244
-
245
- **Returns empty (Type = ""):**
246
- - How-to queries: `how to cook pasta`, `how to learn python`
247
- - Opinion/listicle: `best laptops 2024`, `top 10 programming languages`
248
- - Current events: `weather london`, `bitcoin price`
249
- - Site search operators: `site:example.com`
250
- - Multi-word specifics not in DDG's dataset: `numpy python library`, `javascript tutorial`
251
-
252
- **Returns instant answer (E type):**
253
- - Random: `random number`, `generate password`, `lorem ipsum`
254
- - Math: `pi`, `timer 5 minutes`
255
- - Network: `ip address`
256
- - Encoding: `base64 encode <text>`, `md5 hash <text>`
257
- - Color lookup: `color #RRGGBB` (must URL-encode the `#`)
258
-
259
- ---
260
-
261
- ## Gotchas
262
-
263
- **`Infobox` is `""` not `None` when absent.** Always check with `isinstance(data['Infobox'], dict)` — `if data['Infobox']` also works since `""` is falsy.
264
-
265
- **Image and Icon URLs are relative.** `data['Image']` is `/i/abc123.png`. Prepend `https://duckduckgo.com` to make it absolute. Same for Icon URLs in `RelatedTopics` and `Results`.
266
-
267
- **`Answer` can be a dict (widget), not a string.** Queries like `1 mile in km`, `100 USD in EUR`, `sqrt(144)`, and `stopwatch` return `Answer` as a dict with `{'from': 'calculator', 'result': '', ...}`. The `result` key is empty — the widget computes client-side. Only string `Answer` values are usable via the API.
268
-
269
- **`color #RRGGBB` requires URL encoding of `#`.** Using `q=color+#FF5733` returns an HTML page (HTTP redirect). Use `urllib.parse.quote("color #FF5733")` which encodes to `color+%23FF5733`.
270
-
271
- **Bang queries without `no_redirect=1` return HTML, not JSON.** `!g python` (without `no_redirect=1`) causes an HTTP 302 to `google.com/search?q=python`. The `http_get` helper follows the redirect and returns Google's HTML — `json.loads` fails. Always add `no_redirect=1` when the query might contain bangs.
272
-
273
- **`skip_disambig=1` can add latency for truly ambiguous terms.** For `apple` (no "inc"), DDG returns Type `""` even with `skip_disambig=1` — it's so ambiguous it gives nothing. For `elon musk`, `skip_disambig=1` switches from D to A and adds `RelatedTopics` (39 items vs 4), which means a larger response (~5x).
274
-
275
- **`AbstractText` is empty for D-type results.** When `Type == 'D'`, DDG only returns `RelatedTopics` (the disambiguation list). The abstract is only filled for `Type == 'A'`.
276
-
277
- **`RelatedTopics` for A-type are Wikipedia categories, not related searches.** For `openai`, the 4 `RelatedTopics` are `"American artificial intelligence companies"`, `"Companies in San Francisco"`, etc. — these are DDG category page links, not useful web search results.
278
-
279
- **`Definition` / `DefinitionSource` / `DefinitionURL` are always empty** in observed responses. These fields are part of the schema but not reliably populated by any current DDG plugin.
280
-
281
- **No rate limiting observed.** 15 rapid sequential requests completed in 3.11s (~208ms avg) with no throttling, no 429, and consistent response structure throughout. DDG does not publish rate limits; the API is designed for "reasonable" use with a `t=` source identifier.
282
-
283
- **`OfficialWebsite` is only set for a subset of A-type results.** `machine learning` (Type A) has no `OfficialWebsite`. `openai`, `python programming language`, and `linux kernel` all have one. Always check with `data.get('OfficialWebsite', '')`.
284
-
285
- **No_html does not affect the `Result` HTML string.** `Results[0]['Result']` still contains `<a href="...">` tags with `no_html=1`. The `no_html` flag only removes `<b>` bold tags. Use `Results[0]['Text']` for the plain-text version, or `Results[0]['FirstURL']` for just the URL.
286
-
287
- ---
288
-
289
- ## Complete working example
290
-
291
- ```python
292
- import json, urllib.parse
293
- from helpers import http_get
294
-
295
- def ddg_entity(query: str) -> dict | None:
296
- """
297
- Fetch a DuckDuckGo Instant Answer for a named entity.
298
- Returns structured data or None if no result.
299
- """
300
- q = urllib.parse.quote(query)
301
- raw = http_get(
302
- f"https://api.duckduckgo.com/?q={q}&format=json&no_html=1&skip_disambig=1"
303
- )
304
- data = json.loads(raw)
305
- if not data.get('AbstractText') and not data.get('Answer'):
306
- return None
307
-
308
- result = {
309
- 'type': data['Type'],
310
- 'heading': data['Heading'],
311
- 'abstract': data['AbstractText'],
312
- 'abstract_url': data['AbstractURL'],
313
- 'entity': data['Entity'],
314
- 'official_website': data['OfficialWebsite'],
315
- 'image': f"https://duckduckgo.com{data['Image']}" if data['Image'] else None,
316
- 'answer': data['Answer'] if isinstance(data['Answer'], str) else None,
317
- 'answer_type': data['AnswerType'],
318
- }
319
-
320
- # Extract infobox as flat dict
321
- if isinstance(data['Infobox'], dict):
322
- result['infobox'] = {
323
- item['label']: item['value']
324
- for item in data['Infobox']['content']
325
- }
326
-
327
- # Official site URL (from Results)
328
- if data['Results']:
329
- result['official_site_url'] = data['Results'][0]['FirstURL']
330
-
331
- return result
332
-
333
- # Example outputs (validated 2026-04-18):
334
- r = ddg_entity("openai")
335
- # r['type'] == 'A'
336
- # r['heading'] == 'OpenAI'
337
- # r['abstract'][:50] == 'OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence res'
338
- # r['entity'] == 'company'
339
- # r['official_website']== 'https://openai.com/'
340
- # r['image'] == 'https://duckduckgo.com/i/fb410946942ab334.png'
341
- # r['infobox']['Founded'] == 'December 08, 2015'
342
- # r['infobox']['Products'] == 'ChatGPT, GPT-5...'
343
-
344
- r = ddg_entity("python programming language")
345
- # r['type'] == 'A'
346
- # r['entity'] == 'programming language'
347
- # r['official_website']== 'https://www.python.org/'
348
- # r['infobox']['Paradigm'] == 'Multi-paradigm: object-oriented,...'
349
- ```
1
+ # DuckDuckGo — Instant Answer API
2
+
3
+ `https://api.duckduckgo.com` — completely public, no auth, no API key. Returns Wikipedia-sourced abstracts, infoboxes, and instant answers for well-known entities, calculations, and utility queries. Not a search engine — it does not return a list of web results for arbitrary queries.
4
+
5
+ ## Do this first: pick your query type
6
+
7
+ | Query type | Example | `Type` | Returns |
8
+ |------------|---------|--------|---------|
9
+ | Named entity (specific) | `apple inc` | A | Full abstract + infobox |
10
+ | Ambiguous term | `python` | D | Disambiguation list in `RelatedTopics` |
11
+ | Instant answer | `random number` | E | Direct answer in `Answer` field |
12
+ | No match | `how to cook pasta` | `""` | All fields empty |
13
+
14
+ **Use `skip_disambig=1` and `no_html=1` in almost every call.** `skip_disambig=1` upgrades D→A when there's an obvious primary result (e.g., `elon musk` goes from disambiguation to full article). `no_html=1` removes `<b>` tags from the `Answer` field and strips bold markup from `Result` HTML strings.
15
+
16
+ **Never use a browser.** Everything is a single `http_get` JSON call, 183–320ms.
17
+
18
+ ---
19
+
20
+ ## Fastest path: entity lookup
21
+
22
+ ```python
23
+ import json, urllib.parse
24
+ from helpers import http_get
25
+
26
+ def ddg_instant(query: str) -> dict:
27
+ q = urllib.parse.quote(query)
28
+ raw = http_get(
29
+ f"https://api.duckduckgo.com/?q={q}&format=json&no_html=1&skip_disambig=1"
30
+ )
31
+ return json.loads(raw)
32
+
33
+ # Entity with Wikipedia abstract + infobox
34
+ data = ddg_instant("openai")
35
+ # data['Type'] == 'A'
36
+ print(data['Heading']) # 'OpenAI'
37
+ print(data['AbstractText']) # 'OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence research...'
38
+ print(data['AbstractURL']) # 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenAI'
39
+ print(data['OfficialWebsite'])# 'https://openai.com/'
40
+ print(data['Entity']) # 'company'
41
+
42
+ # Person lookup (skip_disambig resolves D→A automatically)
43
+ data = ddg_instant("elon musk")
44
+ print(data['Type']) # 'A' (was 'D' without skip_disambig)
45
+ print(data['AbstractText'][:100]) # 'Elon Reeve Musk is a businessman...'
46
+ print(data['Image']) # '/i/be2a8644.jpg' — prepend https://duckduckgo.com
47
+
48
+ # Full image URL
49
+ img_url = f"https://duckduckgo.com{data['Image']}" if data['Image'] else None
50
+ ```
51
+
52
+ ---
53
+
54
+ ## Instant answers (Type = E)
55
+
56
+ ```python
57
+ import json, urllib.parse
58
+ from helpers import http_get
59
+
60
+ def ddg_answer(query: str) -> tuple[str, str]:
61
+ """Returns (answer_text, answer_type). answer_text is '' if no result."""
62
+ q = urllib.parse.quote(query)
63
+ raw = http_get(
64
+ f"https://api.duckduckgo.com/?q={q}&format=json&no_html=1&no_redirect=1"
65
+ )
66
+ data = json.loads(raw)
67
+ ans = data.get('Answer', '')
68
+ # Answer can be a dict when it's a widget (calculator, converter) — only string Answers are usable
69
+ return (ans if isinstance(ans, str) else '', data.get('AnswerType', ''))
70
+
71
+ # Confirmed working instant answers:
72
+ text, kind = ddg_answer("random number")
73
+ # text='0.245013228691281 (random number)', kind='rand'
74
+
75
+ text, kind = ddg_answer("generate password")
76
+ # text='ZCsbe8iY (random password)', kind='pw'
77
+
78
+ text, kind = ddg_answer("ip address")
79
+ # text='Your IP address is 73.158.74.222 in San Francisco, California, United States (94121)', kind='ip'
80
+
81
+ text, kind = ddg_answer("base64 encode hello")
82
+ # text='Base64 encode d: aGVsbG8=', kind='base64_conversion'
83
+
84
+ text, kind = ddg_answer("md5 hash hello")
85
+ # text='5d41402abc4b2a76b9719d911017c592', kind='md5'
86
+
87
+ text, kind = ddg_answer("pi")
88
+ # text='3.14159', kind='constants'
89
+
90
+ text, kind = ddg_answer("today date")
91
+ # text='\nS M T W T F S April 2026\n...|18|...', kind='calendar'
92
+
93
+ text, kind = ddg_answer("timer 5 minutes")
94
+ # text='300', kind='timer' — returns raw seconds
95
+
96
+ text, kind = ddg_answer("lorem ipsum")
97
+ # text='Ea hic quia corporis. Minus consequuntur...', kind='lorem_ipsum'
98
+
99
+ # Color lookup — must URL-encode the # sign:
100
+ text, kind = ddg_answer("color #FF5733")
101
+ # text='Hex: #FF5733 ~ RGBA(255, 87, 51, 1) ~ RGB(100%, 34%, 20%) ~ HSL(11, 100%, 60%) ~ CMYB(0%, 66%, 80%, ...', kind='color_code'
102
+ ```
103
+
104
+ **Widget answers return a dict, not a string** — `sqrt(144)`, `1 mile in km`, `100 USD in EUR`, and `stopwatch` all return `Answer` as a dict like `{'from': 'calculator', 'id': 'calculator', 'result': '', ...}`. The `result` key is empty — the actual computation happens client-side in a JS widget. Treat dict `Answer` values as "not usable via API".
105
+
106
+ ---
107
+
108
+ ## Full response schema
109
+
110
+ Every response has exactly these 21 top-level keys (all always present):
111
+
112
+ ```
113
+ Abstract # same as AbstractText (redundant, use AbstractText)
114
+ AbstractSource # "Wikipedia" when present, "" otherwise
115
+ AbstractText # Wikipedia-sourced summary paragraph (up to ~1000 chars)
116
+ AbstractURL # Wikipedia article URL
117
+ Answer # string or dict — instant answer result (see above)
118
+ AnswerType # string key identifying the answer plugin (e.g. "rand", "ip")
119
+ Definition # almost always "" — not reliably populated
120
+ DefinitionSource # almost always ""
121
+ DefinitionURL # almost always ""
122
+ Entity # entity type: "company", "programming language", "person", etc.
123
+ Heading # entity display name
124
+ Image # relative path e.g. "/i/4d83768732377cf3.png" — prepend https://duckduckgo.com
125
+ ImageHeight # int or "" when no image
126
+ ImageIsLogo # 0 or 1 integer when image present; "" otherwise
127
+ ImageWidth # int or "" when no image
128
+ Infobox # dict with "content" and "meta" lists, or "" if no infobox
129
+ OfficialDomain # e.g. "openai.com" — only for entities with a known website
130
+ OfficialWebsite # e.g. "https://openai.com/" — only when DDG knows it
131
+ Redirect # target URL when query is a bang (e.g. !g python) with no_redirect=1
132
+ RelatedTopics # list — see below
133
+ Results # list — official site links (usually 0 or 1 item)
134
+ Type # "A", "D", "C", "N", "E", or ""
135
+ meta # API plugin metadata — rarely needed
136
+ ```
137
+
138
+ ### `RelatedTopics` item structure
139
+
140
+ Each item is one of two shapes:
141
+
142
+ **Plain topic** (the common case):
143
+ ```python
144
+ {
145
+ "FirstURL": "https://duckduckgo.com/Deep_learning",
146
+ "Icon": {"Height": "", "URL": "/i/abc123.png", "Width": ""}, # URL often ""
147
+ "Result": "<a href=\"...\">Deep learning</a>— branch of ML...", # HTML
148
+ "Text": "Deep learning — branch of ML concerned with artificial neural networks."
149
+ }
150
+ ```
151
+
152
+ **Section** (disambiguation pages only — when `Type` is `D` without `skip_disambig`):
153
+ ```python
154
+ {
155
+ "Name": "Science & Technology", # section heading
156
+ "Topics": [ # list of plain topic objects
157
+ {"FirstURL": "...", "Icon": {...}, "Result": "...", "Text": "..."},
158
+ ...
159
+ ]
160
+ }
161
+ ```
162
+
163
+ For A-type results, `RelatedTopics` are Wikipedia category links (e.g. `"American aerospace engineers"` pointing to `https://duckduckgo.com/c/...`). These are not web search results — they are DDG topic pages.
164
+
165
+ ### `Results` item structure
166
+
167
+ Usually 0 or 1 item. When present, it's the official website:
168
+ ```python
169
+ {
170
+ "FirstURL": "https://www.apple.com/",
171
+ "Icon": {"Height": 16, "URL": "/i/apple.com.ico", "Width": 16},
172
+ "Result": "<a href=\"https://www.apple.com/\">Official site</a>...",
173
+ "Text": "Official site"
174
+ }
175
+ ```
176
+ Icon URLs in `Results` are relative — prepend `https://duckduckgo.com`.
177
+
178
+ ### `Infobox` structure
179
+
180
+ ```python
181
+ ib = data['Infobox'] # dict or "" (empty string when absent)
182
+ if isinstance(ib, dict):
183
+ content = ib['content'] # list of structured fields
184
+ # Each content item:
185
+ # {"data_type": "string", "label": "Founded", "value": "December 08, 2015"}
186
+ # {"data_type": "string", "label": "Founders", "value": "Sam Altman, Elon Musk, ..."}
187
+
188
+ meta = ib['meta'] # list of metadata items
189
+ # {"data_type": "string", "label": "article_title", "value": "OpenAI"}
190
+ # {"data_type": "string", "label": "template_name", "value": "infobox company"}
191
+
192
+ # Extract infobox as flat dict:
193
+ if isinstance(data['Infobox'], dict):
194
+ fields = {item['label']: item['value'] for item in data['Infobox']['content']}
195
+ # fields['Founded'] == 'December 08, 2015'
196
+ # fields['Products'] == 'ChatGPT, GPT-5...'
197
+ ```
198
+
199
+ `Infobox` is `""` (empty string, not `None`, not `{}`) when absent. Always check with `isinstance(data['Infobox'], dict)`.
200
+
201
+ ---
202
+
203
+ ## Query parameters
204
+
205
+ | Parameter | Values | Effect |
206
+ |-----------|--------|--------|
207
+ | `q` | URL-encoded query | The search query |
208
+ | `format` | `json` | Required — omit for HTML response |
209
+ | `no_redirect` | `1` | Returns redirect URL in `Redirect` field instead of HTTP 302; required for bang queries (`!g`, `!yt`) |
210
+ | `no_html` | `1` | Strips `<b>` from `Answer`; strips bold markup from `Result` HTML; use in almost every call |
211
+ | `skip_disambig` | `1` | Resolves ambiguous D-type queries to the primary result; upgrades D→A when unambiguous |
212
+ | `t` | any string | Source identifier tag (e.g. `t=myapp`); has no effect on results |
213
+ | `callback` | function name | Wraps response in JSONP: `mycallback({...})` |
214
+
215
+ ---
216
+
217
+ ## Type field values
218
+
219
+ | Type | Meaning | AbstractText | RelatedTopics |
220
+ |------|---------|--------------|---------------|
221
+ | `A` | Article — specific Wikipedia entity | Full paragraph | Category links |
222
+ | `D` | Disambiguation — ambiguous term | Empty `""` | List of possible meanings (may include sections) |
223
+ | `C` | Categories | Varies | Category items |
224
+ | `N` | Name | Varies | Name-related items |
225
+ | `E` | Exclusive — instant answer widget | Empty `""` | Empty `[]` |
226
+ | `""` | No result | Empty `""` | Empty `[]` |
227
+
228
+ In practice, C and N types are rare. A, D, E, and empty cover nearly all queries.
229
+
230
+ ---
231
+
232
+ ## What returns useful results vs empty
233
+
234
+ **Returns AbstractText (A type):**
235
+ - Named companies: `apple inc`, `openai`, `google`
236
+ - Specific technologies: `python programming language`, `javascript`, `linux kernel`
237
+ - Well-known people with `skip_disambig=1`: `elon musk`, `ada lovelace`
238
+ - Scientific concepts: `machine learning`, `photosynthesis`, `circumference`
239
+ - Specific software: `vim`, `postgresql`, `nginx`
240
+
241
+ **Returns RelatedTopics only (D type):**
242
+ - Ambiguous single words: `python`, `linux`, `react`, `programming`
243
+ - Ambiguous names: `apple` (returns empty — too ambiguous even for D), `new york`
244
+
245
+ **Returns empty (Type = ""):**
246
+ - How-to queries: `how to cook pasta`, `how to learn python`
247
+ - Opinion/listicle: `best laptops 2024`, `top 10 programming languages`
248
+ - Current events: `weather london`, `bitcoin price`
249
+ - Site search operators: `site:example.com`
250
+ - Multi-word specifics not in DDG's dataset: `numpy python library`, `javascript tutorial`
251
+
252
+ **Returns instant answer (E type):**
253
+ - Random: `random number`, `generate password`, `lorem ipsum`
254
+ - Math: `pi`, `timer 5 minutes`
255
+ - Network: `ip address`
256
+ - Encoding: `base64 encode <text>`, `md5 hash <text>`
257
+ - Color lookup: `color #RRGGBB` (must URL-encode the `#`)
258
+
259
+ ---
260
+
261
+ ## Gotchas
262
+
263
+ **`Infobox` is `""` not `None` when absent.** Always check with `isinstance(data['Infobox'], dict)` — `if data['Infobox']` also works since `""` is falsy.
264
+
265
+ **Image and Icon URLs are relative.** `data['Image']` is `/i/abc123.png`. Prepend `https://duckduckgo.com` to make it absolute. Same for Icon URLs in `RelatedTopics` and `Results`.
266
+
267
+ **`Answer` can be a dict (widget), not a string.** Queries like `1 mile in km`, `100 USD in EUR`, `sqrt(144)`, and `stopwatch` return `Answer` as a dict with `{'from': 'calculator', 'result': '', ...}`. The `result` key is empty — the widget computes client-side. Only string `Answer` values are usable via the API.
268
+
269
+ **`color #RRGGBB` requires URL encoding of `#`.** Using `q=color+#FF5733` returns an HTML page (HTTP redirect). Use `urllib.parse.quote("color #FF5733")` which encodes to `color+%23FF5733`.
270
+
271
+ **Bang queries without `no_redirect=1` return HTML, not JSON.** `!g python` (without `no_redirect=1`) causes an HTTP 302 to `google.com/search?q=python`. The `http_get` helper follows the redirect and returns Google's HTML — `json.loads` fails. Always add `no_redirect=1` when the query might contain bangs.
272
+
273
+ **`skip_disambig=1` can add latency for truly ambiguous terms.** For `apple` (no "inc"), DDG returns Type `""` even with `skip_disambig=1` — it's so ambiguous it gives nothing. For `elon musk`, `skip_disambig=1` switches from D to A and adds `RelatedTopics` (39 items vs 4), which means a larger response (~5x).
274
+
275
+ **`AbstractText` is empty for D-type results.** When `Type == 'D'`, DDG only returns `RelatedTopics` (the disambiguation list). The abstract is only filled for `Type == 'A'`.
276
+
277
+ **`RelatedTopics` for A-type are Wikipedia categories, not related searches.** For `openai`, the 4 `RelatedTopics` are `"American artificial intelligence companies"`, `"Companies in San Francisco"`, etc. — these are DDG category page links, not useful web search results.
278
+
279
+ **`Definition` / `DefinitionSource` / `DefinitionURL` are always empty** in observed responses. These fields are part of the schema but not reliably populated by any current DDG plugin.
280
+
281
+ **No rate limiting observed.** 15 rapid sequential requests completed in 3.11s (~208ms avg) with no throttling, no 429, and consistent response structure throughout. DDG does not publish rate limits; the API is designed for "reasonable" use with a `t=` source identifier.
282
+
283
+ **`OfficialWebsite` is only set for a subset of A-type results.** `machine learning` (Type A) has no `OfficialWebsite`. `openai`, `python programming language`, and `linux kernel` all have one. Always check with `data.get('OfficialWebsite', '')`.
284
+
285
+ **No_html does not affect the `Result` HTML string.** `Results[0]['Result']` still contains `<a href="...">` tags with `no_html=1`. The `no_html` flag only removes `<b>` bold tags. Use `Results[0]['Text']` for the plain-text version, or `Results[0]['FirstURL']` for just the URL.
286
+
287
+ ---
288
+
289
+ ## Complete working example
290
+
291
+ ```python
292
+ import json, urllib.parse
293
+ from helpers import http_get
294
+
295
+ def ddg_entity(query: str) -> dict | None:
296
+ """
297
+ Fetch a DuckDuckGo Instant Answer for a named entity.
298
+ Returns structured data or None if no result.
299
+ """
300
+ q = urllib.parse.quote(query)
301
+ raw = http_get(
302
+ f"https://api.duckduckgo.com/?q={q}&format=json&no_html=1&skip_disambig=1"
303
+ )
304
+ data = json.loads(raw)
305
+ if not data.get('AbstractText') and not data.get('Answer'):
306
+ return None
307
+
308
+ result = {
309
+ 'type': data['Type'],
310
+ 'heading': data['Heading'],
311
+ 'abstract': data['AbstractText'],
312
+ 'abstract_url': data['AbstractURL'],
313
+ 'entity': data['Entity'],
314
+ 'official_website': data['OfficialWebsite'],
315
+ 'image': f"https://duckduckgo.com{data['Image']}" if data['Image'] else None,
316
+ 'answer': data['Answer'] if isinstance(data['Answer'], str) else None,
317
+ 'answer_type': data['AnswerType'],
318
+ }
319
+
320
+ # Extract infobox as flat dict
321
+ if isinstance(data['Infobox'], dict):
322
+ result['infobox'] = {
323
+ item['label']: item['value']
324
+ for item in data['Infobox']['content']
325
+ }
326
+
327
+ # Official site URL (from Results)
328
+ if data['Results']:
329
+ result['official_site_url'] = data['Results'][0]['FirstURL']
330
+
331
+ return result
332
+
333
+ # Example outputs (validated 2026-04-18):
334
+ r = ddg_entity("openai")
335
+ # r['type'] == 'A'
336
+ # r['heading'] == 'OpenAI'
337
+ # r['abstract'][:50] == 'OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence res'
338
+ # r['entity'] == 'company'
339
+ # r['official_website']== 'https://openai.com/'
340
+ # r['image'] == 'https://duckduckgo.com/i/fb410946942ab334.png'
341
+ # r['infobox']['Founded'] == 'December 08, 2015'
342
+ # r['infobox']['Products'] == 'ChatGPT, GPT-5...'
343
+
344
+ r = ddg_entity("python programming language")
345
+ # r['type'] == 'A'
346
+ # r['entity'] == 'programming language'
347
+ # r['official_website']== 'https://www.python.org/'
348
+ # r['infobox']['Paradigm'] == 'Multi-paradigm: object-oriented,...'
349
+ ```