web-tool-fallback

Web Tool Fallback Strategy

When to Use This Skill

Apply this skill when all web-reading tools (read_webpage, search_web) fail simultaneously with unknown errors during a research or information-gathering task.

Recognition Criteria

Confirm this pattern before applying fallbacks:

• Multiple web tool calls have failed (not just one isolated failure)
• Errors are unknown/unexpected (not expected 404s or rate limits that can be handled normally)
• The information is still needed to complete the task

Fallback Procedure

Critical: execute_code_sandbox may also fail during system-wide issues. Always be prepared to immediately fall back to run_shell if sandbox execution returns errors.

Step 1: Attempt Alternative Sources

Before abandoning web access, try these alternatives:

1. Alternative URLs:

   • Archive.org / Wayback Machine versions
   • Alternative domains (e.g., .org instead of .com)
   • Different subdomains or paths

2. Simplified Requests:

   • Try reading just the domain root
   • Remove query parameters from URLs
   • Try HTTP instead of HTTPS (or vice versa)

# Example: Generate alternative URL formats
original_url = "https://example.com/research/report?id=123"
alternatives = [
    "https://example.com/research/report",
    "http://example.com/research/report?id=123",
    "https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://example.com/research/report"
]

Step 2: Use execute_code_sandbox for Embedded Knowledge

Step 2: Use execute_code_sandbox for Embedded Knowledge (May Fail)

When web access is unavailable, generate content from reliable embedded knowledge. Note: execute_code_sandbox can fail during cascading system issues—if it returns errors, immediately proceed to Step 2b.

code = '''
# Generate structured information from embedded knowledge
evaluation_frameworks = {
    "Kirkpatrick Model": ["Reaction", "Learning", "Behavior", "Results"],
    "Bloom's Taxonomy": ["Remember", "Understand", "Apply", "Analyze", "Evaluate", "Create"],
    "SMART Criteria": ["Specific", "Measurable", "Achievable", "Relevant", "Time-bound"]
}

# Create comprehensive reference material
for framework, levels in evaluation_frameworks.items():
    print(f"## {framework}\\n")
    for i, level in enumerate(levels, 1):
        print(f"{i}. {level}")
    print()
'''