diff --git a/apps/x/packages/core/src/application/assistant/skills/index.ts b/apps/x/packages/core/src/application/assistant/skills/index.ts
index 0d167a52..97217f76 100644
--- a/apps/x/packages/core/src/application/assistant/skills/index.ts
+++ b/apps/x/packages/core/src/application/assistant/skills/index.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import organizeFilesSkill from "./organize-files/skill.js";
 import slackSkill from "./slack/skill.js";
 import backgroundAgentsSkill from "./background-agents/skill.js";
 import createPresentationsSkill from "./create-presentations/skill.js";
+import webSearchSkill from "./web-search/skill.js";
 
 const CURRENT_DIR = path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
 const CATALOG_PREFIX = "src/application/assistant/skills";
@@ -82,6 +83,12 @@ const definitions: SkillDefinition[] = [
     summary: "Discovering, executing, and integrating MCP tools. Use this to check what external capabilities are available and execute MCP tools on behalf of users.",
     content: mcpIntegrationSkill,
   },
+  {
+    id: "web-search",
+    title: "Web Search",
+    summary: "Searching the web or researching a topic. Guidance on when to use web-search vs research-search, and how many searches to do.",
+    content: webSearchSkill,
+  },
   {
     id: "deletion-guardrails",
     title: "Deletion Guardrails",
diff --git a/apps/x/packages/core/src/application/assistant/skills/web-search/skill.ts b/apps/x/packages/core/src/application/assistant/skills/web-search/skill.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d3d0e6e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/x/packages/core/src/application/assistant/skills/web-search/skill.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+export const skill = String.raw`
+# Web Search Skill
+
+You have access to two search tools for finding information on the internet. Choose the right one based on the user's intent.
+
+## Tools
+
+### web-search (Brave Search)
+Quick, general-purpose web search. Returns titles, URLs, and short descriptions.
+
+**Best for:**
+- Quick lookups for things that change ("current price of Bitcoin", "weather in SF")
+- Current events and breaking news
+- Finding a specific website or page
+- Simple questions with direct answers
+- Checking a fact or date
+
+### research-search (Exa Search)
+Deep, research-oriented search. Returns full article text, highlights, and metadata (author, published date).
+
+**Best for:**
+- Exploring a topic in depth ("what are the latest advances in CRISPR")
+- Finding articles, blog posts, papers, and quality sources
+- Discovering companies, people, or organizations
+- Research where you need rich context, not just links
+- When the user says "research", "find articles about", "look into", "deep dive"
+
+**Category filter:** Use the category parameter when the user's intent clearly maps to one: company, research paper, news, tweet, personal site, financial report, people.
+
+## How Many Searches to Do
+
+**CRITICAL: Always start with exactly ONE search call.** Pick the single best tool (\`web-search\` or \`research-search\`) and make one request. Wait for the result before deciding if more searches are needed.
+
+**NEVER call multiple search tools simultaneously.** No parallel web-search + research-search. No firing off two web-searches at once. Always sequential: one search at a time.
+
+Only make a follow-up search if:
+- The first search returned truly uninformative or irrelevant results
+- The query has clearly distinct sub-topics that the first search couldn't cover (e.g., "compare X and Y" after getting results for X only)
+- The user explicitly asks you to dig deeper
+
+One good search is almost always enough. Default to one and stop.
+
+## Choosing Between the Two
+
+If both tools are attached, prefer:
+- \`web-search\` when the user wants a quick answer or specific link
+- \`research-search\` when the user wants to learn, explore, or gather sources
+
+If only one is attached, use whichever is available.
+`;
+
+export default skill;