Google AI Mode Skill
Supercharge Claude Code's Web Research with Google AI Mode
For: Claude Code CLI users only
Transform your LLM's online research capabilities by connecting Claude Code directly to Google's AI Mode—getting AI-synthesized answers from 100+ sources instead of scattered search results.
Why This Matters
Most built-in web research is mediocre. This skill gives Claude Code professional-grade research by tapping into Google's AI Mode—the same technology that synthesizes information from dozens of websites into one cited answer.
Example Use Cases:
"Next.js 15 App Router best practices 2026 with server components examples"
→ AI-synthesized coding guide with inline citations [1][2][3]
"Compare PostgreSQL vs MySQL JSON performance 2026, include benchmarks"
→ Technical comparison table with real-world data
"Find the latest EU AI regulations 2026 and their impact on startups"
→ Legal overview with official government sources
"Best noise-cancelling headphones under €300, compare Sony vs Bose"
→ Product comparison with reviews and specs
"Intermittent fasting protocols 2026, include recent scientific studies"
→ Health guide with medical research citations
Result: Research on ANY topic—coding, tech comparisons, regulations, product reviews, health, finance, travel. Curated answers with sources. Saves tokens. Superior to generic web search.
Installation • Quick Start • How It Works • MCP Alternative
📋 Last Updates (2026-01-08)
v2.0 - Multi-Language & Detection Overhaul
✅ 4-Stage Completion Detection - SVG thumbs-up → aria-label → text → 40s timeout ✅ Multi-Language Support - Works in DE/EN/NL/ES/FR/IT browser locales ✅ 87% Faster - Average 4s detection (was 30s+) ✅ AI Mode Availability Check - Detects region restrictions with proxy suggestion ✅ 17 Citation Selectors - Language-agnostic fallback chain ✅ 15 Cutoff Markers - Cleaner content extraction across languages
v1.5 - Persistent browser profile, CAPTCHA elimination v1.0 - Initial release with basic Google AI Mode integration
⚠️ Important: Local Claude Code Only
This skill works ONLY with local Claude Code installations, NOT in the web UI.
The web UI runs skills in a sandbox without network access, which this skill requires for browser automation. You must use Claude Code locally on your machine.
What This Is
A Claude Code skill that connects your agent to Google AI Mode—Google's AI-powered search that synthesizes information from dozens of web sources into a single, cited answer.
Instead of Claude reading page after page, Google does the heavy lifting. Claude gets one clean, structured response with inline citations.
The advantage: Free, token-efficient research with grounded sources. No API keys needed.
How It Works
Claude asks a question
↓
Skill launches stealth browser
↓
Google AI Mode searches & synthesizes dozens of sources
↓
Skill extracts AI answer + citations
↓
Converts to clean Markdown with [1][2][3] references
↓
Claude receives final answer
The key difference:
Traditional web research:
- Claude searches Google → gets 10 links
- Claude reads 5-10 full pages → thousands of tokens consumed
- Claude synthesizes manually → risks missing details or hallucinating
- You pay for all those tokens
With this skill:
- Google AI Mode searches + synthesizes → one request
- Claude receives one clean, cited answer → minimal tokens
- Google's sources are preserved → verifiable, grounded
- It's free (uses public Google Search)
Why This Matters
Google AI Mode (the udm=50 parameter) makes Google search work like a research assistant. It:
- Reads and analyzes dozens of websites automatically
- Synthesizes findings into structured answers
- Cites every claim with source links
- Handles follow-up context across queries
Claude gets the benefits without doing the work—or burning the tokens.
Installation
The simplest installation ever:
# 1. Create skills directory (if it doesn't exist)
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
# 2. Clone this repository
cd ~/.claude/skills
git clone https://github.com/PleasePrompto/google-ai-mode-skill google-ai-mode
# 3. That's it! Open Claude Code and say:
"What are my skills?"
When you first use the skill, it automatically:
- Creates an isolated Python environment (
.venv) - Installs all dependencies including Google Chrome
- Sets up browser automation with persistent profile
- Everything stays contained in the skill folder
Note: The setup uses real Chrome (not Chromium) for cross-platform reliability, consistent browser fingerprinting, and better anti-detection with Google services.
Quick Start
1. Check your skills
Say in Claude Code:
"What skills do I have?"
Claude will list your available skills including Google AI Mode.
2. Start researching
"Search Google AI Mode for: Next.js 15 App Router best practices"
"What are the new features in Astro 4.0?"
"Research React Server Components"
Claude will automatically use the skill to query Google AI Mode and return a clean, cited answer.
3. Get better results
Be specific with your queries:
Instead of: "React hooks" Try: "React hooks best practices 2026 (useState, useEffect, custom hooks). Include code examples."
Instead of: "PostgreSQL features" Try: "PostgreSQL 16 JSON features and performance improvements 2026"
First Run: CAPTCHA Handling
On your first query, Google may show a CAPTCHA to verify you're human. This is normal when the browser profile is created.
If Claude reports a CAPTCHA error:
- Tell Claude: "Run that search with visible browser"
- The browser will open visibly
- Solve the CAPTCHA manually
- The skill continues automatically
- Next queries will work smoothly without CAPTCHAs
After the first CAPTCHA, searches typically run smoothly. The skill uses a persistent browser profile to eliminate future CAPTCHAs.
How the Skill Works
This is a Claude Code Skill—a local folder containing instructions and scripts that Claude Code can use when needed. Unlike the MCP server version, this runs directly in Claude Code without needing a separate server.
Key Differences from MCP Server
| Feature | This Skill | MCP Server |
|---------|------------|------------|
| Protocol | Claude Skills | Model Context Protocol |
| Installation | Clone to ~/.claude/skills | claude mcp add ... |
| Compatibility | Claude Code only (local) | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Cline, etc. |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Browser Profile | Persistent (eliminates CAPTCHAs) | Per-request context |
| Distribution | Git clone | npm package |
Architecture
~/.claude/skills/google-ai-mode/
├── SKILL.md # Instructions for Claude
├── scripts/ # Python automation scripts
│ ├── run.py # Universal venv wrapper
│ ├── search.py # Main search implementation
│ ├── browser_utils.py # Browser automation
│ └── config.py # Configuration
├── .venv/ # Isolated Python environment (auto-created)
└── results/ # Saved search results (optional)
When Claude needs web research:
- Loads the skill instructions from SKILL.md
- Runs the Python search script via run.py wrapper
- Opens browser with persistent profile (Chrome)
- Extracts AI answer + citations from Google
- Returns clean Markdown to Claude
- Claude uses that knowledge to help with your task
Core Features
Source-Grounded Responses: Google AI Mode synthesizes information from dozens of sources with inline citations. Every claim is backed by a source link.
Direct Integration: No copy-paste between browser and editor. Claude queries and receives answers programmatically.
Persistent Browser Profile: After solving the first CAPTCHA (if any), the browser profile is saved. Future searches run smoothly without interruption.
Zero Configuration: Works out of the box. No API keys, no external services, no configuration files needed.
Self-Contained: Everything runs in the skill folder with an isolated Python environment. No global installations.
Token Efficient: One query returns one synthesized answer instead of Claude reading 5-10 full pages.
Troubleshooting
Skill not found:
# Make sure it's in the right location
ls ~/.claude/skills/google-ai-mode/
# Should show: SKILL.md, scripts/, requirements.txt, etc.
Repeated CAPTCHAs:
If Google keeps showing CAPTCHAs:
- Tell Claude: "Use visible browser for this search"
- Add 10-30 second delays between searches
- Make sure the persistent profile isn't corrupted
Browser won't launch:
Clear the browser profile:
# Linux/macOS
rm -rf ~/.cache/google-ai-mode-skill/chrome_profile
# Windows
rmdir /s "%LOCALAPPDATA%\google-ai-mode-skill\chrome_profile"
Dependencies issues:
# Manual reinstall if needed
cd ~/.claude/skills/google-ai-mode
rm -rf .venv
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate # or .venv\Scripts\activate on Windows
pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m patchright install chrome
Wrong language results:
The skill fo