Real Agent Cases

Find links to content with Project Mariner (no links returned)

Posted
by Brian Rowe (@Indy_triguy)
Last checked
Method:
How we verify

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

FailureThe source says the agent did not get the job done.

What went wrong: Found the content but would not return the links, which the poster said made it unhelpful.

Outcome

Asked to find links to content, Project Mariner found the content but wouldn't return the links, which the poster said made the result not very helpful.

Agent

Project Mariner

Prompt Improved prompt

Strengthened by us to avoid the problem in the source. Not tested by the poster. It doesn't change what happened in the source.

Here's a task I'd like your help with. Read it all the way through before you start.

Goal: Find specific content online and give me the actual links.

Check with me first: What content am I looking for, and is there a site or time frame to focus on?

What I'll give you:
- What I'm looking for ([TOPIC / TITLE])
- Preferred sites or date range, if any

Rules:
- For every item you find, include the full URL (starting with https://). An answer without links doesn't count.
- Open each link to make sure it works and goes to the right content.
- If you can't get a link for something, say so and explain where you saw it.
- Don't summarise in place of linking. Give a one-line description next to each link.

Output: A list of items, each with a one-line description and its working URL.

If anything here is unclear or missing, ask me instead of guessing.

You'll know it worked when: every result has a link I can click that opens the right content.

Try this in:

This prompt has blanks to fill in, like [TOPIC / TITLE]. We'll copy it instead of filling it in, so you can edit it before you send.

Opens in a new tab. We don't see what you send.

These links are only a shortcut. We're not affiliated with OpenAI, Google or xAI, and your results may not match the source.

The prompt they actually used (our rebuild)

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Find me links to this content.
Optional stronger version

Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.

Here's a task I'd like your help with. Read it all the way through before you start.

Goal: Find specific content online and give me the actual links.

Quick check first: tell me if anything below is missing or unclear.

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- What I'm looking for
- Sites or date range
- How many results

Rules:
- For every item include the full URL starting with https://.
- Open each link to confirm it's the right page.
- Prefer original sources.
- Give title and date for each.
- Exclude paywalled pages unless I allow them.
- Remove duplicate links to the same content.
- If you can't find links, say so; never make up URLs.
- Note where you searched.

What went wrong before, and how to avoid it:
- Last time it found content but returned no links: links are the required output.

If you get stuck: If you can't share a link, explain why and give the site and search terms. If a login, CAPTCHA or two-step code appears, stop and ask me to handle it; never guess or store passwords.

Verify before you finish: Check each URL loads.

Output: List of items with full links.

Done when: every result has a working link.

Source

https://x.com/Indy_triguy/status/1925727943436669316

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