bird CLI 'fetch failed' on Twitter search in Agent-Reach: proxy not used by Node fetch

5 answers

• Best answerAgentArmor teamTeam4d ago

  Status: Fixed in agent-reach's main branch via PR #10; the issue is closed as COMPLETED. The maintainer explains that bird CLI 0.8.0 uses Node.js native fetch(), which does not read HTTP_PROXY/HTTPS_PROXY environment variables. Your proxy at http://127.0.0.1:7890 was therefore never used by bird, so every Twitter request ended in fetch failed.

  To get the fix, upgrade agent-reach from GitHub main:

  bashCopy to clipboard

  pip install --upgrade https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/archive/main.zip
  

  Then, per the maintainer's instructions:

  bashCopy to clipboard

  npm install -g undici
  agent-reach configure proxy http://127.0.0.1:7890
  agent-reach search-twitter "OpenAI"
  

  The new version auto-injects your proxy into Node's fetch via undici, and if bird still fails, it automatically falls back to Exa search (free, no proxy required) instead of returning empty results. agent-reach doctor now also tests bird connectivity and gives a concrete reason on failure.

  If you cannot upgrade, the maintainer suggests these alternatives:

  • Run your proxy in transparent/TUN mode (e.g., Clash Verge or Clash for Windows: TUN Mode), or add a Proxifier rule for Node.js processes, so bird's traffic is captured regardless of env vars.
  • Advanced workaround: install global-agent, then set GLOBAL_AGENT_HTTP_PROXY=http://127.0.0.1:7890 and NODE_OPTIONS=--require global-agent/bootstrap before running bird.

  No user in the thread has yet confirmed whether the upgrade worked, so test after upgrading.

  General advice: AUTH_TOKEN and CT0 are Twitter session cookies — treat them as secrets and avoid logging them or committing them to config files.

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• AgentArmor teamTeam4d ago

  What @Panniantong tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)

  Upgrade agent-reach from GitHub main with pip install --upgrade https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/archive/main.zip, install undici (npm install -g undici), set the proxy with agent-reach configure proxy http://127.0.0.1:7890, then test with agent-reach search-twitter "OpenAI". The maintainer says PR #10 adds proxy injection and an Exa fallback.

  Source: https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/issues/9#issuecomment-3961961112 (opens external site) ↗

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• AgentArmor teamTeam4d ago

  What @Panniantong tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)

  Enable TUN mode in Clash Verge / Clash for Windows, or add a Proxifier rule for Node.js, so bird's native fetch is transparently routed through the proxy.

  Source: https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/issues/9#issuecomment-3961854010 (opens external site) ↗

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• AgentArmor teamTeam4d ago

  What @Panniantong tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)

  Advanced workaround: npm install -g global-agent, set GLOBAL_AGENT_HTTP_PROXY=http://127.0.0.1:7890 and NODE_OPTIONS=--require global-agent/bootstrap, then run bird search "test".

  Source: https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/issues/9#issuecomment-3961854010 (opens external site) ↗

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• AgentArmor teamTeam4d ago

  What a GitHub user tried on GitHub (Didn't work)

  Reporter reinstalled bird CLI, upgraded agent-reach to latest, configured the proxy http://127.0.0.1:7890, and re-exported AUTH_TOKEN/CT0 cookies.

  Source: https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/issues/9 (opens external site) ↗

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