Agent skill

Fallback And Resilience

by borski in borski/travel-hacking-toolkit

What to do when a tool fails, an API hits a rate limit, or a site blocks scraping.

MITAuto-check passedBackend & APIs

Install Fallback And Resilience

skills CLI
$ npx skills add borski/travel-hacking-toolkit --skill fallback-and-resilience -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install borski/travel-hacking-toolkit fallback-and-resilience --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/borski/travel-hacking-toolkit.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/travel-hacking-toolkit/skills/fallback-and-resilience .claude/skills/fallback-and-resilience && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
fallback-and-resilience
GitHub stars
688
Token cost
~1.6k tokens
SKILL.md length
907 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
46
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

What to do when a tool fails, an API hits a rate limit, or a site blocks scraping.

  • Works in 5 steps: Run curl ifconfig.me to get the user's… → Check if the failure signature matches… → Tell the user: "This looks like an IP… → …
  • Tasks that involve Rate limiting
  • SKILL.md covers General Rules, Never Claim MCP Is Unavailable…, IP Allowlist Errors (Common… and "No Cached Availability" Is…, plus 2 more sections
  • Calls docker and curl

What it does

Fallback And Resilience is an agent skill from borski/travel-hacking-toolkit. What to do when a tool fails, an API hits a rate limit, or a site blocks scraping. Maps every primary tool to its best fallback so a single failure doesn't block the search.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.6k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Backend & APIs, covering Rate limiting and Web scraping. It works with Model Context Protocol and SerpApi. The repository describes itself as: AI-powered travel hacking and search with cash, points, miles, and award flights. Drop-in skills and MCP servers for Claude, Codex, and OpenCode. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Rate limiting
  • Tasks that involve Web scraping

Example prompts

  • “/fallback-and-resilience”

Requirements

  • Docker

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Run curl ifconfig.me to get the user's current outbound IP.
  2. Check if the failure signature matches an IP allowlist (table above or similar phrasing like "explicit deny" / "IP_DENIED" / "not…
  3. Tell the user: "This looks like an IP allowlist issue, not a key issue. Add at , wait 1-5 min for AWS edge cache propagation, then retry."
  4. While they whitelist, gracefully degrade: continue without that data source, noting it's pending. Don't block the rest of the workflow.
  5. Multi-IP gotcha: residential CGNAT, VPN exits, hotel wifi, and travel locations all need separate entries. If they hit the same error from…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit db82131. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • docker
    • curl

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):

    • business.awardwallet.com
    • tripadvisor.com

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Fallback And Resilience loads about 1.6k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 49 tokens; SKILL.md has 907 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~49
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.6k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from borski/travel-hacking-toolkit at commit db82131, republished under its MIT licence (© borski). 907 words, ~1,627 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/fallback-and-resilience/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
fallback-and-resilience
description
What to do when a tool fails, an API hits a rate limit, or a site blocks scraping. Maps every primary tool to its best fallback so a single failure doesn't block the search.
category
reference
summary
What to do when each tool fails. Tool-by-tool fallback paths.

Fallback and Resilience

Tools go down. APIs break. Have a backup plan for every search.

Primary ToolWhen It FailsFallback
DuffelAPI error or timeoutIgnav, Google Flights skill, Skiplagged
IgnavAPI errorDuffel, Google Flights skill, Skiplagged
Google Flightsagent-browser errorDuffel, Ignav, Skiplagged
Skiplagged502/timeout (Cloudflare issues)Kiwi.com MCP, Duffel, Ignav
Kiwi.comServer errorSkiplagged MCP, Duffel
Seats.aeroAPI error or stale dataCheck airline website directly, use Duffel for GDS inventory
SouthwestSW rate limiting or bot detectionWait a few minutes and retry. Use Docker (ghcr.io/borski/sw-fares) if running locally fails. Google Flights skill for SW cash prices as a fast fallback.
SerpAPIRate limit (100/mo free)Trivago for hotels, web search for destination discovery
TrivagoServer errorLiteAPI for hotels, SerpAPI Google Hotels
LiteAPIAuth error (401)Trivago MCP, SerpAPI Google Hotels
AirbnbScraping blockedSuggest user check airbnb.com directly
AwardWalletAPI errorAsk user for their balances directly
FerryhopperServer errorSerpAPI or web search for ferry routes
Atlas ObscuraScript errorWeb search for "unusual things to do in [destination]"
Chase TravelLogin failure or CSRF issuesUse Duffel/Ignav for cash prices. Note that Points Boost and Edit detection are Chase-only.
Amex TravelLogin failure or form changesUse Duffel/Ignav for cash prices. Note that IAP fares and FHR/THC detection are Amex-only.
Deutsche Bahn (db-vendo)Library error or bahn.de outageSerpAPI Google Travel Explore, web search for "DB train [origin] [dest]", or fall back to confirming flight options instead.
Wikipedia airportsAPI rate limit (rare) or page missingWeb search "[airport name] airlines destinations" returns the same data via Google.
Fare tool says "no results"Could be no availability OR no serviceUse wikipedia-airports to confirm whether the route is flown at all. If Wikipedia lists the destination as served, fare tools have no availability on that date. If Wikipedia doesn't list it, the route doesn't exist. Saves you from asking the user to retry searches that can never succeed.

General Rules

  • If an MCP server returns an error, try the curl-based skill equivalent (or vice versa).
  • If a paid API hits its rate limit, switch to a free alternative.
  • Never give up after one tool fails. Always try at least one fallback.
  • Tell the user which source you used. "Skiplagged was down, so I checked Kiwi.com instead."

Never Claim MCP Is Unavailable Without Calling It

Do not declare an MCP server "not available" from a glance at your tool list — attempt an actual tool call first. The Skiplagged and Kiwi servers need no API keys and are wired into every supported harness config; a session launched from the repo directory has them. If a call genuinely fails, quote the error to the user and then fall back.

And when falling back, never silently substitute ad-hoc browser scraping for the toolkit's sources. Improvised scraping (e.g., driving a browser to Google Flights by hand) produces prices that miss most of the market. If you're ever reduced to it, say so explicitly and label every price from it as low-confidence: "MCP sources were unreachable, so this is a single scraped quote — treat it as a ceiling, not a market price."

Show full SKILL.md (382 more words)Show less

IP Allowlist Errors (Common First-Time Failure)

Several APIs in the toolkit enforce IP allowlists on the developer key. If you see one of these error signatures, do NOT rabbit-hole on auth or quotas. Suggest the user whitelist their IP first.

APIError SignatureWhitelist Page
AwardWallet{"error": "access_denied", "code": "IP_DENIED"}https://business.awardwallet.com/profile/api
TripAdvisorUser is not authorized to access this resource with an explicit denyhttps://www.tripadvisor.com/developers

Diagnostic flow when an API call fails with an auth-shaped error on first use:

  1. Run curl ifconfig.me to get the user's current outbound IP.
  2. Check if the failure signature matches an IP allowlist (table above or similar phrasing like "explicit deny" / "IP_DENIED" / "not whitelisted").
  3. Tell the user: "This looks like an IP allowlist issue, not a key issue. Add <their IP> at <provider page>, wait 1-5 min for AWS edge cache propagation, then retry."
  4. While they whitelist, gracefully degrade: continue without that data source, noting it's pending. Don't block the rest of the workflow.
  5. Multi-IP gotcha: residential CGNAT, VPN exits, hotel wifi, and travel locations all need separate entries. If they hit the same error from a new network, the IP changed.

"No Cached Availability" Is Not the Final Word

When Seats.aero returns no results for a route + program combination, that means Seats.aero has not scraped it recently. It does NOT mean the award is unbookable. When a reachable program shows no cached results, search the airline's website directly before declaring awards dead.

Patchright-Based Skills (Southwest, AA, Chase, Amex, TaW)

These hit websites directly with an undetected browser. Common failure modes:

  • Login form changed. The site updated its DOM. Selectors break. Update the skill.
  • 2FA loop. Some skills (AA, Amex) handle email 2FA. Make sure 2FA delivery method is set correctly in the account.
  • Bot detection. If you get "unusual activity" or CAPTCHA pages, the persistent profile may be flagged. Try a fresh profile or wait an hour.
  • Headless detection. Patchright runs headed. If running locally fails, use the Docker image (xvfb provides virtual display).

Docker Image Failures

If docker pull ghcr.io/borski/... fails:

  • unauthorized: Run docker logout ghcr.io then retry. Or login with a GitHub PAT that has read:packages. Or build locally with docker build -t <tag> skills/<skill>/.
  • Network timeout: Retry with --platform linux/amd64 if you're on ARM and getting checksum mismatches.

© borski, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in plugins/travel-hacking-toolkit/skills/fallback-and-resilience of borski/travel-hacking-toolkit.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit db82131

Compare with similar skills

Fallback And Resilience next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Fallback And Resilience compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Fallback And Resilience this skillborski/travel-hacking-toolkit688—~1.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
X Twitter ScraperXquik-dev/x-twitter-scraper2111 repos~2.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Apify Integration Developmentapify/agent-skills2.4k—~3.4kAutomated safety check: PassNone
X Twitter Scraperdavila7/claude-code-templates33k—~2.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Apify Yandex Search APIapify/awesome-skills266—~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Apify Rate Limitsjeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace2.8k—~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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More from borski/travel-hacking-toolkit

All 46 skills in this repo
  • Amex Travel

    borski/travel-hacking-toolkit

    Search Amex travel portal for cash prices, MR points pricing, IAP discounts, and FHR/THC hotel benefits via Patchright.

    688 GitHub stars~3.1k tokensUpdated 5 days ago
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  • Chase Travel

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    Search Chase UR travel portal via Patchright for cash prices, points pricing, Points Boost offers, and Chase Edit hotel benefits.

    688 GitHub stars~2.8k tokensUpdated 5 days ago
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  • Deutsche Bahn

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    Deutsche Bahn train schedules, journey planning, and departures across Germany and into neighboring countries (Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, France, Belgium).

    688 GitHub stars~1.5k tokensUpdated 5 days ago
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  • Sutochno

    borski/travel-hacking-toolkit

    Search Sutochno.ru (СУТОЧНО.РУ), a Russian short-term apartment-rental platform where you book directly from owners and pay in rubles (Mir card / bank transfer).

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  • Ticketsatwork

    borski/travel-hacking-toolkit

    Search TicketsAtWork (EBG corporate perks) for hotels, theme park tickets, attractions, and rental cars via Patchright.

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  • Vrbo

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    Search VRBO (Vrbo / Expedia Group) vacation rentals including entire homes, condos, and cabins via Patchright browser automation.

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Questions about Fallback And Resilience

What does Fallback And Resilience do?

What to do when a tool fails, an API hits a rate limit, or a site blocks scraping. Fallback And Resilience is an agent skill from borski/travel-hacking-toolkit. What to do when a tool fails, an API hits a rate limit, or a site blocks scraping.

When should I use Fallback And Resilience?

Fallback And Resilience fits situations like: tasks that involve Rate limiting; tasks that involve Web scraping.

How do I install Fallback And Resilience in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add borski/travel-hacking-toolkit --skill fallback-and-resilience -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/travel-hacking-toolkit/skills/fallback-and-resilience in borski/travel-hacking-toolkit) into .claude/skills/fallback-and-resilience in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Fallback And Resilience in Codex?

Run `npx skills add borski/travel-hacking-toolkit --skill fallback-and-resilience -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/travel-hacking-toolkit/skills/fallback-and-resilience in borski/travel-hacking-toolkit) into .agents/skills/fallback-and-resilience in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Fallback And Resilience in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add borski/travel-hacking-toolkit --skill fallback-and-resilience -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/fallback-and-resilience, .gemini/skills/fallback-and-resilience, .github/skills/fallback-and-resilience and .opencode/skills/fallback-and-resilience in your project.

What does Fallback And Resilience need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Fallback And Resilience needs the command-line tools its instructions call (docker and curl). Our summary lists: Docker.

Does Fallback And Resilience access the network?

SKILL.md names 2 domains. As links in the text: business.awardwallet.com and tripadvisor.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Fallback And Resilience safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Fallback And Resilience use?

Fallback And Resilience is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Fallback And Resilience use?

About 1.6k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6.5k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Fallback And Resilience?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Fallback And Resilience: X Twitter Scraper (Xquik-dev/x-twitter-scraper, 211 stars), Apify Integration Development (apify/agent-skills, 2.4k stars), X Twitter Scraper (davila7/claude-code-templates, 33k stars) and Apify Yandex Search API (apify/awesome-skills, 266 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Fallback And Resilience?

borski (a GitHub user) maintains it in borski/travel-hacking-toolkit, which has 688 GitHub stars. The repository holds 46 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 5, 2026.

Source: borski/travel-hacking-toolkit on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.