name: get-current-ip description: | Retrieves your current public IP address with protocol metadata. Activates when users ask about "my IP", "current IP", "public IP", "external IP", "what is my IP", or "get IP address". Returns the IP address along with protocol type (IPv4 or IPv6) and handles network errors gracefully with fallback options. license: Apache-2.0 compatibility: Requires internet connection and curl metadata: author: Claude version: "1.0.0" allowed-tools: Bash

Get Current IP Address

Overview

This skill retrieves the user's current public-facing IP address using the ipify API service. It detects whether the returned address is IPv4 or IPv6 format and provides this metadata to the user. The skill handles network failures gracefully and can fall back to alternative services if the primary API is unavailable.

Instructions

Follow these steps when a user requests their IP address:

1. Detect the user's intent - Look for requests containing phrases like "my IP", "current IP", "public IP", "external IP", or "what is my IP"

2. Query the ipify API - Use curl to make a request to the ipify service:

   • For automatic IPv4/IPv6 detection: https://api64.ipify.org?format=json
   • For IPv4 only: https://api.ipify.org?format=json

3. Parse the JSON response - The API returns {"ip":"x.x.x.x"} format

4. Determine protocol type - Check the IP format:

   • IPv4: Contains dots (e.g., 192.168.1.1)
   • IPv6: Contains colons (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334)

5. Handle errors - If the request fails:

   • Check if there's network connectivity
   • Try an alternative service as fallback
   • Provide a clear error message to the user

6. Display results - Present the IP address with its protocol type

Usage Examples

Example 1: Basic IP Request

Input: "What's my IP address?"

Actions:

curl -s https://api64.ipify.org?format=json

Output: "Your current public IP address is 203.0.113.42 (IPv4). This is the IP address that external services see when you connect to them."

Example 2: Specific Protocol Request

Input: "Can you get my IPv6 address?"

Actions:

curl -s https://api64.ipify.org?format=json

Output (if IPv6 available): "Your current public IP address is 2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334 (IPv6). Your network supports IPv6 connectivity."

Output (if IPv4 only): "Your current public IP address is 203.0.113.42 (IPv4). Note: Your network appears to only support IPv4, so an IPv6 address is not available."

Example 3: Handling Network Errors

Input: "What is my public IP?"

Actions (when primary API fails):

# Primary attempt
curl -s --connect-timeout 5 https://api64.ipify.org?format=json

# If that fails, try fallback
curl -s --connect-timeout 5 https://ifconfig.me

Output (on network failure): "I was unable to retrieve your public IP address. This could be because:

• You don't have an active internet connection
• The IP detection service is temporarily unavailable

Please check your network connection and try again."

Guidelines

• Always use ipify as the primary service - It's reliable, free, requires no authentication, and has no rate limits
• Display protocol type - Always indicate whether the IP is IPv4 or IPv6 so users understand what they're seeing
• Handle network errors gracefully - Never show raw error messages; provide helpful context
• Explain VPN/proxy behavior - If the user mentions VPN or proxy, clarify that the returned IP will be their VPN/proxy endpoint, not their actual ISP-assigned IP
• Use appropriate timeout - Set a reasonable timeout (5 seconds) to avoid hanging on network issues
• Prefer api64 endpoint - Use api64.ipify.org by default as it automatically returns either IPv4 or IPv6 based on the user's network

Common Patterns

Basic IP Retrieval (Auto-detect IPv4/IPv6)

curl -s https://api64.ipify.org?format=json

IPv4 Only

curl -s https://api.ipify.org?format=json

With Timeout for Reliability

curl -s --connect-timeout 5 --max-time 10 https://api64.ipify.org?format=json

Fallback Service (if ipify is unavailable)

curl -s --connect-timeout 5 https://ifconfig.me

Parsing the Response

The ipify API returns JSON: {"ip":"203.0.113.42"}

To extract just the IP in bash:

curl -s https://api64.ipify.org?format=json | grep -o '"ip":"[^"]*"' | cut -d'"' -f4

Edge Cases

• No Internet Connection: Inform the user that public IP detection requires an active internet connection. Suggest checking their network connectivity.

• API Service Unavailable: If ipify is down, use the fallback service (ifconfig.me). If all services fail, inform the user of temporary unavailability.

• VPN/Proxy Active: The returned IP will be the VPN or proxy endpoint IP, not the user's actual ISP-assigned IP. This is expected behavior - clarify this if the user seems confused.

• IPv6 Not Available: Some networks only support IPv4. If the user specifically asks for IPv6 but receives an IPv4 address, explain that their network may not have IPv6 connectivity.

• Corporate/Firewall Restrictions: Some corporate networks may block access to IP detection services. Suggest the user try from a different network if requests consistently fail.

References

For detailed technical reference, see:

• REFERENCE.md - Detailed ipify API documentation and fallback services

Limitations

• Requires internet connection - This skill cannot function without network access to external API services
• VPN/Proxy shows endpoint IP - When using a VPN or proxy, the detected IP will be the exit point of that service, not the user's actual ISP-assigned IP address
• IPv6 availability varies - Not all networks support IPv6; users on IPv4-only networks will only see their IPv4 address
• API service dependency - While ipify is highly reliable, the skill depends on external services being available
• No geolocation data - This skill only returns the IP address and protocol type; it does not provide location information