diff --git a/.agents/skills/linkedin-search/cli/src/cli.ts b/.agents/skills/linkedin-search/cli/src/cli.ts
index 9815ed11..ffda2bd5 100644
--- a/.agents/skills/linkedin-search/cli/src/cli.ts
+++ b/.agents/skills/linkedin-search/cli/src/cli.ts
@@ -114,6 +114,15 @@ async function main(): Promise<number> {
       )
       return 1
     }
+    // --query is optional, but a present one needs keywords: parseFlags stores
+    // a bare -q as true and -q "" as "", and both used to be treated as unset,
+    // returning every posting in the location as if it matched.
+    if (flags.query !== undefined && (typeof flags.query !== "string" || !flags.query.trim())) {
+      process.stderr.write(
+        JSON.stringify({ error: "--query requires a non-empty value", code: "BAD_ARG" }) + "\n",
+      )
+      return 1
+    }
     const fmt = flags.format !== undefined ? String(flags.format) : "json"
     if (!["json", "table", "plain"].includes(fmt)) {
       process.stderr.write(
diff --git a/.agents/skills/linkedin-search/cli/tests/required-query-value.test.ts b/.agents/skills/linkedin-search/cli/tests/required-query-value.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4f4f945e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/skills/linkedin-search/cli/tests/required-query-value.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { runSearchFixture } from "./helpers";
+
+const LOCATION = "Copenhagen, Denmark";
+
+// parseFlags stores a value-less flag as `true` and an empty argument as "",
+// and the search took `--query` only when it was a non-empty string. So a
+// bare `-q`, `-q ""` (an unset shell variable) or a blank query dropped the
+// keywords and returned every posting in the location with exit 0. These run
+// the real CLI against the saved search fixture and count outbound requests.
+describe("--query requires a value", () => {
+  for (const args of [
+    ["-q"],
+    ["-q", "--jobage", "7"],
+    ["--query", ""],
+    ["-q", "   "],
+  ]) {
+    test(`${JSON.stringify(args)} exits 1 with BAD_ARG before any request`, async () => {
+      const { result, requests } = await runSearchFixture(["search", "-l", LOCATION, ...args]);
+      expect(result.exitCode).toBe(1);
+      expect(result.stdout).toBe("");
+      const error = JSON.parse(result.stderr);
+      expect(error.code).toBe("BAD_ARG");
+      expect(error.error).toContain("--query");
+      expect(requests).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+  }
+
+  test("a query is sent as keywords", async () => {
+    const { result, requests } = await runSearchFixture(["search", "-l", LOCATION, "-q", "data engineer"]);
+    expect(result.exitCode).toBe(0);
+    expect(requests).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(requests[0].searchParams.get("keywords")).toBe("data engineer");
+  });
+
+  test("omitting --query is still an intentional location-only search", async () => {
+    const { result, requests } = await runSearchFixture(["search", "-l", LOCATION]);
+    expect(result.exitCode).toBe(0);
+    expect(requests).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(requests[0].searchParams.has("keywords")).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 86d0ba7e..5d3bf66a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -122,6 +122,15 @@ per-file diff commands.
   with exit 0 and an empty stderr. Anything other than `remote`, `hybrid` or `onsite` (and the
   accepted `on-site` spelling) now exits 1 with `BAD_ARG` before any request is sent.
 
+- **`linkedin-search` requires a value for `--query` instead of dropping the keywords**
+  (#646, `.agents/skills/linkedin-search/cli/src/cli.ts`, `tests/required-query-value.test.ts`) - the
+  flag parser stores a bare `-q` as `true` and `-q ""` as an empty string, and the search took
+  `--query` only when it was a non-empty string, so a bare flag, an empty argument (an unset
+  shell variable) or a blank query returned every posting in the location with exit 0. A present
+  `--query` now needs a non-empty value or exits 1 with `BAD_ARG` before any request; omitting
+  the flag is still a location-only search. The Danish portals (#573) and `freehire-search`
+  (#568) already reject a value-less option.
+
 ## [1.7.3] - 2026-10-19
 
 ### Added