deep-research

Deep Research

This skill guides you through a structured deep research workflow: multi-angle search, selective full-page fetching, and synthesis into a polished, cited report.

Tools available

Search — run the packaged Web Forager CLI with uvx:

uvx --python '>=3.10,<3.14' web-forager search "your query" --max-results 8 --output-format json

If uvx cannot run the packaged CLI, use a direct ddgs fallback through uv without touching the current project environment:

uv run --no-project --python '>=3.10,<3.14' --with 'ddgs>=9.5.2' python - <<'PY'
from ddgs import DDGS
results = DDGS().text(query="your query", max_results=8)
for r in results:
    print(r["title"], r["href"], r["body"])
PY

Fetch — run the packaged Web Forager CLI with uvx:

uvx --python '>=3.10,<3.14' web-forager fetch "https://example.com" --format markdown

If uvx cannot run the packaged CLI, call Jina Reader directly:

curl -s "https://r.jina.ai/https://example.com"

No API key needed.

If MCP search/fetch tools are available in the session (e.g., mcp__web_forager__search, mcp__duckduckgo__search, or similar), prefer those over the above — they're faster and already wired in.

---

Research workflow

Step 1 — Understand the research question

Before searching, take a moment to understand what's actually being asked:

• What's the core question or goal?
• What kind of information would fully answer it? (facts, comparisons, recent news, how-tos, etc.)
• Are there multiple angles worth exploring?

Step 2 — Multi-angle search strategy

Don't search just once. Run 2–3 searches with different query framings to get broader coverage. Think about:

• A direct/obvious query ("Python async best practices 2024")
• A more specific angle ("asyncio pitfalls production")
• An alternative framing ("FastAPI async vs sync performance comparison")

Run all searches, collect results. Don't fetch URLs yet — evaluate snippets first.

Step 3 — Select URLs to fetch

From all the search results, pick the 3–5 most promising URLs based on:

• Relevance: does the snippet suggest genuine depth on the topic?
• Source quality: authoritative sources, docs, reputable publications over SEO filler
• Diversity: don't pick 5 URLs from the same site — spread across sources
• Recency: prefer recent sources for fast-moving topics

Briefly explain your URL selection to the user before fetching — this builds trust and lets them redirect you if you've chosen poorly.

Step 4 — Fetch full content

Fetch each selected URL using the uvx fetch command above. Use markdown format (default). If a fetch fails, skip that URL and note it in your sources section.

For very long pages, focus on the most relevant sections rather than including everything.

Step 5 — Synthesize the report

Write a structured report using the format below. The goal is a document the user can actually use — not a stream of consciousness, not a list of quotes.

---

Output format — adaptive

Scale the report to match the question. Not every question needs a 5-section report.

Quick answer (simple factual question, single-topic lookup)

When the user just needs a fact, a date, a comparison, or a short answer:

## [Answer title]
Direct answer in 2–4 sentences, with the key fact front and center.

**Sources:** [Title](url), [Title](url)

Standard report (most research questions)

# [Research title]

## Summary
2–4 sentence TL;DR that answers the core question directly.

## Key findings
- Bullet points of the most important, concrete things you learned
- Each bullet should stand alone — avoid "according to source X, ..."
- Include numbers, dates, specifics where available

## Sources
1. [Title](url) — one line describing what this source contributed

Deep dive (complex, multi-faceted, or strategic questions)

# [Research title]

## Summary
2–4 sentence TL;DR that answers the core question directly.

## Key findings
- Concrete bullet points with numbers, dates, specifics

## [Topic sections — 2–4 sections, named for what they cover]
Prose paragraphs going deeper on each major aspect.
Cite sources inline as [Source Name](url).

## Limitations & gaps
What you couldn't find, what's uncertain, where the user should dig further.

## Sources
1. [Title](url) — one line describing what this source contributed
2. [Title](url) — ...

Use your judgment. The goal is: give the user the right amount of information, not the maximum amount.

---

Quality reminders

• Attribute claims: when you state something specific you learned from a source, cite it
• Don't hallucinate: if you don't find something, say so in Limitations
• Be concrete: vague summaries are useless. Dates, numbers, names, versions
• Stay focused: it's easy to go wide; keep the report centered on what was actually asked
• Fresh eyes on the draft: before presenting, re-read and cut anything repetitive or filler