| name | wide-search |
| description | Cast a broad net across the entire library — semantic search, conference talks, cross-volume connections. Surfaces patterns and relationships that deep reading misses. Use after deep-reading to widen the study, or independently for exploratory research. |
| argument-hint | [concept or theme to search broadly] |
Wide Search
Purpose
Wide search is the wide-angle lens — scanning across all five standard works, 54 years of conference talks, manuals, and existing studies for connections, patterns, and unexpected resonances. This skill produces the kind of discovery where you search "lifted up" and find it connects Numbers 21, John 3, Helaman 8, 3 Nephi 27, AND a 1978 conference talk you never would have found manually.
This contrasts with the deep-reading skill, which telescopes into one passage. Both are valuable. Wide search usually follows deep reading in a phased study.
When to Use
- Second phase of a phased study (after deep reading surfaced threads to pull)
- The user wants to explore a concept across the whole library
- Looking for conference talk connections to a scriptural theme
- Discovering cross-volume patterns (same idea in OT, NT, BoM, D&C, PoGP)
- Building the "web" of connections that makes a study more than a chapter summary
Method
Step 1: Gather Threads from Deep Reading
If this follows a deep-reading phase, start with the "Threads to Pull" from the intermediate findings. These are your search seeds.
If this is standalone, articulate 3-5 search queries before starting:
- What concepts am I looking for?
- What words or phrases might appear?
- What semantic ideas (not just keywords) connect to this topic?
Step 2: Keyword Search
Use mcp__gospel-engine-v2__gospel_search with mode: "keyword" (the default) for specific phrases, names, or terms:
- Exact phrases from scripture ("lifted up," "look and live")
- Key names (Melchizedek, Enoch, Moses)
- Doctrinal terms (priestcraft, atonement, covenant)
Remember: These results are pointers. Note file paths. Do NOT quote from search results.
Step 3: Semantic Search
Use mcp__gospel-engine-v2__gospel_search with mode: "semantic" for conceptual connections:
- Ideas that might be expressed in different words
- Thematic parallels across dispensations
- Conference talks that address the same principle
Semantic search finds what keyword search misses. "Serpent as a type of Christ" won't match keyword search, but semantic search finds Numbers 21, John 3, and Helaman 8 together.
For the best of both, use mode: "hybrid" — keyword candidates reranked by semantic similarity. Use source: "conference" to scope to talks; filter by speaker, year_from, year_to, or TITSW dimensions when relevant.
Step 4: Check Existing Studies
Search study/*.md (with Grep) for related work. The study corpus is an interconnected web — previous studies may have already traced threads relevant to this topic.
Step 5: Read and Verify
For every promising discovery, Read the actual source. The source-verification skill applies here — search results are pointers, not sources.
Step 6: Document Connections
Add findings to the working document (if phased study) or compile for synthesis:
## Wide Search Findings
### Cross-Volume Pattern: [pattern name]
- OT: [reference + insight]
- NT: [reference + insight]
- BoM: [reference + insight]
- D&C: [reference + insight]
- PoGP: [reference + insight]
### Conference Talks
- [Speaker, Title, Date](link) — key quote and connection
- [Speaker, Title, Date](link) — key quote and connection
### Unexpected Connections
- [Something you didn't expect to find]
### Connections to Past Studies
- [study/topic.md](link) — how this connects
What Makes Wide Search Different from Regular Discovery
| Regular Discovery (One-Shot) | Wide Search Phase |
|---|
| Searches to find what to read | Searches to find connections |
| Stops when enough sources found | Keeps going to find the web |
| One round of search | Multiple rounds with different query strategies |
| Keyword OR semantic | Both keyword AND semantic, deliberately |
| Results go straight to study | Results go to working notes, then to synthesis |
The Three-Mode Pattern
gospel_search is one tool with three modes. Each finds different things:
mode: "keyword" | mode: "semantic" | mode: "hybrid" |
|---|
| Finds exact phrases | Finds related concepts | Keyword candidates, semantic rerank |
| Good for: names, specific terms, quoted phrases | Good for: themes, parallels, "verses about X" | Good for: best precision + recall |
| Misses: paraphrases, different vocabulary | Misses: exact matches, specific rare terms | More expensive — use when you want both |
A study that only uses one mode misses entire classes of results. Run keyword first, then semantic on the same concept; if results diverge wildly, run combined.
Integration with Phased Studies
In a phased study plan:
- Deep reading produces focused findings + threads to pull
- Wide search pulls those threads across the full library
- Synthesis weaves deep + wide into the final study document(s)
- Becoming closes with personal application
Wide search feeds synthesis with the breadth and cross-references that make studies like serpent-and-dragon.md comprehensive — 24 source files across all 5 standard works.
