deep-research

name	deep-research
description	Run deeper web research with the Exa-backed web_search, code_search, and read_web_pages tools. Use this when a task needs query refinement, multiple sources, evidence gathering, and a synthesized answer with citations.

Deep Research

Use this skill when the task is more than a single lookup: debugging from docs across several pages, comparing frameworks, reviewing multiple announcements, tracing implementation details in source code, or building a cited research summary.

Available tools

• web_search for broad web discovery and current information
• code_search for docs, API references, GitHub, and implementation examples
• read_web_pages for expanding the best URLs into clean highlights, text, or summaries

Default workflow

1. Start broad.

   • Use web_search for general framing or fresh information.
   • Use code_search when the question is mostly about documentation or source code.

2. Narrow quickly.

   • Rewrite the query based on what is missing.
   • Prefer several targeted searches over one giant vague query.
   • Use domain filters when official sources are obvious.

3. Prefer efficient extraction first.

   • Default to contentMode: "highlights".
   • Switch to read_web_pages with contentMode: "text" only for the small set of URLs that matter most.

4. Cross-check.

   • Prefer official docs first.
   • Then use source code, release notes, issue threads, or secondary sources to confirm details.
   • Call out uncertainty instead of overclaiming.

5. Synthesize with evidence.

   • End with a concise answer.
   • Include source URLs.
   • Separate confirmed findings from inference.

Heuristics

For docs/API questions

• Start with code_search using focus: "docs".
• If the first pass is noisy, add domains for the official docs site.
• Expand 1-3 promising pages with read_web_pages.

For source-code or implementation questions

• Start with code_search using focus: "source".
• If needed, follow with focus: "mixed" to pick up docs and blog posts.
• Expand the most relevant repositories or documentation pages with read_web_pages.

For current events / announcements / recent changes

• Start with web_search.
• Consider freshnessHours when recency matters.
• Use read_web_pages on the most authoritative results.

Output style

When reporting back:

• Lead with the direct answer.
• Then give a short list of findings.
• Then list sources as bullet points with URLs.
• If there are conflicting sources, say so explicitly.

Example invocations

• /skill:deep-research How does Exa deep search differ from normal search for coding-agent workflows?
• /skill:deep-research Find the best current docs and code examples for building a Pi extension with Exa-backed search.
• /skill:deep-research Investigate how a library handles retries, cancellation, and rate limits, using both docs and source.