| name | deep-research |
| description | Systematic 4-phase research methodology: Scope → Gather → Synthesize → Deliver. Single source of truth — no /commands wrapper. |
| version | 2.0.0 |
| when | {"keywords":["research","investigate","explore","compare","analyze options","deep-research"]} |
| allowed-tools | ["WebSearch","WebFetch","Grep","Read","Bash(rg *)","Bash(fd *)"] |
deep-research
Systematic research for technical and product questions. Use when external source validation is required.
When to invoke
- New technologies, libraries, or APIs
- Comparing architectural approaches
- Best practices for a domain
- Gathering evidence before recommending
- Any question requiring external source validation
Phase 1 — Problem Definition
Before searching, write:
RESEARCH QUESTION: [exact question]
SCOPE: [in / out of scope]
SUCCESS CRITERIA: [what does a good answer look like?]
KNOWN CONTEXT: [what we already know]
UNKNOWNS: [what specifically needs verification]
Do NOT start searching until this is written.
Phase 2 — Source Discovery
Priority order
- Official documentation — vendor docs, RFC/PEP
- Primary sources — original papers, GitHub repos, release notes
- High-quality secondary — engineering blogs (Stripe, Netflix, Uber, GitHub)
- Community consensus — Stack Overflow (high vote count), GitHub issues
- Benchmarks — with disclosed methodology
Methods
WebSearch("query with current year 2026")
WebFetch(url, "extract [specific information needed]")
Grep("pattern", path)
Source quality checklist
Phase 3 — Synthesis
Findings table
| Question | Answer | Source | Confidence |
|---|
| [q1] | [answer] | [url/file] | high/medium/low |
Confidence levels
- high — multiple authoritative sources agree
- medium — one authoritative source, no primary docs
- low — community opinion, no direct evidence, or conflicting
Conflicts
List contradictions discovered. Explain which source to trust and why.
Gaps
List what could NOT be verified.
Phase 4 — Output
## Research: [Topic]
### Bottom Line
[Conclusion first — 2-3 sentences max]
### Evidence
[Findings table from Phase 3]
### Recommendation
[Concrete action based on evidence]
### Caveats
[Confidence gaps, conflicting sources, what might change]
### Sources
- [Source 1](url) — [why trusted]
- [Source 2](url) — [why trusted]
Anti-patterns
| Anti-pattern | Correct behavior |
|---|
| Searching without a question | Define question first (Phase 1) |
| Trusting single source | Cross-reference 2+ authoritative |
| Fabricating citations | Only cite sources actually fetched |
| Confidence without evidence | Use confidence levels |
| "Typically" / "usually" | Find docs and cite |
| Outdated info | Note pub date, flag if > 2 years |
Invocation
Skill('deep-research') topic="<research question>"
