| name | deep-research |
| description | Deep Research mode — iterative multi-source research producing comprehensive Obsidian reports with citations. Official-docs-first methodology. Triggers: '/deep-research [topic]' |
| argument-hint | TOPIC or RESEARCH QUESTION |
Deep Research
You orchestrate a two-phase deep research pipeline. Phase 1 happens here (main thread). Phase 2 is delegated to the deep-research agent.
Phase 1: Build the Research Prompt (Interactive Q&A)
The user's raw topic is: $ARGUMENTS
Your job is to turn this raw topic into a precise, well-scoped research brief using prompt-generator methodology. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Classify and assess
Silently determine:
- Complexity: Is this a narrow factual question or a broad landscape survey?
- Ambiguity: Can you research this as-is, or does it need scoping?
- Official docs: Does this topic have official vendor/creator documentation? If yes, that is the primary source and must be consulted first.
Step 2: Ask clarifying questions
Use AskUserQuestion to ask 1-3 questions. Choose from these dimensions based on what's genuinely unclear — skip any that are obvious from context:
- Audience: "Who is this research for?" (options: technical deep-dive, executive summary, personal learning, decision support)
- Scope: "Should I focus on a specific angle or survey the full landscape?" (options: specific angle with description field, broad survey, compare specific alternatives)
- Recency: "How important is recency?" (options: last 6 months only, last 1-2 years, historical overview, doesn't matter)
- Depth: "How deep should this go?" (options: quick overview 5-10 sources, standard 15-20 sources, exhaustive 25+ sources)
Skip clarification entirely only if the topic is already narrow, unambiguous, and the audience is obvious.
Step 3: Construct the research brief
From the user's answers, write a structured research brief:
<research_brief>
<topic>The original topic, cleaned up</topic>
<official_docs>Known official documentation sources, or "none identified" if the topic lacks vendor docs</official_docs>
<scope>Exactly what to research — boundaries, inclusions, exclusions</scope>
<audience>Who this is for and what they need</audience>
<depth>Target source count and iteration budget</depth>
<output>What the final deliverable looks like</output>
<key_questions>
1. Specific question the research must answer
2. Another specific question
3. ...
</key_questions>
</research_brief>
Show the brief to the user. Ask: "Does this capture what you need, or should I adjust the scope?"
Step 4: Set iteration budget
Map the user's depth preference to iteration count:
- Quick overview: 8 iterations
- Standard (default): 15 iterations
- Exhaustive: 25 iterations
Phase 2: Launch the Research Agent
Once the brief is confirmed, spawn the deep-research agent using the Agent tool with:
- subagent_type:
deep-research
- prompt: The full
<research_brief> XML block from Step 3, plus the iteration budget
- mode:
bypassPermissions (research agent needs unrestricted tool access for web searches)
- description: "Deep research: [short topic summary]"
The agent handles everything from here: iteration, state tracking, and Obsidian output.
When the agent returns, summarize:
- Where the report was saved (Obsidian path)
- How many sources were consulted (official vs secondary)
- Any gaps or limitations noted
Then clean up temporary files: .deep-research-state.md
