| name | wiki-research |
| description | Autonomously research a topic via multi-round web search, synthesize findings, and file structured results into the Obsidian wiki. Use this skill when the user says "/wiki-research [topic]", "research X", "find everything about Y", "do a deep dive on Z", "autonomous research on X", or wants comprehensive, web-sourced knowledge on a topic filed directly into their wiki.
|
Wiki Research — Autonomous Multi-Round Research
You are running an autonomous research loop on a topic, synthesizing what you find, and filing the results into the Obsidian wiki as permanent knowledge.
Before You Start
- Resolve config — follow the Config Resolution Protocol in
llm-wiki/SKILL.md (walk up CWD for .env → ~/.obsidian-wiki/config → prompt setup). This gives OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH and OBSIDIAN_LINK_FORMAT (default: wikilink).
- Read
$OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH/index.md to understand what's already in the wiki — don't re-research things the wiki covers well
- Read
$OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH/hot.md if it exists — it surfaces recent context
- Check
$OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH/references/research-config.md if it exists — it may define source preferences, domains to skip, or confidence rules for this vault
When writing internal links in generated pages, apply the link format from llm-wiki/SKILL.md (Link Format section) using the OBSIDIAN_LINK_FORMAT value.
Confirm the research topic with the user if it's ambiguous. Then proceed.
Research Configuration (optional)
If references/research-config.md exists in the vault, read it and apply any rules it defines:
- Source preferences (e.g., prefer academic sources, avoid certain domains)
- Domains to skip
- Confidence scoring adjustments
- Topic-specific constraints
If the file doesn't exist, proceed with defaults.
Round 1 — Broad Survey
Goal: Get a wide map of the topic.
- Decompose the topic into 3-5 distinct angles (e.g., for "vector databases": what they are, when to use them, leading implementations, trade-offs, production gotchas)
- For each angle, run 2-3
WebSearch queries using varied phrasing
- For the top 2-3 results per angle, use
WebFetch (or defuddle <url> if available — cleaner extraction) to get content
- From each fetched page, extract:
- Key claims — what the source explicitly states
- Concepts — ideas, terms, frameworks introduced
- Entities — tools, people, organizations mentioned
- Contradictions — places where sources disagree with each other
Track what's covered and what's missing as you go.
Round 2 — Gap Fill
Goal: Close the holes left by Round 1.
Review what Round 1 produced:
- What questions did sources raise but not answer?
- Where do sources contradict each other?
- Which angles got thin coverage?
Run up to 5 targeted searches specifically addressing these gaps. Prefer primary sources, official documentation, and authoritative analyses over link aggregators.
Add findings to your working set. Update the contradiction list.
Round 3 — Synthesis Check
Goal: Resolve contradictions; confirm depth is sufficient.
If major contradictions remain unresolved:
- Run one final targeted pass (2-3 searches) to find authoritative resolution
- If resolution is impossible, flag the contradiction explicitly in the synthesis page
If contradictions are minor or the topic feels well-covered after Round 2, skip additional searching and proceed to filing.
Halt condition: Stop when depth is achieved or 3 rounds are complete — do not loop indefinitely.
Filing — Write Wiki Pages
Organize all findings into wiki pages across four output areas:
1. sources/ — One page per major reference
For each significant source (typically 4-8 pages total):
---
title: >-
<Source title>
category: references
tags: [<2-4 domain tags>]
sources:
- "<URL>"
source_url: "<URL>"
created: <ISO-8601 timestamp>
updated: <ISO-8601 timestamp>
summary: >-
<1-2 sentences describing what this source covers, ≤200 chars>
provenance:
extracted: 0.X
inferred: 0.X
ambiguous: 0.X
base_confidence: <0.17 + 0.5 × classify(url) for a single source>
lifecycle: draft
lifecycle_changed: <ISO date today>
---
Body: title, URL, what it covers, key claims (with provenance markers), limitations.
2. concepts/ — One page per substantive concept
For each significant concept surfaced across sources:
Standard concept frontmatter + body. Link concepts to each other and to source pages.
3. entities/ — Tools, organizations, people
For each significant entity encountered (tools, libraries, companies, key authors):
Standard entity frontmatter. Link back to concepts that use the entity and sources where it appears.
4. synthesis/Research: [Topic].md — Master synthesis
The primary output: a structured synthesis of everything found.
---
title: >-
Research: <Topic>
category: synthesis
tags: [<3-5 domain tags>, research]
sources: [<list of source URLs or page paths>]
created: <ISO-8601 timestamp>
updated: <ISO-8601 timestamp>
summary: >-
Synthesis of <N>-round research on <topic>. Covers <core findings in ≤200 chars>.
provenance:
extracted: 0.X
inferred: 0.X
ambiguous: 0.X
base_confidence: <min(N_unique_sources/3,1.0)×0.5 + avg_source_quality×0.5>
lifecycle: draft
lifecycle_changed: <ISO date today>
---
<2-4 sentence executive summary of what the research found>
<Bulleted list of the most important claims, each with a [[source page]] citation>
<Links to concept pages created, with one-line descriptions>
<Links to entity pages, with one-line descriptions>
<Where sources disagree or where the research hit limits>
<Linked list of all source pages>
Cross-linking
After filing all pages:
- Every concept page should link to at least 2 source pages
- Every source page should link to the concept pages it informed
- The synthesis page should link to all concept, entity, and source pages produced
Check index.md for existing pages on the same topics — merge into existing pages rather than creating duplicates.
Update Tracking Files
.manifest.json — Add a research entry:
{
"type": "research",
"topic": "<topic>",
"researched_at": "TIMESTAMP",
"rounds_completed": 3,
"sources_fetched": N,
"pages_created": ["..."],
"pages_updated": ["..."]
}
index.md — Add all new pages under their respective sections.
log.md — Append:
- [TIMESTAMP] WIKI_RESEARCH topic="<topic>" rounds=N sources_fetched=N pages_created=M
hot.md — Update Recent Activity with the research topic and core finding. Update Active Threads if this is ongoing. Update updated timestamp.
Quality Checklist
