grok-tool-augmented-research

name

grok-tool-augmented-research

description

Use Grok Build's current web_search/web_fetch tools as a bounded external-evidence layer inside coding, debugging, dependency evaluation, and autoresearch loops. Use for "Grok으로 검색해", fresh release/API/CVE evidence, recent community signal, or search-grounded hypotheses. Treat dedicated X corpus search as optional and only claim it when an installed MCP/tool explicitly provides it; never leak private repo data.

Grok Tool-Augmented Research

Use fresh external evidence only when it can change the next engineering decision. Search belongs inside observe → hypothesize → verify → act, not in a disconnected research dump.

Version-matched Grok docs are under ~/.grok/docs/. In current Grok Build, the documented built-in research tools are web_search and web_fetch; --disable-web-search removes both. A dedicated X/Twitter corpus search is not guaranteed by those tool names. Use one only when grok inspect shows a configured MCP/plugin tool that explicitly offers it.

Decision gate

Search when the answer is volatile or external:

• current provider/API behavior, releases, deprecations, or compatibility;
• recent CVEs and maintainer advisories;
• unresolved errors tied to a specific current version;
• dependency activity, adoption friction, or a claim that materially affects a hypothesis.

Do not search for stable language rules, facts already proven by the checked-out source, or questions that can be answered by running a local test.

Procedure

1. Name the decision. Write the exact choice the evidence will influence.
2. Sanitize the query. Remove private code, customer data, secrets, internal hostnames, unpublished product names, incident details, and unique stack traces.
3. Choose sources. Prefer official docs/release notes/advisories and upstream issues. Use community posts only as secondary evidence of real-user friction.
4. Bound the run. Use a small query budget, read-only tools, no subagents unless needed, and a max-turn limit.
5. Record evidence. Keep query, retrieval date, URL/post ID, relevant version/date, and the exact claim supported. A search snippet alone is not final evidence; fetch the source.
6. Resolve contradictions. Compare publication dates, versions, primary-source status, and whether claims describe the same environment.
7. Close the loop. State decision → evidence → confidence → next local verification.
8. Verify locally. External evidence informs the hypothesis; tests, source inspection, and runtime behavior decide whether it applies here.

Bounded headless recipe

grok -p '
  Research the current documented behavior relevant to this decision.
  Prefer primary sources, cite every material claim, state contradictions,
  and end with decision, confidence, and the next local verification.
' \
  --tools 'web_search,web_fetch,read_file,grep,list_dir' \
  --disallowed-tools 'run_terminal_cmd,search_replace,write_file,Agent' \
  --max-turns 20 \
  --output-format json

This recipe permits external disclosure of the prompt text. Keep the prompt generic and public-safe. For confidential repositories, describe only the abstract technology question.

X/social signal

X can be useful for current DX pain, outages, adoption friction, and statements by official maintainers. But distinguish these cases:

• web_search happens to return an x.com URL — ordinary web evidence;
• an installed MCP/plugin exposes a dedicated X search tool — corpus-specific evidence;
• no such tool exists — do not claim an X search was performed.

For social evidence, preserve the post URL/ID, author, timestamp, and whether it is firsthand. Do not treat likes, reposts, or a single viral post as technical validation.

Evidence note template

Decision: <what changes if the claim is true>
Query: <sanitized exact query>
Retrieved: <UTC date>
Primary sources:
- <URL> — <supported claim, version/date>
Secondary signals:
- <URL/post ID> — <what users report; not authoritative>
Contradictions/limits: <missing, stale, conflicting, inaccessible>
Conclusion: <decision and confidence>
Local verification: <test/source/runtime probe>

Autoresearch composition

• autoresearch owns the fixed experiment budget, baseline, one-change discipline, and metric honesty.
• This skill may spend a bounded evidence call during hypothesis formation.
• Search findings never count as an experiment result. Log the query/URLs, then measure the candidate change against the unchanged evaluation procedure.

Guardrails

• Never send confidential source, credentials, private incidents, or proprietary strategy logic to web/X search.
• Never cite an AI summary as the primary source when the underlying document is available.
• Never silently use the current year as a proxy for recency; apply an explicit date window.
• If evidence is weak, contradictory, paywalled, or inaccessible, say so and lower confidence.
• Keep URLs in notes/docs when they materially justify a code or architecture decision; avoid noisy permanent comments for disposable search context.