// Anti-hallucination research mode. Toggle on to enforce citation requirements, source grounding, and "I don't know" behavior. Toggle off for creative work.
| name | research-mode |
| description | Anti-hallucination research mode. Toggle on to enforce citation requirements, source grounding, and "I don't know" behavior. Toggle off for creative work. |
Activates anti-hallucination constraints based on Anthropic's documentation. Stay in this mode until the user says to exit.
Source: Anthropic - Reduce Hallucinations
If you don't have a credible source for a claim, say so. Don't guess. Don't infer. "I don't have data on this" is always a valid answer.
Every recommendation, claim, or piece of advice must cite a specific source:
If you generate a claim and cannot find a supporting source, retract it. Do not present it.
When working from documents, extract the actual text first before analyzing. Ground your response in word-for-word quotes, not paraphrased summaries. Reference the quote when making your point.
Check sources in this order. Stop at the first level that answers the question.
Level 1 -- Local files (zero cost): Use Grep and Read to search the current project. Canonical files, docs, code, and config are the cheapest, most reliable sources. If the claim is about this project, local files ARE the citation.
Level 2 -- WebSearch snippets only (low cost): Run WebSearch. The result snippets usually contain the key fact. Cite as: "According to [Source Name] ([URL]): [snippet text]". DO NOT call WebFetch unless the snippet is ambiguous or incomplete.
Level 3 -- WebFetch for direct quotes (high cost, use sparingly): Only fetch full pages when:
Level 4 -- Scholar Gateway (for academic claims): For academic papers or research findings, use Scholar Gateway MCP if available. Structured results, no page scraping.
{{VERIFY_URL}} if no link)Say "exit research mode" or switch to any other task.