| name | gemini-research |
| description | This skill should be used when the user asks to search for current information, find the latest version of a package, check for security advisories, or look up recent documentation. Relevant when the user says "what's the latest version of X," "are there any CVEs for Y," or "search for the current docs on Z." |
Web-Grounded Research with Gemini
Invoke using /gemini-search or mcp__gemini__gemini_execute with extensions: ['google_search'].
When Web Search Adds Value
Use Gemini with Google Search grounding when you need:
- Current versions: "What is the latest release of package X?"
- Security advisories: "Are there any known CVEs for library Y?"
- Documentation updates: "What changed in the React 19 docs?"
- Best practices: "What is the current recommended approach for Z?"
If the question is about stable, well-established knowledge that hasn't changed
recently, Claude's training data is likely sufficient. Use Gemini search when
recency matters.
Parameter Selection
- extensions: Always
['google_search'] — this is what enables grounding
- model: Default to
flash for speed. Use pro when the query requires
synthesizing information from multiple sources or reasoning about conflicting
information.
- timeout_ms: Default for quick
flash lookups. Set 2400000 (40 minutes) for deep pro research with multi-source synthesis.
Query Framing
Specific queries get better results:
- Bad: "Tell me about React"
- Good: "What are the breaking changes in React 19.1 compared to 19.0?"
- Bad: "Node.js security"
- Good: "Are there any active CVEs for Node.js 20.x released after January 2026?"
Include version numbers, date ranges, and specific aspects to search for.
Evaluating Results
- Source attribution: Note which claims come from web results vs Gemini's
own knowledge. Web-grounded claims include source URLs.
- Recency: Check publication dates. Prefer recent sources for fast-moving
topics.
- Conflicts: When sources disagree, report both viewpoints and the source
for each.
- Staleness warning: If the most recent source is months old for a
fast-moving topic, flag this explicitly.
