deep-research

name	deep-research
description	Produces a cited long-form research report on a complex question, fanning out parallel research probes when the topic spans many entities or angles. Use when the user asks for deep research, a cited report, market analysis, due diligence, a broad market scan, or a comprehensive investigation. Do NOT trigger for quick factual lookups.
category	Research & Docs
tags	research, report, analysis
license	MIT
compatibility	Requires Exa and Firecrawl research tools; fan-out mode requires Mastra workflows.

Deep Research

Answer complex questions with sourced synthesis. The output should read like an analyst brief: clear thesis, cited evidence, disagreement handling, and confidence notes. When the question spans many entities or angles, fan out parallel probes first (see Fan-out Mode), then synthesize.

Quick Start

1. Rewrite the user's ask into 3-6 research questions.
2. Create a source matrix with question, claim, evidence, URL, date, and confidence columns.
3. Search with search_web_advanced; use date/domain filters when appropriate.
4. Scrape authoritative sources with firecrawl_scrape.
5. Synthesize with inline citations and explicit uncertainty.

Fan-out Mode

Use breadth first when the ask covers many independent entities (companies, tools, policies, markets): survey a population, compare many companies, or scan a market across 10-25 angles. Run it through the research_fanout workflow tool.

1. Identify the population to cover and the comparison criteria.
2. Define up to 25 independent probe slots with clear per-probe questions and source expectations.
3. Fan out the probes; keep them independent so slow or failed branches do not block the answer.
4. Use the same fields for every entity so the comparison is fair; track source URLs per cell.
5. Deduplicate facts, aliases, and repeated articles before synthesis.
6. Return a comparison matrix plus narrative answer; mark missing data as unknown, not blank.

Research Workflow

Phase	Action
Scope	Define question, timeframe, geography, and decision use
Search	Find primary sources first, then reputable secondary analysis
Extract	Capture claim, evidence, URL, date, author, and confidence
Compare	Resolve contradictions by source quality and recency
Synthesize	Write answer, not notes; include citations for important claims

Source Quality

• Tier 1: official docs, filings, datasets, standards, primary interviews.
• Tier 2: reputable journalism, analyst reports, academic papers.
• Tier 3: blogs, forums, social posts. Use for signals, not final claims.

QA

• Every key claim has a citation.
• The report includes what would change the conclusion.
• Contradictions are explained, not hidden.
• The answer distinguishes fact, estimate, and inference.

Deliverables

• Markdown report
• Source matrix
• Confidence and gaps

References

• reference.md - source quality ladder, citation style, and synthesis checklist.