x-research

name	x-research
description	X/Twitter research skill powered by TwitterAPI.io. Agentic search, profile analysis, thread reading, watchlists, and sourced briefings. Use when asked to search X/Twitter, check what people are saying about a topic, monitor accounts, or research crypto/tech narratives on X.
metadata	{"openclaw":{"emoji":"🐦","requires":{"bins":["node","npx"]},"primaryEnv":"TWITTERAPI_KEY","envHint":"Get your API key from https://twitterapi.io — pay-per-use, no subscription needed"},"clawhub":{"category":"research","tags":["twitter","x","research","search","social-media"],"website":"https://twitterapi.io"}}

X Research

General-purpose X/Twitter research agent powered by TwitterAPI.io. Search, filter, monitor — all from the terminal. No X Developer Portal account needed.

For API details: read references/twitterapi-io.md.

Why TwitterAPI.io?

	X API Official	TwitterAPI.io
Cost	$100+/mo (Basic plan)	~$0.15/1k tweets (pay-per-use)
Setup	Developer Portal application	Just an API key
Rate limit	10 req/15min	200 QPS
Archive	7 days (recent)	Full archive

Setup

1. Get a TwitterAPI.io key from twitterapi.io

2. Set the env var:

export TWITTERAPI_KEY="your-key-here"

Or add to your .env file.

3. Node.js 18+ required (for native fetch). No npm install needed — zero dependencies.

CLI Tool

All commands run from the scripts directory:

cd <skill-dir>/scripts

Search

npx tsx x-search.ts search "<query>" [options]

Options:

• --sort likes|retweets|impressions|recent — sort order (default: likes)
• --since 1h|3h|12h|1d|7d — time filter
• --min-likes N — filter minimum likes
• --min-impressions N — filter minimum views
• --pages N — pages to fetch, 1-5 (default: 1)
• --limit N — max results to display (default: 15)
• --quick — fast mode: 1 page, max 10 results, noise filter, 1hr cache
• --from <username> — shorthand for from:username in query
• --quality — filter low-engagement tweets (≥10 likes)
• --no-replies — exclude replies
• --save — save results to file
• --type Top|Latest — search mode (default: Latest; Top returns algorithmic ranking)
• --json — raw JSON output
• --markdown — markdown formatted output

Auto-adds -is:retweet unless query already includes it. Cost estimate shown after each search.

Examples:

npx tsx x-search.ts search "AI agents Base chain" --sort likes --limit 10
npx tsx x-search.ts search "BNKR" --quick
npx tsx x-search.ts search "from:frankdegods" --sort recent
npx tsx x-search.ts search "(opus OR claude) trading" --pages 2 --save
npx tsx x-search.ts search "$SOL memecoin" --min-likes 50 --since 1d

Search operators (passed through to X):

Operator	Example	Notes
keyword	bun 2.0	Implicit AND
OR	bun OR deno	Must be uppercase
-	-is:retweet	Negation
()	(fast OR perf)	Grouping
from:	from:elonmusk	Posts by user
to:	to:elonmusk	Replies to user
#	#buildinpublic	Hashtag
$	$AAPL	Cashtag
lang:	lang:en	Language filter
is:retweet	-is:retweet	Filter retweets
is:reply	-is:reply	Filter replies
has:media	has:media	Contains media
has:links	has:links	Contains links
min_faves:	min_faves:100	Min likes (native)

Profile

npx tsx x-search.ts profile <username> [--count N] [--replies] [--json]

Fetches user info and recent tweets. Excludes replies by default.

Single Tweet

npx tsx x-search.ts tweet <tweet_id> [--json]

Thread

npx tsx x-search.ts thread <tweet_id>

Fetches root tweet, author thread continuations, and replies in chronological order.

Replies

npx tsx x-search.ts replies <tweet_id> [--sort likes|recent] [--limit N]

Get replies to a specific tweet, sorted by engagement.

Quote Tweets

npx tsx x-search.ts quotes <tweet_id> [--sort likes|recent] [--limit N]

See who quoted a tweet and what they said.

Mentions

npx tsx x-search.ts mentions <username> [--since 1d|7d] [--sort recent|likes] [--limit N]

Get tweets that mention a user. Great for tracking what people are saying about someone.

Followers / Following

npx tsx x-search.ts followers <username> [--limit N]
npx tsx x-search.ts following <username> [--limit N]

List a user's followers or who they follow. Shows name, follower count, and bio snippet.

Search Users

npx tsx x-search.ts users "<query>" [--limit N]

Search for user accounts by keyword.

Trending

npx tsx x-search.ts trending [--woeid N] [--count N]

Get trending topics. Default: worldwide (woeid=1). Common WOEIDs: US=23424977, UK=23424975, Italy=23424853.

Community

npx tsx x-search.ts community <id>           # Community info
npx tsx x-search.ts community tweets <id>    # Community tweets

Research X Communities by ID.

Watchlist

npx tsx x-search.ts watchlist                       # Show all
npx tsx x-search.ts watchlist add <user> [note]     # Add account
npx tsx x-search.ts watchlist remove <user>          # Remove account
npx tsx x-search.ts watchlist check                  # Check recent from all

Watchlist stored in data/watchlist.json. Use for periodic monitoring — check if key accounts posted anything notable.

Cache

npx tsx x-search.ts cache clear    # Clear all cached results

Default 15-minute TTL. Quick mode uses 1-hour TTL. Avoids repeat API charges.

Research Loop (Agentic)

When doing deep research (not just a quick search), follow this loop:

1. Decompose the Question into Queries

Turn the research question into 3-5 keyword queries:

• Core query: Direct keywords for the topic
• Expert voices: from: specific known experts
• Pain points: Keywords like (broken OR bug OR issue)
• Positive signal: Keywords like (shipped OR love OR fast)
• Links: has:links for resource-rich tweets
• Crypto spam: Add -airdrop -giveaway -whitelist if needed

2. Search and Extract

Run each query via CLI. After each, assess:

• Signal or noise? Adjust operators.
• Key voices worth searching from: specifically?
• Threads worth following via thread command?

3. Follow Threads

When a tweet has high engagement or is a thread starter:

npx tsx x-search.ts thread <tweet_id>

4. Synthesize

Group findings by theme, not by query:

### [Theme/Finding Title]

[1-2 sentence summary]

- @username: "[key quote]" (♥ N, 👁 N) [Tweet](url)
- @username2: "[another perspective]" (♥ N, 👁 N) [Tweet](url)

5. Save

Use --save flag or --markdown for research docs.

Refinement Heuristics

• Too much noise? Add --no-replies, use --sort likes, narrow keywords
• Too few results? Broaden with OR, remove restrictive operators
• Crypto spam? Add -airdrop -giveaway -whitelist to query
• Expert takes only? Use from: or --min-likes 50
• Substance over hot takes? Search with has:links

Heartbeat Integration

On heartbeat, run watchlist check to see if key accounts posted anything notable. Flag only if genuinely interesting/actionable.

Cost

TwitterAPI.io pay-per-use pricing:

• ~$0.15 per 1,000 tweets fetched
• ~$0.18 per profile lookup
• Cost estimate shown after each command
• Cache prevents redundant charges

File Structure

skills/x-research/
├── SKILL.md                # This file
├── package.json            # Zero dependencies
├── scripts/
│   ├── x-search.ts         # CLI entry point
│   └── lib/
│       ├── api.ts          # TwitterAPI.io wrapper
│       ├── cache.ts        # File-based cache (15min/1hr TTL)
│       └── format.ts       # Terminal + markdown formatters
├── data/
│   ├── watchlist.json      # Accounts to monitor
│   └── cache/              # Auto-managed
└── references/
    └── twitterapi-io.md    # API endpoint reference

Requirements

• Node.js 18+ (for native fetch)
• A TwitterAPI.io API key
• No npm install needed — zero dependencies