rapid-research

name	rapid-research
description	Lightweight research playbook optimized for the FF-Terminal agent. Keeps citation tracking, evidence grading, and summary drafting predictable even when multiple investigations run in parallel.
allowed-tools	read_file ddgs_search
metadata	{"legacy_slug":"rapid_research","legacy_summary":"Fast-turn desk research with cite-first synthesis.","legacy_version":"0.2.0","legacy_author":"ff-terminal-core","legacy_priority":"default","legacy_tags":"[\"research\",\"analysis\",\"writing\"]","legacy_triggers":"[\"research\",\"investigate\",\"summarize\",\"comparison\",\"briefing\"]","legacy_assets":"[\"templates/research_brief_template.md\",\"templates/source_log_template.md\"]","legacy_recommended_tools":"[\"read_file\",\"ddgs_search\"]"}

Rapid Research Loop

When not to use this skill

• Do not use when another skill is a better direct match for the task.
• Do not use when the request is outside this skill's scope.

When to use it

• The user needs a structured briefing, comparison table, FAQ, or short memo derived from multiple sources.
• The task explicitly says "research", "investigate", "summarize", or requests citations/links.
• Another agent already gathered raw notes and you must distill them.

Guardrails

1. Always collect at least three independent sources unless the user provided authoritative material.
2. Keep a running source log (see templates/source_log_template.md) before drafting a summary.
3. Mark uncertainty or missing data instead of fabricating details.
4. Prefer deterministic helper scripts for parsing (CSV/JSON) before reasoning about them.

Step-by-step workflow

1. Clarify the question – restate the core decision or comparison criteria in one paragraph.
2. Plan the evidence sprint – list the minimum facts you must confirm; group them by sub-question.
3. Collect evidence – for each fact, gather a citation with date, outlet, and a one-sentence pull quote.
4. Grade sources – label each entry with primary, secondary, or speculative.
5. Synthesize – transform the evidence table into:
   • a 3-bullet executive summary,
   • a risk/unknowns list,
   • and next-step recommendations.
6. Package output – use templates/research_brief_template.md as the outline and include the source log verbatim at the end.

Output template

## TL;DR (3 bullets)
- ...

## Key Findings
1. Finding + cite
2. ...

## Risks / Unknowns
- ...

## Next Best Actions
- ...

## Source Log
| Source | Date | Key Fact | Link | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

Web Search with ddgs

Use ddgs (DuckDuckGo) for free, no-API-key web search. Available as CLI:

ddgs text -q "search query" -m 5        # text search, 5 results
ddgs news -q "search query" -m 5         # news search
ddgs images -q "search query" -m 5       # image search

Example research workflow:

# Search for evidence
ddgs text -q "OpenAI GPT-5 release date" -m 3
ddgs text -q "Claude 4 release date" -m 3

# Extract key facts from results
# (results include title, href, body/snippet)

ddgs is pre-installed in the pi container runtime. Use bash to invoke it.