Deep Research (Firecrawl)

Purpose

Tooling requirements

• Use Firecrawl MCP for web retrieval:

  • firecrawl:firecrawl_search

    for discovery

  • firecrawl:firecrawl_scrape

    for page extraction

  • firecrawl:firecrawl_map

    for URL discovery on known domains

  • firecrawl:firecrawl_crawl

    for controlled multi-page capture

  • firecrawl:firecrawl_agent

    for autonomous broad collection when scope is unclear
• Prefer parallel retrieval whenever tasks are independent.
• Hard-stop policy: if Firecrawl MCP is unavailable, pause and ask the user to re-enable it. Do not switch to other web retrieval tools.

When to use

• Simple one-off lookups
• Debugging or code-only tasks
• Questions answerable with 1-2 sources

Mode selection

standard

quick

standard

deep

ultradeep

Execution workflow

1) Scope

• Restate the research question.
• Capture explicit constraints (time window, geography, sector, audience).
• Define assumptions only when missing.

2) Retrieval plan

• Break the topic into 5-10 search angles.
• Include opposing viewpoints and recent developments.
• Mark which angles need domain deep-dives.

3) Retrieve with Firecrawl

• Run parallel

  firecrawl:firecrawl_search

  queries for all angles.
• Scrape top results with

  firecrawl:firecrawl_scrape

  for primary evidence.
• For known high-value sites:
  • discover URLs via

    firecrawl:firecrawl_map

  • crawl key paths with bounded

    firecrawl:firecrawl_crawl

    limits
• Use

  firecrawl:firecrawl_agent

  when the topic is open-ended or highly fragmented.

4) Triangulate

• Verify important claims across at least 3 independent sources.
• Prefer primary sources over commentary when possible.
• Flag conflicts and unresolved uncertainty.

5) Synthesize

• Separate facts from interpretation.
• Explain what is known, what is likely, and what is uncertain.
• Include alternative explanations for contested topics.

6) Critique and refine (required for

deep

/

ultradeep

)

• Stress-test weak claims.
• Check for recency bias and survivorship bias.
• Add missing counterevidence.

7) Package output

templates/report_template.md

• Executive Summary
• Method and Scope
• Key Findings
• Counterevidence and Risks
• Recommendations
• Bibliography

Citation and quality rules

• Every major factual claim must include a citation marker like

  [1]

  .
• Bibliography entries must map one-to-one with cited markers.
• If evidence is weak or contradictory, say so explicitly.
• Never invent citations.

Stop conditions

• Required Firecrawl MCP tools are unavailable (hard-stop policy).
• Source count stays below minimum for the selected mode after broad retrieval attempts.
• Core claims cannot be verified from reliable sources.

Progressive disclosure

• Method details:

  reference/methodology.md

• Output template:

  templates/report_template.md

Quick invocation examples

• "Use

  deep-research-firecrawl

  in

  quick

  mode on edge AI chip trends in 2025."
• "Run

  deep-research-firecrawl

  in

  deep

  mode comparing Auth0, Clerk, and Supabase Auth."
• "Use

  deep-research-firecrawl

  in

  ultradeep

  mode for US longevity biotech funding and risks."