/research

research.md

MCP Tools (use if available)

• kb_search(query, n_results)

  — search knowledge base for related docs

• web_search(query, engines, include_raw_content)

  — web search with engine routing

• session_search(query, project)

  — find how similar research was done before

• project_info(name)

  — check project details and stacks

• codegraph_explain(project)

  — architecture overview of an existing project (stack, patterns, deps)

• codegraph_query(query)

  — raw Cypher queries against code graph (find shared packages, dependencies)

• project_code_search(query, project)

  — semantic search over project source code

web_search

engines="reddit"

engines="youtube"

Reddit Search Best Practices

• Max 3 keywords in reddit queries — more keywords = fewer results
• Good:

  "product hunt outreach launch"

  — Bad:

  "product hunt scraper maker profiles linkedin outreach launch strategy"

• include_raw_content=true

  rarely works for Reddit — use fallback chain below

Reddit Content Access — Fallback Chain

1. MCP Playwright (old.reddit.com)     ← BEST: bypasses CAPTCHA, full post + comments
2. PullPush API (api.pullpush.io)      ← search by query/subreddit/author/score/date
3. MCP web_search include_raw_content   ← sometimes works, often truncated
4. WebFetch / WebSearch snippets        ← last resort, partial data only

• Use

  browser_navigate("https://old.reddit.com/r/...")

  — old.reddit.com loads without CAPTCHA

• www.reddit.com

  shows CAPTCHA ("Prove your humanity"), always use

  old.reddit.com

• Snapshot contains full post text + comments in structured YAML
• Example:

  old.reddit.com/r/indiehackers/comments/abc123/post_title/

• Endpoint:

  https://api.pullpush.io/reddit/submission/search

• Params:

  q

  ,

  subreddit

  ,

  author

  ,

  score

  (e.g.

  >10,<100

  ),

  since

  /

  until

  (unix timestamps),

  size

  (max 100)
• Rate limits: soft 15 req/min, hard 30 req/min, 1000 req/hr. Sleep 4 sec between requests.
• Returns JSON with full

  selftext

  , author, score, created_utc
• Comment search:

  /reddit/comment/search

  (same params)
• Can use via curl:

curl -s "https://api.pullpush.io/reddit/submission/search?q=product+hunt+launch&subreddit=indiehackers&size=10"

• Append

  .json

  to any Reddit URL:

  reddit.com/r/sub/comments/id.json

• Returns raw JSON with full post + comments
• Frequently blocked (403/429) — use as opportunistic fallback only

• praw-dev/praw — Python Reddit API Wrapper
• OAuth2 auth, built-in rate limiting, sync/async support
• Best for: live subreddit search, user profiles, comment trees

• pip install praw

  /

  uv add praw

Search Strategy: Hybrid (MCP + WebSearch)

site:producthunt.com

site:g2.com

web_search

engines: reddit

web_search

engines: youtube

web_search

include_raw_content

site:news.ycombinator.com

site:crunchbase.com

trustmrr.com/startup/<slug>

Search Availability

web_search

Steps

1. Parse the idea from

   $ARGUMENTS

   . If empty, ask the user what idea they want to research.
2. Detect product type — infer from the idea description:
   • Keywords like "app", "mobile", "iPhone", "Android" → mobile (ios/android)
   • Keywords like "website", "SaaS", "dashboard", "web app" → web
   • Keywords like "CLI", "terminal", "command line" → cli
   • Keywords like "API", "backend", "service" → api
   • Keywords like "extension", "plugin", "browser" → web (extension)
   • Default if unclear → web
   • Only ask via AskUserQuestion if truly ambiguous (e.g., "build a todo app" could be web or mobile)
   • This determines which research sections apply (ASO for mobile, SEO for web, etc.)
3. Search knowledge base and past work:
   • If MCP

     kb_search

     available:

     kb_search(query="<idea keywords>", n_results=5)

   • If MCP

     session_search

     available:

     session_search(query="<idea keywords>")

     — check if this idea was researched before
   • Otherwise: Grep for keywords in

     .md

     files
   • Check if

     research.md

     or

     prd.md

     already exist for this idea.
4. Check existing portfolio (if MCP codegraph tools available):

   • codegraph_explain(project="<similar project>")

     — architecture overview of related projects in the portfolio

   • project_code_search(query="<relevant pattern>", project="<sibling>")

     — find reusable code, patterns, infrastructure

   • codegraph_query("MATCH (p:Project)-[:DEPENDS_ON]->(pkg:Package) WHERE pkg.name CONTAINS '<relevant tech>' RETURN p.name, pkg.name")

     — find projects using similar tech
   • This helps assess: feasibility, reusable code, stack decisions, and time estimates
   • If no MCP tools available, skip this step.
5. Competitive analysis — use WebSearch (primary) + MCP web_search (if available):

   • "<idea> competitors alternatives 2026"

     — broad discovery

   • "<idea> app review pricing"

     — pricing data
   • WebFetch or MCP

     include_raw_content=true

     : scrape competitor URLs for detailed pricing
   • MCP

     engines: reddit

     or WebSearch:

     "<idea> vs"

     — user opinions

   • "site:producthunt.com <idea>"

     — Product Hunt launches

   • "site:g2.com <idea>"

     or

     "site:capterra.com <idea>"

     — B2B reviews

   • "site:crunchbase.com <competitor>"

     — funding, team size

   • "site:trustmrr.com <idea>"

     or WebFetch

     trustmrr.com/startup/<slug>

     — Stripe-verified MRR, growth %, tech stack, traffic (24h/7d/30d)
   • For each competitor extract: name, URL, pricing, key features, weaknesses, verified MRR (if on TrustMRR)
6. User pain points — use MCP web_search / WebSearch + YouTube:
   • MCP

     engines: reddit

     or WebSearch:

     "<problem>"

     — Reddit discussions (max 3 keywords!)
   • If Reddit post found but content not available → open via MCP Playwright:

     browser_navigate("https://old.reddit.com/r/...")

     — old.reddit.com bypasses CAPTCHA
   • MCP

     engines: youtube

     or WebSearch:

     "<problem> review"

     — video reviews

   • "site:news.ycombinator.com <problem>"

     — Hacker News opinions
   • WebSearch:

     "<problem> frustrating OR annoying"

     — broader sweep
   • Synthesis: top 5 pain points with quotes and source URLs
7. SEO / ASO analysis (depends on product type from step 2):
   For web apps:

   • "<competitor> SEO keywords ranking"

     — competitor keywords

   • "<problem domain> search volume trends 2026"

     — demand signals
   • WebFetch or MCP

     include_raw_content

     : scrape competitor pages for meta tags
   • Result: keyword table (keyword, intent, competition, relevance)
   For mobile apps:

   • "<category> App Store top apps keywords 2026"

     — category landscape

   • "site:reddit.com <competitor app> review"

     — user complaints
   • Result: ASO keywords, competitor ratings, common complaints
8. Naming, domains, and company registration:
   • Generate 7-10 name candidates (mix of descriptive + invented/brandable)
   • Domain availability: triple verification (whois → dig → RDAP)
   • Trademark + company name conflict checks
   See

   references/domain-check.md

   (bundled with this skill) for TLD priority tiers, bash scripts, gotchas, and trademark check methods.
9. Market sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM) — use WebSearch (primary):
   • WebSearch:

     "<market> market size 2025 2026 report"

     — synthesizes numbers
   • WebSearch:

     "<market> growth rate CAGR billion"

     — growth projections
   • Extrapolation: TAM → SAM → SOM (Year 1)
10. Write

    research.md

    — write to

    docs/research.md

    in the current project directory. Create the directory if needed.
11. Output summary:
    • Key findings (3-5 bullets)
    • Recommendation: GO / NO-GO / PIVOT with brief reasoning
    • Path to generated research.md
    • Suggested next step:

      /validate <idea>

research.md Format

references/research-template.md

Notes

• Always use kebab-case for project directory names
• If research.md already exists, ask before overwriting
• Run search queries in parallel when independent

Common Issues

MCP web_search not available

Domain check returns wrong results

.app

.dev

research.md already exists

Proactive Search Practices

Reddit Deep Dive

1. MCP web_search or WebSearch — use for discovery (max 3 keywords for Reddit), get post URLs
2. MCP Playwright — open

   old.reddit.com

   URLs to read full post + comments (bypasses CAPTCHA)
3. Extract quotes — copy key phrases with attribution (u/username, subreddit, date)
4. Cross-post detection — same post in multiple subreddits = higher signal

Product Hunt Research

1. producthunt.com/visit-streaks — streak leaderboard (scrapeable via Playwright)
2. producthunt.com/@username — profile with social links, maker history, points
3. PH API v2 is broken — redacts usernames/Twitter since Feb 2023, use scraping
4. Apify actors — check for DEPRECATED status before relying on them (mass deprecation Sep 2025)

TrustMRR Revenue Validation

1. trustmrr.com/startup/<slug>

   — Stripe-verified MRR, growth %, subscriptions, traffic
2. WebFetch works — no auth needed, returns full page with JSON-LD structured data
3. Data fields: MRR, all-time revenue, last 30 days, active subs, tech stack, traffic (24h/7d/30d), category, founder X handle
4. Use for: competitor revenue validation, market sizing with real data, tech stack discovery
5. Search:

   "site:trustmrr.com <category or idea>"

   to find similar startups with verified revenue
6. Apify scrapers: TrustMRR Scraper for bulk extraction

GitHub Library Discovery

1. MCP

   engines: github

   — often returns empty, use WebSearch as primary
2. github.com/topics/<keyword> — browse topic pages via Playwright or WebFetch
3. Check stars, last update, open issues — avoid abandoned repos

Blocked Content Fallback Chain

MCP Playwright (best) → PullPush API (Reddit) → WebFetch → WebSearch snippets → MCP web_search include_raw_content

1. Reddit: MCP Playwright →

   old.reddit.com

   (always works, no CAPTCHA)
2. Reddit search: PullPush API

   api.pullpush.io

   (structured JSON, full selftext)
3. Product Hunt / other sites: MCP Playwright

   browser_navigate

   (no captcha on most sites)
4. General: WebSearch snippets + WebSearch synthesis