Web Research Skill

This skill provides a structured approach to conducting comprehensive web research using the

task

tool to spawn research subagents. It emphasizes planning, efficient delegation, and systematic synthesis of findings.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

Research complex topics requiring multiple information sources
Gather and synthesize current information from the web
Conduct comparative analysis across multiple subjects
Produce well-sourced research reports with clear citations

Research Process

Step 1: Create and Save Research Plan

Before delegating to subagents, you MUST:

Create a research folder - Organize all research files in a dedicated folder relative to the current working directory:
```
mkdir research_[topic_name]
```
This keeps files organized and prevents clutter in the working directory.
Analyze the research question - Break it down into distinct, non-overlapping subtopics
Write a research plan file - Use the
```
write_file
```
tool to create
```
research_[topic_name]/research_plan.md
```
containing:
- The main research question
- 2-5 specific subtopics to investigate
- Expected information from each subtopic
- How results will be synthesized

Planning Guidelines:

Simple fact-finding: 1-2 subtopics
Comparative analysis: 1 subtopic per comparison element (max 3)
Complex investigations: 3-5 subtopics

Step 2: Delegate to Research Subagents

For each subtopic in your plan:

Use the
task
tool to spawn a research subagent with:
- Clear, specific research question (no acronyms)
- Instructions to write findings to a file:
```
research_[topic_name]/findings_[subtopic].md
```
- Budget: 3-5 web searches maximum
Run up to 3 subagents in parallel for efficient research

Subagent Instructions Template:

Research [SPECIFIC TOPIC]. Use the web_search tool to gather information.
After completing your research, use write_file to save your findings to research_[topic_name]/findings_[subtopic].md.
Include key facts, relevant quotes, and source URLs.
Use 3-5 web searches maximum.

Step 3: Synthesize Findings

After all subagents complete:

Review the findings files that were saved locally:
- First run
```
list_files research_[topic_name]
```
  to see what files were created
- Then use
```
read_file
```
  with the file paths (e.g.,
```
research_[topic_name]/findings_*.md
```
  )
- Important: Use
```
read_file
```
  for LOCAL files only, not URLs
Synthesize the information - Create a comprehensive response that:
- Directly answers the original question
- Integrates insights from all subtopics
- Cites specific sources with URLs (from the findings files)
- Identifies any gaps or limitations
Write final report (optional) - Use
```
write_file
```
to create
```
research_[topic_name]/research_report.md
```
if requested

Note: If you need to fetch additional information from URLs, use the

fetch_url

tool, not

read_file

Available Tools

You have access to:

write_file: Save research plans and findings to local files
read_file: Read local files (e.g., findings saved by subagents)
list_files: See what local files exist in a directory
fetch_url: Fetch content from URLs and convert to markdown (use this for web pages, not read_file)
task: Spawn research subagents with web_search access

Research Subagent Configuration

Each subagent you spawn will have access to:

web_search: Search the web using Tavily (parameters: query, max_results, topic, include_raw_content)
write_file: Save their findings to the filesystem

Best Practices

Plan before delegating - Always write research_plan.md first
Clear subtopics - Ensure each subagent has distinct, non-overlapping scope
File-based communication - Have subagents save findings to files, not return them directly
Systematic synthesis - Read all findings files before creating final response
Stop appropriately - Don't over-research; 3-5 searches per subtopic is usually sufficient

web-research

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content