Deep research

Deep Research (No External API)

Purpose

Run structured, multi-step research with evidence-first synthesis.

This skill is designed to work without Google/Gemini API or any paid provider setup.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Performing market analysis
• Conducting competitive landscaping
• Building literature or source reviews
• Doing technical due diligence
• Preparing decision memos with citations

Requirements

• Access to built-in web research tools (WebSearch, WebFetch)
• Clear research question and scope

No external API key is required.

Progress Tracking

Display a progress gauge at each research phase:

[████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 20% — Phase 1/5: Defining Objective & Scope
[████████░░░░░░░░░░░░] 40% — Phase 2/5: Collecting Sources
[████████████░░░░░░░░] 60% — Phase 3/5: Deep Analysis & Synthesis
[████████████████░░░░] 80% — Phase 4/5: Drafting Output
[████████████████████] 100% — Phase 5/5: Quality Review & Citations

Workflow

Research Protocol

1. Define objective and output format

• Clarify the research question, audience, and success criteria.
• Confirm time horizon (e.g., last 12 months, last 5 years).

2. Build search strategy

• Create 5-10 query variants (broad, narrow, comparative, opposing views).
• Prefer primary sources first (official docs, papers, regulatory pages, vendor docs).

Parallel Query Execution

Do NOT run searches sequentially. Launch one ResearchScout agent per query variant simultaneously in a single block.

Agent	Query Type
ResearchScout-Broad	Wide-scope 2–3 keyword query
ResearchScout-Narrow	Specific 5+ keyword query
ResearchScout-Comparative	"X vs Y" or "comparison of" framing
ResearchScout-Opposing	Contrarian or critical viewpoints
ResearchScout-Primary	Official docs, papers, government sources
ResearchScout-Recent	Date-filtered to last 12 months

Each agent prompt begins with:

# ResearchScout — Targeted Web Research Agent
Role: Execute a single search query using WebSearch/WebFetch, collect top results with URLs and key findings, return structured results.

Wait for all ResearchScout agents to complete. Deduplicate results by URL. Then proceed to synthesis/triangulation phase.

3. Collect sources with traceability

• Capture URL, title, date, publisher, and relevance notes.
• Track contradictions and unresolved claims explicitly.

4. Validate and triangulate

• Cross-check key claims with at least 2 independent credible sources.
• Flag weak evidence and avoid overconfident conclusions.

5. Synthesize output

• Produce concise findings with direct citations.
• Separate facts, inferences, and recommendations.

Output Formats

Choose one based on request:

1) Executive Brief

• Objective
• Top findings (5-10)
• Risks / unknowns
• Recommendations
• Sources

2) Comparative Analysis

• Criteria matrix
• Option-by-option strengths/weaknesses
• Trade-offs
• Recommendation + rationale
• Sources

3) Research Log

• Queries used
• Source inventory
• Evidence quality notes
• Open questions
• Next research steps

Quality Bar

• Evidence before conclusions
• Date-aware and source-aware claims
• Contradictions surfaced, not hidden
• No uncited critical claims

Time & Cost

• Time: usually 5-20 minutes depending on scope
• Cost: no external API cost for this skill

Safety

• Never fabricate sources or citations.
• If evidence is insufficient, state it clearly.
• Distinguish confirmed facts from inference.

Critical Rules

• Always include citations for material claims.
• Always separate facts from interpretations and recommendations.
• Always mark uncertainty explicitly when evidence is weak or conflicting.

Error Handling

Error	Likely Cause	Action
WebSearch returns no results	Query too specific, misspelled, or topic very niche	Broaden query, try alternate phrasing, report low-coverage finding
WebFetch times out or blocked	Site is down, bot-blocking, or paywalled	Skip that source, note it as inaccessible, continue with other sources
Insufficient sources found	Topic has limited public information	Report coverage gaps; recommend user provide domain-specific sources
Conflicting information across sources	Different sources cite different facts	Flag the conflict explicitly; present both sides with sources
Query too broad	Research question covers too many sub-topics	Ask user to narrow the scope or prioritize specific dimensions
Paywalled content	Article requires subscription	Note the source as paywalled; use abstract/preview if available

Example Usage

1. "Use deep-research to compare 3 vector databases for enterprise use."
2. "Use deep-research to summarize regulatory updates from the last 12 months."
3. "Use deep-research to produce a source-backed buy-vs-build memo."