/active-research

name: active-research
description: Deep research and analysis tool. Generates comprehensive HTML reports on any topic, domain, paper, or technology. Enhanced with advanced browser automation — SPA handling, network idle wait, batch operations, stealth browsing, and intelligent page analysis. Use when user asks to research, analyze, investigate, deep-dive, or generate a report on any subject.
exclude_tools: group:web
triggers: research, deep-dive, investigate, analyze topic, deep research, generate report
force_tool_turns: 10

Active Research

Analyze any topic, domain, or paper and generate a beautiful HTML report using **Actionbook Browser** — featuring SPA-aware navigation, network idle detection, batch operations, and intelligent page analysis.

Enhanced Browser Capabilities

| Capability | Description | |------------|-------------| | Page load wait | `wait-idle` — monitors fetch/XHR until network settles | | SPA content | `wait-fn` — wait for JS conditions before extracting | | Page understanding | `snapshot --filter interactive --max-tokens N` — focused, budget-friendly | | Popups blocking | `--auto-dismiss-dialogs` — auto-handle alert/confirm/prompt | | Load speed | `--block-images` — skip images for faster text extraction | | Page stability | `--no-animations` — freeze CSS transitions | | Error detection | `console --level error` — check for page issues | | Multi-step forms | `batch` — execute multiple actions in one call | | Element debugging | `info <selector>` — inspect visibility, position, properties | | Change tracking | `snapshot --diff` — only see what changed | | Anti-detection | `--stealth` + `fingerprint rotate` for protected sites | | Auth management | `storage set` — inject JWT/tokens for gated content | | One-shot fetch | `browser fetch <url>` — navigate+wait+extract+close in one command | | Static page speed | `--lite` — HTTP-first, browser fallback only if needed | | Anti-scrape URLs | `--rewrite-urls` — x.com→xcancel.com, reddit→old.reddit | | Wait tuning | `--wait-hint` — domain-aware wait (fast/normal/slow/heavy) | | Log correlation | `--session-tag` — tag all operations for debugging |

Usage

/active-research <topic>
/active-research <topic> --output ./reports/my-report.json

Or simply tell Claude: "Research XXX and generate a report"

Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Default | Description | |-----------|----------|---------|-------------| | `topic` | Yes | - | The subject to research (any text) | | `--output` | No | `./output/<topic-slug>.json` | Output path for JSON report |

Topic Detection

| Pattern | Type | Strategy | |---------|------|----------| | `arxiv:XXXX.XXXXX` | Paper | **arXiv Advanced Search** + ar5iv deep read | | `doi:10.XXX/...` | Paper | Resolve DOI, then **arXiv Advanced Search** for related work | | Academic keywords (paper, research, model, algorithm) | Academic topic | **arXiv Advanced Search** + Google for non-academic sources | | URL | Specific page | Fetch and analyze the page | | General text | Topic research | Google search + arXiv Advanced Search if relevant |

Architecture

┌──────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────┐
│  Claude   │────▶│  Actionbook  │────▶│  Web Pages   │────▶│ Extract  │
│  Code     │     │   Browser    │     │  (multiple)  │     │ Content  │
└──────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └─────┬────┘
      │           │ wait-idle    │     │ SPA / dynamic │           │
      │           │ batch ops    │     │ protected     │           │
      │           │ --stealth    │     │ mobile-only   │           │
      │           │ snapshot     │     └───────────────┘           │
      │           └──────────────┘                                 │
      │          ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐            │
      ├─────────▶│  Actionbook  │     │ arXiv Adv.   │            │
      │          │  search/get  │────▶│ Search Form  │───────────▶│
      │          │  (selectors) │     │ (40+ fields) │            │
      │          └──────────────┘     └──────────────┘            │
      │                                                            │
┌──────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐            │
│  Open in │◀────│   json-ui    │◀────│  Write JSON  │◀───────────┘
│  Browser │     │   render     │     │  Report      │  Synthesize
└──────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────────┘

MUST USE Actionbook CLI

**Always use `actionbook browser` commands for web browsing. NEVER use any other method to access the web:**

• **NEVER** use `curl`, `wget`, `httpie`, or any HTTP CLI tool via bash
• **NEVER** use `python -c "import requests"` or any scripting-language HTTP library via bash
• **NEVER** use WebFetch or WebSearch tools
• **ONLY** use `actionbook browser` and `actionbook search`/`actionbook get` commands

If you need web content, the PREFERRED path is: `actionbook browser fetch <url> --format text --json` (one-shot). For interactive multi-step workflows, use: `actionbook browser open <url>` → `actionbook browser wait-idle` → `actionbook browser text`.

Browser Flags — Research Defaults

**CRITICAL: Always use these flags when opening the browser for research.**

# PREFERRED: One-shot fetch (I1) — handles open+wait+extract+close automatically
actionbook --block-images --rewrite-urls browser fetch "<url>" --format text --json

# For interactive multi-step workflows, use explicit open:
actionbook --block-images --auto-dismiss-dialogs --no-animations --rewrite-urls browser open "<url>"

| Flag | Why | |------|-----| | `--block-images` | Skip image downloads — 2-5x faster page load for text extraction | | `--auto-dismiss-dialogs` | Prevent alert/confirm/prompt from blocking automation | | `--no-animations` | Freeze CSS animations — stable snapshots, no timing issues | | `--rewrite-urls` | Rewrite x.com→xcancel.com, reddit→old.reddit to avoid anti-bot blocking | | `--wait-hint <hint>` | Domain-aware wa