/deep-research

name: deep-research
description: Conduct enterprise-grade research with multi-source synthesis, citation tracking, and verification. Use when user needs comprehensive analysis requiring 10+ sources, verified claims, or comparison of approaches. Triggers include "deep research", "comprehensive analysis", "research report", "compare X vs Y", or "analyze trends". Do NOT use for simple lookups, debugging, or questions answerable with 1-2 searches.

Deep Research

<!-- STATIC CONTEXT BLOCK START - Optimized for prompt caching --> <!-- All static instructions, methodology, and templates below this line --> <!-- Dynamic content (user queries, results) added after this block -->

Core System Instructions

**Purpose:** Deliver citation-backed, verified research reports through 8-phase pipeline (Scope → Plan → Retrieve → Triangulate → Synthesize → Critique → Refine → Package) with source credibility scoring and progressive context management.

**Context Strategy:** This skill uses 2025 context engineering best practices:

• Static instructions cached (this section)
• Progressive disclosure (load references only when needed)
• Avoid "loss in the middle" (critical info at start/end, not buried)
• Explicit section markers for context navigation

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Decision Tree (Execute First)

Request Analysis
├─ Simple lookup? → STOP: Use WebSearch, not this skill
├─ Debugging? → STOP: Use standard tools, not this skill
└─ Complex analysis needed? → CONTINUE

Mode Selection
├─ Initial exploration? → quick (3 phases, 2-5 min)
├─ Standard research? → standard (6 phases, 5-10 min) [DEFAULT]
├─ Critical decision? → deep (8 phases, 10-20 min)
└─ Comprehensive review? → ultradeep (8+ phases, 20-45 min)

Execution Loop (per phase)
├─ Load phase instructions from [methodology](./reference/methodology.md#phase-N)
├─ Execute phase tasks
├─ Spawn parallel agents if applicable
└─ Update progress

Validation Gate
├─ Run `python scripts/validate_report.py --report [path]`
├─ Pass? → Deliver
└─ Fail? → Fix (max 2 attempts) → Still fails? → Escalate

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Workflow (Clarify → Plan → Act → Verify → Report)

**AUTONOMY PRINCIPLE:** This skill operates independently. Infer assumptions from query context. Only stop for critical errors or incomprehensible queries.

1. Clarify (Rarely Needed - Prefer Autonomy)

**DEFAULT: Proceed autonomously. Derive assumptions from query signals.**

**ONLY ask if CRITICALLY ambiguous:**

• Query is incomprehensible (e.g., "research the thing")
• Contradictory requirements (e.g., "quick 50-source ultradeep analysis")

**When in doubt: PROCEED with standard mode. User will redirect if incorrect.**

**Default assumptions:**

• Technical query → Assume technical audience
• Comparison query → Assume balanced perspective needed
• Trend query → Assume recent 1-2 years unless specified
• Standard mode is default for most queries

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2. Plan

**Mode selection criteria:**

• **Quick** (2-5 min): Exploration, broad overview, time-sensitive
• **Standard** (5-10 min): Most use cases, balanced depth/speed [DEFAULT]
• **Deep** (10-20 min): Important decisions, need thorough verification
• **UltraDeep** (20-45 min): Critical analysis, maximum rigor

**Announce plan and execute:**

• Briefly state: selected mode, estimated time, number of sources
• Example: "Starting standard mode research (5-10 min, 15-30 sources)"
• Proceed without waiting for approval

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3. Act (Phase Execution)

**All modes execute:**

• Phase 1: SCOPE - Define boundaries ([method](./reference/methodology.md#phase-1-scope))
• Phase 3: RETRIEVE - Parallel search execution (5-10 concurrent searches + agents) ([method](./reference/methodology.md#phase-3-retrieve---parallel-information-gathering))
• Phase 8: PACKAGE - Generate report using [template](./templates/report_template.md)

**Standard/Deep/UltraDeep execute:**

• Phase 2: PLAN - Strategy formulation
• Phase 4: TRIANGULATE - Verify 3+ sources per claim
• Phase 4.5: OUTLINE REFINEMENT - Adapt structure based on evidence (WebWeaver 2025) ([method](./reference/methodology.md#phase-45-outline-refinement---dynamic-evolution-webweaver-2025))
• Phase 5: SYNTHESIZE - Generate novel insights

**Deep/UltraDeep execute:**

• Phase 6: CRITIQUE - Red-team analysis
• Phase 7: REFINE - Address gaps

**Critical: Avoid "Loss in the Middle"**

• Place key findings at START and END of sections, not buried
• Use explicit headers and markers
• Structure: Summary → Details → Conclusion (not Details sandwiched)

**Progressive Context Loading:**

• Load [methodology](./reference/methodology.md) sections on-demand
• Load [template](./templates/report_template.md) only for Phase 8
• Do not inline everything - reference external files

**Anti-Hallucination Protocol (CRITICAL):**

• **Source grounding**: Every factual claim MUST cite a specific source immediately [N]
• **Clear boundaries**: Distinguish between FACTS (from sources) and SYNTHESIS (your analysis)
• **Explicit markers**: Use "According to [1]..." or "[1] reports..." for source-grounded statements
• **No speculation without labeling**: Mark inferences as "This suggests..." not "Research shows..."
• **Verify before citing**: If unsure whether source actually says X, do NOT fabricate citation
• **When uncertain**: Say "No sources found for X" rather than inventing references

**Parallel Execution Requirements (CRITICAL for Speed):**

**Phase 3 RETRIEVE - Mandatory Parallel Search:** 1. **Decompose query** into 5-10 independent search angles before ANY searches 2. **Launch ALL searches in single message** with multiple tool calls (NOT sequential) 3. **Quality threshold monitoring** for FFS pattern:

• Track source count and avg credibility score
• Proceed when threshold reached (mode-specific, see methodology)
• Continue background searches for additional depth

4. **Spawn 3-5 parallel agents** using Task tool for deep-dive investigations

**Example correct execution:**

[Single message with 8+ parallel tool calls]
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