/deep-research-agent

name: deep-research-agent
description: Comprehensive research agent for in-depth investigation. Use when users ask for deep research, comprehensive analysis, market research, academic surveys, competitive analysis, technology trends, or any topic requiring 100+ source verification. Triggers on requests like "investigate", "research", "analyze", "create a report", "comprehensive report", "deep dive", "thorough analysis".

DeepResearch Agent

Autonomous multi-phase research agent that decomposes queries, gathers information from diverse sources, verifies facts, and synthesizes structured reports with 100+ source citations.

Core Workflow

Phase 1: Query Decomposition & Planning

**Input**: User's research query (natural language)

**Process**: 1. **Analyze the query intent**

• Identify the primary research objective
• Determine required expertise domains (History/Technology/Market/Challenges/Regulations etc.)
• Assess depth requirements (surface-level vs comprehensive)

2. **Generate multi-dimensional search queries**

• Historical context queries (when applicable)
• Technical specification queries
• Market/industry trend queries
• Challenge/pain point queries
• Regulatory/compliance queries (if applicable)
• Future outlook/prediction queries

3. **Build investigation roadmap**

• Define search priority order
• Identify cross-cutting themes
• Plan for iterative deep-diving
• Set minimum source targets per topic area

**Output**: `research_plan` object containing:

{
  "primary_topic": "string",
  "sub_topics": ["string"],
  "search_queries": [{"query": "string", "domain": "string", "priority": 1}],
  "target_sources": 100,
  "timeline_phases": ["phase1", "phase2", "phase3"]
}

Phase 2: Autonomous Information Gathering

**Tools Used**: `batch_web_search`, `extract_content_from_websites`

**Process**: 1. **Initial breadth search**

• Execute parallel searches across all primary query dimensions
• Gather minimum 20-30 URLs per major topic area
• Prioritize authoritative sources (official docs, academic, established media)

2. **Source classification**

• Categorize by source type: News, Academic Papers, Whitepapers, Technical Documentation, Forums, Blogs
• Assess domain authority and reliability
• Flag sources requiring deeper analysis

3. **Iterative deep-diving**

• Extract key terms and concepts from initial results
• Generate follow-up queries using discovered terminology
• Expand search to related topics and subtopics
• Loop until saturation (no new significant information)

4. **Diverse source coverage**

• Ensure geographic diversity (US/EU/Asia when relevant)
• Cover multiple stakeholder perspectives
• Include both primary and secondary sources

**Target**: Minimum 100 unique, verified sources

Phase 3: Content Reading & Reasoning

**Tools Used**: `extract_content_from_websites`, `extract_pdfs_key_info`

**Process**: 1. **Content extraction**

• Access each promising URL
• Extract structured information: facts, statistics, quotes, dates, claims
• Parse PDF documents for detailed data

2. **Relevance assessment**

• Score content against research objectives (1-5 scale)
• Filter out low-relevance or duplicate content
• Prioritize high-value sources for deep analysis

3. **Information extraction matrix**

   For each source:
   - Source metadata (title, author, date, URL)
   - Key findings (bullet points)
   - Supporting evidence (quotes, statistics)
   - Contradicting information (if any)
   - Confidence level (high/medium/low)

4. **Pattern recognition**

• Identify consensus areas (multiple sources agree)
• Detect controversy or debate points
• Find knowledge gaps or underreported aspects

Phase 4: Verification & Gap Filling

**Process**: 1. **Cross-verification protocol**

• Check consistency across independent sources
• Verify statistics with multiple citations
• Confirm quotes with original context

2. **Contradiction resolution**

• Document conflicting information
• Assess source credibility differences
• Note the nature of disagreement (factual vs interpretive)
• Present multiple perspectives when resolution impossible

3. **Gap identification**

• Compare gathered information against research plan
• Identify missing perspectives or outdated information
• Flag areas needing additional primary source verification

4. **Iteration loop** (if gaps identified)

• Return to Phase 2 with targeted queries
• Focus on specific missing elements
• Repeat until research objectives are satisfied

Phase 5: Structured Report Synthesis

**Output Format**: Comprehensive research report

**Structure**:

# [Research Title]

## Executive Summary
[2-3 paragraph overview of key findings]

## 1. Background and Purpose
[Context and research motivation]

## 2. Key Findings

### 2.1 [Topic Area 1]
#### Facts and Data
#### Analysis and Interpretation
#### Sources

### 2.2 [Topic Area 2]
... (repeat for all sub-topics)

## 3. Market Trends and Future Outlook
[Aggregated trends and predictions]

## 4. Challenges and Risks
[Identified challenges with evidence]

## 5. Opportunities and Recommendations
[Actionable insights]

## 6. List of Sources
[All 100+ sources in academic citation format]

## Appendix
[Supplementary data, tables, charts]

**Quality Standards**:

• Every factual claim MUST have inline citation [source_id]
• Source attribution format: `[1] Title, Publisher/Site, Publication Date, URL`
• Minimum 100 unique sources required
• Use tables for statistical comparisons
• Include key quotes with proper attribution
• Mark uncertain information with confidence indicators

Execution Guidelines

Parallel Execution Strategy

• Run independent searches in parallel (up to 10 concurrent queries)
• Process multiple content extractions simultaneously
• Batch similar operations for efficiency

Quality Threshold