skill-web-research
Conduct web development research using framework docs and codebase exploration. Invoke for web research tasks.
Best use case
skill-web-research is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Conduct web development research using framework docs and codebase exploration. Invoke for web research tasks.
Teams using skill-web-research should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/skill-web-research/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How skill-web-research Compares
| Feature / Agent | skill-web-research | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Conduct web development research using framework docs and codebase exploration. Invoke for web research tasks.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
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SKILL.md Source
# Web Research Skill
Thin wrapper that delegates web research to `web-research-agent` subagent.
**IMPORTANT**: This skill implements the skill-internal postflight pattern. After the subagent returns,
this skill handles all postflight operations (status update, artifact linking, git commit) before returning.
## Context References
Reference (do not load eagerly):
- Path: `.claude/context/project/web/README.md` - Web context overview
- Path: `.claude/context/project/web/domain/astro-framework.md` - Astro reference
## Trigger Conditions
This skill activates when:
- Task language is "web"
- Research is needed for web development tasks
- Astro, Tailwind, Cloudflare, or accessibility documentation needs to be gathered
---
## Execution Flow
### Stage 1: Input Validation
Validate required inputs:
- `task_number` - Must be provided and exist in state.json
- `focus_prompt` - Optional focus for research direction
```bash
# Lookup task
task_data=$(jq -r --argjson num "$task_number" \
'.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == $num)' \
specs/state.json)
# Validate exists
if [ -z "$task_data" ]; then
return error "Task $task_number not found"
fi
# Extract fields
language=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.language // "web"')
status=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.status')
project_name=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.project_name')
description=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.description // ""')
```
---
### Stage 2: Preflight Status Update
Update task status to "researching" BEFORE invoking subagent.
**Update state.json**:
```bash
jq --arg ts "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" \
--arg status "researching" \
--arg sid "$session_id" \
'(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')) |= . + {
status: $status,
last_updated: $ts,
session_id: $sid
}' specs/state.json > specs/tmp/state.json && mv specs/tmp/state.json specs/state.json
```
**Update TODO.md**: Use Edit tool to change status marker to `[RESEARCHING]`.
---
### Stage 3: Create Postflight Marker
```bash
padded_num=$(printf "%03d" "$task_number")
mkdir -p "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}"
cat > "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.postflight-pending" << EOF
{
"session_id": "${session_id}",
"skill": "skill-web-research",
"task_number": ${task_number},
"operation": "research",
"reason": "Postflight pending: status update, artifact linking, git commit",
"created": "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"
}
EOF
```
---
### Stage 4: Prepare Delegation Context
```json
{
"session_id": "sess_{timestamp}_{random}",
"delegation_depth": 1,
"delegation_path": ["orchestrator", "research", "skill-web-research"],
"timeout": 3600,
"task_context": {
"task_number": N,
"task_name": "{project_name}",
"description": "{description}",
"language": "web"
},
"focus_prompt": "{optional focus}",
"metadata_file_path": "specs/{NNN}_{SLUG}/.return-meta.json"
}
```
---
### Stage 5: Invoke Subagent
**CRITICAL**: You MUST use the **Task** tool to spawn the subagent.
```
Tool: Task (NOT Skill)
Parameters:
- subagent_type: "web-research-agent"
- prompt: [Include task_context, delegation_context, focus_prompt, metadata_file_path]
- description: "Execute web research for task {N}"
```
The subagent will:
- Search local web project files (src/, public/)
- Search web for framework documentation
- Analyze findings and synthesize recommendations
- Create research report
- Write metadata file
- Return brief text summary
---
### Stage 6: Parse Subagent Return
```bash
metadata_file="specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.return-meta.json"
if [ -f "$metadata_file" ] && jq empty "$metadata_file" 2>/dev/null; then
status=$(jq -r '.status' "$metadata_file")
artifact_path=$(jq -r '.artifacts[0].path // ""' "$metadata_file")
artifact_type=$(jq -r '.artifacts[0].type // ""' "$metadata_file")
artifact_summary=$(jq -r '.artifacts[0].summary // ""' "$metadata_file")
else
status="failed"
fi
```
---
### Stage 7: Update Task Status (Postflight)
If status is "researched", update state.json and TODO.md.
---
### Stage 8: Link Artifacts
Add artifact to state.json with summary.
**IMPORTANT**: Use two-step jq pattern to avoid escaping issues.
```bash
if [ -n "$artifact_path" ]; then
# Step 1: Filter out existing research artifacts (use "| not" pattern)
jq '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')).artifacts =
[(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')).artifacts // [] | .[] | select(.type == "research" | not)]' \
specs/state.json > specs/tmp/state.json && mv specs/tmp/state.json specs/state.json
# Step 2: Add new research artifact
jq --arg path "$artifact_path" \
--arg type "$artifact_type" \
--arg summary "$artifact_summary" \
'(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')).artifacts += [{"path": $path, "type": $type, "summary": $summary}]' \
specs/state.json > specs/tmp/state.json && mv specs/tmp/state.json specs/state.json
fi
```
**Update TODO.md**: Add research artifact link using count-aware format.
**Strip specs/ prefix for TODO.md** (TODO.md is inside specs/): `todo_link_path="${artifact_path#specs/}"`
Use count-aware artifact linking format per `.claude/rules/state-management.md` "Artifact Linking Format".
---
### Stage 9: Git Commit
```bash
git add -A
git commit -m "task ${task_number}: complete research
Session: ${session_id}
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>"
```
---
### Stage 10: Cleanup
```bash
rm -f "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.postflight-pending"
rm -f "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.postflight-loop-guard"
rm -f "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.return-meta.json"
```
---
### Stage 11: Return Brief Summary
```
Research completed for task {N}:
- Found framework documentation and project patterns
- Identified implementation approach with accessibility considerations
- Created report at specs/{NNN}_{SLUG}/reports/MM_{short-slug}.md
- Status updated to [RESEARCHED]
- Changes committed
```
---
## Error Handling
### Input Validation Errors
Return immediately if task not found.
### Metadata File Missing
Keep status as "researching" for resume.
### Git Commit Failure
Non-blocking: Log failure but continue.
---
## Return Format
Brief text summary (NOT JSON).
Example successful return:
```
Research completed for task 412:
- Found Astro component patterns and Tailwind v4 styling approaches
- Identified accessibility requirements for interactive elements
- Created report at specs/412_add_blog_section/reports/01_blog-section-research.md
- Status updated to [RESEARCHED]
- Changes committed with session sess_1736700000_abc123
```
Example partial return:
```
Research partially completed for task 412:
- Found local project patterns
- Web search failed due to network error
- Partial report created at specs/412_add_blog_section/reports/01_blog-section-research.md
- Status remains [RESEARCHING] - run /research 412 to continue
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