deep-research
Web research with Graph-of-Thoughts for fast-changing topics. Use when user requests research, analysis, investigation, or comparison requiring current information. Features hypothesis testing, source triangulation, claim verification, Red Team, self-critique, and gap analysis. Supports Quick/Standard/Deep/Exhaustive tiers. Creative Mode for cross-industry innovation.
Best use case
deep-research is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Web research with Graph-of-Thoughts for fast-changing topics. Use when user requests research, analysis, investigation, or comparison requiring current information. Features hypothesis testing, source triangulation, claim verification, Red Team, self-critique, and gap analysis. Supports Quick/Standard/Deep/Exhaustive tiers. Creative Mode for cross-industry innovation.
Teams using deep-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/deep-research-thepexcel/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How deep-research Compares
| Feature / Agent | deep-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?
Web research with Graph-of-Thoughts for fast-changing topics. Use when user requests research, analysis, investigation, or comparison requiring current information. Features hypothesis testing, source triangulation, claim verification, Red Team, self-critique, and gap analysis. Supports Quick/Standard/Deep/Exhaustive tiers. Creative Mode for cross-industry innovation.
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.
SKILL.md Source
# Deep Research Enhanced research engine for topics where training data is outdated. ## Quick Start ### Standard Mode ``` CLASSIFY → LANDSCAPE SCAN → RECENCY PULSE → SCOPE → HYPOTHESIZE → PLAN → [PLAN PREVIEW*] → RETRIEVE → GAP ANALYSIS → TRIANGULATE → SYNTHESIZE → RED TEAM → SELF-CRITIQUE → PACKAGE ``` *Deep+ tier only ### LANDSCAPE SCAN (MANDATORY - Before Anything Else) ``` [Search for OVERVIEW first - NO known entity names in query!] WebSearch: "[topic] landscape overview [current year]" WebSearch: "top [topic] list [current year]" WebSearch: "[topic] ecosystem players [current year]" ❌ WRONG: "DeepSeek Qwen performance 2025" (uses names you already know) ✅ RIGHT: "China open source LLM models list 2025" (discovers what exists) → Extract ALL entity names from results → List: Discovered (new to you) vs Confirmed (you knew) → THEN proceed to RECENCY PULSE ``` **Why:** You cannot research what you don't know exists. Scan the landscape FIRST. ### RECENCY PULSE (MANDATORY - After Landscape Scan) ``` [Search for LATEST news — within days/weeks, not just "this year"] WebSearch: "[topic] latest news this week [current month] [current year]" WebSearch: "[topic] new release announcement [current month] [current year]" WebSearch: "[upstream provider 1] latest release [current year]" WebSearch: "[upstream provider 2] latest release [current year]" → Check: anything released in the last 7-30 days? → If yes: add to entity list, flag as BREAKING/RECENT → THEN proceed to SCOPE with complete picture ``` **UPSTREAM CHECK (part of Recency Pulse):** ``` For any product/platform research, identify the SUPPLY CHAIN: - Who MAKES the underlying technology? (e.g., OpenAI → GPT, Anthropic → Claude) - Who DISTRIBUTES it? (e.g., Microsoft → Copilot, GitHub → Copilot) - Who COMPETES with it? (e.g., Google → Gemini) Search EACH upstream provider directly — don't rely on downstream announcements. Example for "Microsoft Copilot": Upstream: OpenAI (GPT models), Anthropic (Claude models) Downstream: Microsoft (Copilot products) → Search "OpenAI latest model [month] [year]" → Search "Anthropic latest release [month] [year]" → Search "Microsoft Copilot new features [month] [year]" ``` **Why:** Downstream products lag behind upstream releases. A new model from OpenAI/Anthropic may not appear in "Microsoft Copilot updates" for weeks. If you only search downstream, you miss what's coming or just arrived. **Anti-pattern:** ค้นแค่ "Microsoft Copilot new features 2026" แล้วหยุด **Better:** ค้น upstream (OpenAI, Anthropic) + downstream (Microsoft) + "this week/month" ### Creative Mode ``` ABSTRACT → MAP (3-5 domains) → SEARCH → GENERALIZE → SYNTHESIZE ``` **Trigger:** "creative mode", "cross-industry", "what do others do" **Example:** "ทำยังไงให้คนมา engage กับ online course มากขึ้น?" → ABSTRACT: "retention + engagement ในกิจกรรมที่ทำซ้ำ" → MAP: Gaming (streaks, XP), Fitness apps (habit loops), YouTube (thumbnails, hooks), Loyalty programs (tiers) → SEARCH each domain → GENERALIZE patterns → SYNTHESIZE recommendations --- ## Classification | Type | When | Process | Example | |------|------|---------|---------| | **A** | Single fact | WebSearch → Answer | "Python 3.13 release date คือเมื่อไหร่?" | | **B** | Multi-fact | Scan → Retrieve → Synthesize | "เปรียบเทียบ pricing ของ cloud GPU providers" | | **C** | Judgment needed | Full 6 phases | "ควรใช้ Next.js หรือ Astro สำหรับ blog?" | | **D** | Novel/conflicting | Full + Red Team | "AI จะแทนที่ data analyst ภายใน 3 ปีจริงไหม?" | ## Intensity Tiers | Tier | Sources | When | |------|---------|------| | Quick | 5-10 | Simple question | | Standard | 10-20 | Multi-faceted | | Deep | 20-30 | Novel, high stakes | | Exhaustive | 30+ | Critical decision | --- ## Search & Evidence ### Parallel Search (MANDATORY) ``` [Single message — always 2-3 queries at once] WebSearch: "[topic] [current year]" WebSearch: "[topic] limitations" WebSearch: "[topic] vs alternatives" ``` ### Claim Types | Type | Requirements | Example | |------|--------------|---------| | **C1** (Key claim) | Quote + 2+ sources + confidence | "Next.js มี market share 42%" | | **C2** (Supporting) | Citation required | "Vercel เป็นผู้พัฒนา Next.js" | | **C3** (Common knowledge) | Cite if contested | "React เป็น library ยอดนิยม" | ### Confidence Format (C1 claims) ``` **Claim:** [Statement] **Confidence:** HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW **Reason:** [Why this confidence level] **Sources:** [1][2] ``` ### Anti-Hallucination - Every C1 cites [N] immediately - Use "According to [1]..." - Admit: "No sources found for X" --- ## Research Sufficiency **"เมื่อไหร่ถึงจะพอ?"** | Signal | หมายความว่า | |--------|-----------| | **Saturation** | 3 sources ต่อเนื่องไม่ให้ข้อมูลใหม่ → พอแล้ว | | **Convergence** | หลาย sources สรุปเหมือนกัน → confidence สูง | | **Contradiction** | Sources ขัดแย้งกัน → ต้อง dig deeper หรือ flag uncertainty | | **Diminishing returns** | เพิ่ม search แต่ได้แค่ rephrase ของเดิม → หยุดได้ | **Quick tier:** หยุดเมื่อ saturation **Standard:** หยุดเมื่อ convergence + gap analysis ไม่เจอ gap สำคัญ **Deep/Exhaustive:** หยุดเมื่อ Red Team challenge ไม่พบจุดอ่อนใหม่ --- ## Facilitation Guide ### Progress Reporting ``` ทุกๆ 5-8 sources → update ผู้ใช้: "สรุปที่พบจนถึงตอนนี้: [key findings] ยังมีคำถามค้าง: [gaps] จะ search ต่อเรื่อง [next direction] นะคะ" ``` ### When to Ask User | สถานการณ์ | ถามว่า | |-----------|-------| | Topic กว้างเกินไป | "อยากเน้นมุมไหนคะ? [option A] หรือ [option B]?" | | เจอ sub-topic น่าสนใจ | "เจอเรื่อง X ที่เกี่ยวข้อง — อยากให้ขุดลึกไหมคะ?" | | Sources ขัดแย้ง | "แหล่ง A บอกว่า X แต่แหล่ง B บอกว่า Y — พี่ระ lean ทางไหนคะ?" | | Deep+ tier, plan ready | "นี่คือ plan สำหรับ research — approve ก่อนไปต่อนะคะ" | ### Don't Ask — Just Do - Type A questions → ตอบเลย - Choosing search queries → ทำเลย ไม่ต้องถาม - Formatting output → ใช้ template ได้เลย --- ## Tools & Fallbacks ### URL Fallback If WebFetch returns 403: ```bash curl -s --max-time 60 "https://r.jina.ai/https://example.com" ``` ### GitHub Repository Research เจอ repo น่าสนใจ → **ถาม user ก่อน clone:** ``` "เจอ repo ที่น่าสนใจ: [repo-name] — ต้องการให้ clone มาศึกษา code ไหมคะ?" ``` If agreed: ```bash mkdir -p /mnt/d/githubresearch && cd /mnt/d/githubresearch && git clone [repo-url] ``` Key files: `package.json`/`pyproject.toml` → `src/` main logic → `README.md` --- ## References | Topic | File | Grep Pattern | |-------|------|--------------| | Phase details | [standard-mode.md](./references/standard-mode.md) | `grep -n "^## Phase"` | | Creative mode | [creative-mode.md](./references/creative-mode.md) | `grep -n "^## Phase C"` | | Agent prompts | [agent-templates.md](./references/agent-templates.md) | `grep -n "^## "` | | Progress/recovery | [progress-recovery.md](./references/progress-recovery.md) | — | | Report template | [report_template.md](./assets/report_template.md) | — | | **Query generation** | [query-framework.md](./references/query-framework.md) | QUEST Matrix | | **Perspective audit** | [perspective-checklist.md](./references/perspective-checklist.md) | COMPASS Checklist | | **Researcher thinking** | [researcher-thinking.md](./references/researcher-thinking.md) | THINK Protocol | | Script | Purpose | |--------|---------| | `scripts/validate_report.py` | 9-check quality validation | ## Output File (MANDATORY) After completing research, **ALWAYS save to markdown file**: ``` research/[topic-slug]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md ``` **Example:** `research/china-opensource-ai-2025-01-04.md` - Create `research/` folder if it doesn't exist - **Why:** Research takes effort. Save it for future reference. --- ## Related Skills - `/boost-intel` — Apply critical thinking to research findings - `/generate-creative-ideas` — Creative Mode for cross-industry innovation - `/skill-creator-thepexcel` — Research domain expertise for skill creation - `/extract-expertise` — Research to prepare expert interviews
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