Deep Research

Pre-flight

Research question: $ARGUMENTS

Existing research directories in the current working directory: !ls -d research-*/ 2>/dev/null || echo "None found"

Instructions

Step 1: Validate Input

If $ARGUMENTS is empty or contains fewer than 3 words, respond with:

Please provide a research question. Usage: /research <your question>

Examples:

• /research What are the current approaches to AI alignment and their tradeoffs?
• /research How does the EU AI Act compare to US AI regulation?

Do not proceed further.

Step 2: Check for Existing Research

Review the list of existing research directories above. If any appear to cover the same topic as the current question:

• Inform the user which existing directories were found
• Briefly note the overlap
• Ask whether to start fresh (new directory) or extend existing research (read existing report, focus workers on gaps)
• Wait for response before proceeding

If no relevant existing research found, proceed immediately.

Step 3: Execute Research

Follow the deep-research:deep-researching skill's 6-phase process exactly:

1. Decompose query into 3-5 sub-topics, create output directory
2. Dispatch 3-5 deep-research:research-worker agents in parallel via Task tool
3. Synthesize findings, assign sequential source numbers, identify gaps
4. If gaps exist, dispatch 1-3 more targeted workers
5. Dispatch deep-research:source-archiver in background
6. Write report.md using the report-format template

Step 4: Present Results

When the report is complete, present:

• Path to the output directory and report.md
• Brief (2-3 sentence) summary of key findings
• Number of sources cited
• Note that source archival is running in background