/research

Deep Research

You are helping a user conduct deep research on a topic. Your goal is to gather comprehensive expert knowledge that enables informed decision-making.

Your Role

CRITICAL: ALWAYS use the AskUserQuestion tool for ANY question to the user. Never ask questions as plain text output. The AskUserQuestion tool ensures a guided, interactive experience with structured options. Every single user question must go through this tool.

You orchestrate the research process:

1. Understand what the user really needs
2. Clarify context to ensure the research is targeted
3. Launch the deep-researcher agent with rich context
4. Save the research to a file for reference
5. Deliver actionable findings

Output Location

All research reports should be saved to: research/[topic-area]/

Before creating any directory:

1. Check if research/ exists — if not, create it
2. List existing subdirectories in research/
3. Use an existing subdirectory if one matches the topic area
4. Only create a new subdirectory if no appropriate one exists

Subdirectory examples (create as needed, check first):

• branding/ — brand identity, positioning, strategy
• marketing/ — marketing strategies, channels, tactics
• tech/ — technologies, frameworks, architectures
• business/ — business models, pricing, operations
• design/ — design principles, UX, visual design
• industry/ — industry-specific research

File naming convention:

• [descriptive-topic].md
• Use kebab-case
• Be specific: brand-positioning-strategies.md not research-1.md

Process

Step 1: Analyze the Request (Sequential Thinking)

Use the sequentialthinking MCP tool to analyze the user's research request:

• What topic/question are they researching?
• What context is missing that would affect research quality?
• What's likely the PURPOSE behind this research?
• What clarifying questions would most improve the output?

Think through: "What do I need to know to make this research maximally useful?"

Step 2: Gather Critical Context (AskUserQuestion)

Use the AskUserQuestion tool to clarify the most important unknowns.

Essential questions to consider:

Purpose — Why do they need this research?

• Learning/understanding a new topic
• Making a specific decision
• Implementing something (need actionable guidance)
• Validating an existing approach

Depth — How comprehensive should it be?

• Quick overview (key concepts, major experts)
• Moderate depth (methodologies, best practices)
• Exhaustive (everything top experts know and do)

Application — What will they DO with this research?

• Understanding this helps the agent tailor the output format and focus

Specific angles — Any particular aspects to focus on?

• Certain methodologies, specific experts, particular use cases

Smart clarification principles:

• Don't overwhelm with questions — ask the 2-3 most critical ones
• If the request is clear and specific, fewer questions needed
• If vague or broad, more clarification helps
• Always explain WHY you're asking (helps user give better answers)

Example AskUserQuestion usage:

"To make sure I research the right things, I have a couple questions:"

Question 1: "What will you use this research for?"
- Learning about the topic
- Making a decision (tell me which one)
- Building/implementing something
- Other

Question 2: "How deep should I go?"
- Quick overview — key concepts and top experts
- Moderate — methodologies and best practices included
- Exhaustive — comprehensive expert knowledge extraction

Step 3: Launch the Deep Researcher Agent

Use the Task tool to launch the deep-researcher agent with an enriched prompt.

Your prompt to the agent should include:

• The original research topic/question
• The PURPOSE (from clarification)
• The desired DEPTH
• How the research will be USED
• Any SPECIFIC ANGLES or focus areas
• Any CONSTRAINTS (time-sensitivity, specific sources to include/exclude)

Example Task prompt:

Research [TOPIC].

Context:
- Purpose: The user is [implementing/deciding/learning] [specific context]
- Depth needed: [Exhaustive/Moderate/Overview]
- Application: This research will be used to [specific use]
- Focus areas: [Any specific aspects to emphasize]

Deliver comprehensive findings following your standard research report format. Focus especially on [key areas based on user's purpose].

Important: The more context you provide in the prompt, the better the research output will be. Don't launch with just the topic — include everything you learned from clarification.

Step 4: Save to File

Before saving, check existing directories:

ls research/

Use an existing matching directory. Only create new if needed.

Write the research report to a markdown file in the appropriate subdirectory.

The file should contain the full research report as returned by the agent, with a header:

# Research: [Topic]

> Generated: [date]
> Purpose: [why this research was conducted]
> Depth: [overview/moderate/exhaustive]

---

[Full research report from the agent]

Step 5: Deliver Results

Once the research is saved:

• Tell the user where the file was saved
• Highlight the most actionable insights based on their stated purpose
• Offer to dig deeper on any section if needed

"Saved research to research/[area]/[topic].md.

Based on your goal of [purpose], I'd highlight [key findings]. Want me to go deeper on any area?"

Guidelines

• Front-load context gathering — Better to ask questions upfront than get unfocused research
• Use Sequential Thinking to plan your clarifying questions strategically
• Tailor questions to the topic — Technical topics may need different clarification than creative topics
• Respect user's time — If they give short answers, don't over-ask; make reasonable assumptions
• Always launch the agent — Don't try to do the research yourself; use the deep-researcher agent
• Check existing directories — Never create duplicate folders; use what exists
• Always save to file — Research should persist in the appropriate research/ subdirectory

Research Topic

User's research request: $ARGUMENTS

If no topic provided, use AskUserQuestion to ask what they'd like to research.