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Weizhena

Research skill

Conduct preliminary research on a topic and generate research outline. For academic research, benchmark research, technology selection, etc.

$npx skills add Weizhena/Deep-Research-skills --skill research
GitHub stars
2,527
Pack installs
4k
Alyn Score
56/99
Updated
3 months ago
License
MIT

Install Research

Pick your agent. Every command is ready to paste.

$npx skills add Weizhena/Deep-Research-skills --skill research

The open skills CLI detects your agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ more) and installs to the right folder. Add -g to install globally.

01

Install it

Run the command above, or upload the folder in Claude.

02

Ask naturally

Describe the task. Your agent loads research when the request matches its description.

03

Name it if needed

If it does not trigger, say “use the research skill”. In Codex, type $research.

The skill itself

SKILL.md

GitHub

Research Skill - Preliminary Research

Trigger

/research <topic>

Workflow

Step 1: Generate Initial Framework from Model Knowledge

Based on topic, use model's existing knowledge to generate:

  • Main research objects/items list in this domain
  • Suggested research field framework

Output {step1_output}, use request_user_input to confirm:

  • Need to add/remove items?
  • Does field framework meet requirements?

Step 2: Web Search Supplement

Use request_user_input to ask for time range (e.g., last 6 months, since 2024, unlimited).

Parameter Retrieval:

  • {topic}: User input research topic
  • {YYYY-MM-DD}: Current date
  • {step1_output}: Complete output from Step 1
  • {time_range}: User specified time range

Hard Constraint: The following prompt must be strictly reproduced, only replacing variables in {xxx}, do not modify structure or wording.

Launch 1 web-search-agent (background), Prompt Template:

prompt = f"""## Task
Research topic: {topic}
Current date: {YYYY-MM-DD}

Based on the following initial framework, supplement latest items and recommended research fields.

## Existing Framework
{step1_output}

## Goals
1. Verify if existing items are missing important objects
2. Supplement items based on missing objects
3. Continue searching for {topic} related items within {time_range} and supplement
4. Supplement new fields

## Output Requirements
Return structured results directly (do not write files):

### Supplementary Items
- item_name: Brief explanation (why it should be added)
...

### Recommended Supplementary Fields
- field_name: Field description (why this dimension is needed)
...

### Sources
- [Source1](url1)
- [Source2](url2)
"""

One-shot Example (assuming researching AI Coding History):

## Task
Research topic: AI Coding History
Current date: 2025-12-30

Based on the following initial framework, supplement latest items and recommended research fields.

## Existing Framework
### Items List
1. GitHub Copilot: Developed by Microsoft/GitHub, first mainstream AI coding assistant
2. Cursor: AI-first IDE, based on VSCode
...

### Field Framework
- Basic Info: name, release_date, company
- Technical Features: underlying_model, context_window
...

## Goals
1. Verify if existing items are missing important objects
2. Supplement items based on missing objects
3. Continue searching for AI Coding History related items within since 2024 and supplement
4. Supplement new fields

## Output Requirements
Return structured results directly (do not write files):

### Supplementary Items
- item_name: Brief explanation (why it should be added)
...

### Recommended Supplementary Fields
- field_name: Field description (why this dimension is needed)
...

### Sources
- [Source1](url1)
- [Source2](url2)

Step 3: Ask User for Existing Fields

Use request_user_input to ask if user has existing field definition file, if so read and merge.

Step 4: Generate Outline (Separate Files)

Merge {step1_output}, {step2_output} and user's existing fields, generate two files:

outline.yaml (items + config):

  • topic: Research topic
  • items: Research objects list
  • execution:
    • batch_size: Number of parallel agents (confirm with request_user_input)
    • items_per_agent: Items per agent (confirm with request_user_input)
    • output_dir: Results output directory (default: ./results)

fields.yaml (field definitions):

  • Field categories and definitions
  • Each field's name, description, detail_level
  • detail_level hierarchy: brief -> moderate -> detailed
  • uncertain: Uncertain fields list (reserved field, auto-filled in deep phase)

Step 5: Output and Confirm

  • Create directory: ./{topic_slug}/
  • Save: outline.yaml and fields.yaml
  • Show to user for confirmation

Output Path

{current_working_directory}/{topic_slug}/
  ├── outline.yaml    # items list + execution config
  └── fields.yaml     # field definitions

Follow-up Commands

  • /research-add-items - Supplement items
  • /research-add-fields - Supplement fields
  • /research-deep - Start deep research

Tips for Research

  • • Start a fresh session after installing so your agent picks up the new skill.
  • • This skill ships scripts. Read them before the first run, and run it in a project without secrets first.
  • • It is part of a pack with 5 skills. Install only the ones you need with --skill to keep triggers precise.
  • • If two skills overlap, mention the one you want by name.

Questions about Research

What does the Research skill do?

Conduct preliminary research on a topic and generate research outline. For academic research, benchmark research, technology selection, etc.

How do I install Research?

Run "npx skills add Weizhena/Deep-Research-skills --skill research" in your project. The skills CLI installs it for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ other agents. In Claude on the web, upload the skill folder as a ZIP under Customize > Skills.

Does Research work in Cursor and Codex?

Yes. Research uses the open SKILL.md format, so it works in Claude Code, Claude, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and other agents that support agent skills.

Is Research free?

Research is open source on GitHub under the MIT license. It is free to install; check the license before commercial use.

Who made Research?

Research is published by Weizhena in the Weizhena/Deep-Research-skills repository, together with 4 other skills.

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