/skill

Research Operations

Use this skill when the user asks you to:

• Research a current topic
• Check or update facts
• Compare choices
• Learn about a person or company
• Find who they should contact
• Turn a repeated search into a watch task

This skill guides the research process. It does not replace deep-research, exa-search, market-research, lead-intelligence, or knowledge-ops.

Skill Stack

Use only the skills needed for the task:

• exa-search: Find current web sources fast.
• deep-research: Join facts from many sources and cite them.
• market-research: Rank choices and give advice.
• lead-intelligence: Research people, firms, and ways to reach them.
• knowledge-ops: Save useful results for later work.

If one of these skills is not present, use the best tool you have and state the limit.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• The user says “research,” “look up,” “compare,” “latest,” or “who should I contact?”
• The answer may have changed over time.
• The user gives notes or proof that must shape the answer.
• The same question may need to be checked again later.

Do not use this skill when:

• Local code or files already hold the full answer.
• The task is only about editing, math, or writing.
• The user asks for an idea that does not need facts.

Safety Rules

• Check fresh sources when facts may have changed.
• Do not treat old memory as proof.
• Keep these four types apart:
  • Sourced fact
  • User-provided fact
  • Inference
  • Advice
• Do not make up missing facts, dates, quotes, or sources.
• Do not treat search text as proof. Open the source when a claim matters.
• Use first-party sources when possible.
• For a key claim, use two good sources when you can.
• Note when sources do not agree.
• Do not expose private data from local files.
• Do not contact people, sign up, buy, post, or send data unless the user asks.
• Do not add tracking, analytics, telemetry, or extra outside calls.

Workflow

1. Start With What the User Gave You

Sort the user’s notes into:

• Facts that already have proof
• Claims that need a check
• Open questions
• Limits, such as date, place, price, or source type

Do not start from zero if the user has already done useful work.

2. Pick the Task Type

Choose one main type before you search:

• Fact check: Find a clear current fact.
• Comparison: Compare two or more choices.
• Profile: Learn about a person or company.
• Watch task: Check the same topic again over time.

If the request is too broad, ask one short question that will change the research path. If it is safe to proceed, state your best guess and continue.

3. Use the Lightest Good Path

• Use local files first when they can answer the question.
• Use exa-search for a quick fact or source list.
• Use deep-research when many sources must be joined.
• Use market-research when choices must be ranked.
• Use lead-intelligence for people, firms, and contact paths.
• Use knowledge-ops only when the user wants the result saved.

Stop when you have enough proof. Do not search more just to make the answer longer.

4. Check Source Quality

For each key source, check:

• Who made it
• When it was made or updated
• Whether it supports the exact claim
• Whether it is a first-party source
• Whether another good source agrees

Use exact dates for facts that may change. Say “as of May 12, 2026,” not “currently.”

If a page has no date, say so. If you cannot confirm a claim, label it as unconfirmed.

5. Build the Answer

Label key points as:

• Sourced fact: Shown by a cited source.
• User-provided fact: Given by the user and not checked.
• Inference: A fair conclusion from known facts.
• Advice: The action you think the user should take.

Link each key sourced fact to the source that supports it.

For a comparison, use the same points for every choice. Common points include cost, fit, risk, limits, and support.

6. Decide if This Should Be a Watch Task

Suggest a watch task when:

• The facts change often.
• The user may ask the same question again.
• A new event, price, job, filing, or product change matters.

State:

• What to check
• How often to check
• What change should trigger a note

Do not create or run a watch task unless the user asks.

Output Format

Use only the parts that help:

Question type
- Fact check / Comparison / Profile / Watch task

As of
- Exact date

Evidence
- Sourced fact: [claim] [source]
- User-provided fact: [claim]

Gaps
- What could not be checked
- Where sources disagree

Inference
- What the evidence likely means

Advice
- Best answer or next step
- Watch task: Yes or no

Concrete Example

User request:

Compare Tool A and Tool B for a five-person team. We need a plan under $100 per month.

Good process:

1. Mark the team size and budget as user-provided facts.
2. Check each tool’s official price page.
3. Check plan limits and the date of each source.
4. Compare both tools using the same points.
5. Show any missing or unclear facts.
6. Give advice tied to the budget.

Good output:

Question type
- Comparison

As of
- May 12, 2026

Evidence
- User-provided fact: The team has five people.
- User-provided fact: The budget is under $100 per month.
- Sourced fact: Tool A costs $15 per user each month. [official source]
- Sourced fact: Tool B costs $90 per team each month. [official source]

Inference
- Tool A would cost $75 per month for five people.
- Both tools fit the stated budget.

Advice
- Choose Tool A if each user needs a full seat.
- Choose Tool B if one team price and shared tools matter more.
- Watch task: No, unless price changes are important.

Common Mistakes

• Mixing facts and guesses without labels
• Ignoring proof given by the user
• Using a large research process for a simple local answer
• Giving a time-sensitive answer with no date
• Citing a source that does not support the claim
• Using one set of rules for one choice and another set for the rest
• Hiding gaps or source conflicts
• Giving advice that does not follow from the evidence

Final Check

Before you answer, confirm that:

• Each key claim has the right evidence label.
• Each current fact has an exact date.
• Each source supports the claim beside it.
• User-provided facts are not shown as checked facts.
• Gaps and conflicts are clear.
• The advice matches the research path used.
• No private data is exposed.
• No outside action was taken without the user’s request.