research
Scannednpx machina-cli add skill fusengine/agents/research --openclawSession: ${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}
Research Topic: $ARGUMENTS
Research Skill
Research Workflows
Standard Query
1. THINK → Sequential Thinking decomposition
2. RESOLVE → Context7 resolve-library-id
3. DOCUMENT → Context7 query-docs (5000-10000 tokens)
4. SUPPLEMENT → Exa code context search
5. SYNTHESIZE → Structured answer with sources
Complex Investigation
1. DEEP THINK → Multi-hypothesis Sequential Thinking
2. DEEP RESEARCH → Exa deep researcher (45s-2min)
3. MONITOR → Check status until completed
4. VALIDATE → Cross-check Context7 official sources
5. REPORT → Comprehensive solution
Technology Trends
1. WEB SCAN → Exa search latest developments
2. CODE PATTERNS → Exa code context for practices
3. ECOSYSTEM → Company research for key players
4. ANALYSIS → Sequential Thinking for implications
5. RECOMMENDATIONS → Actionable insights
Context7 Usage
// Step 1: Resolve library ID
mcp__context7__resolve-library-id({
libraryName: "next.js",
query: "App Router server actions"
})
// Step 2: Query docs
mcp__context7__query-docs({
libraryId: "/vercel/next.js",
query: "server actions authentication"
})
Best Practices:
- Always
resolve-library-idBEFOREquery-docs - Specify
topicparameter to focus retrieval - Start with 5000 tokens, increase to 10000 if needed
- Handle variations: "nextjs" vs "/vercel/next.js"
Exa Search Types
| Type | Use Case | Time | numResults |
|---|---|---|---|
fast | Quick lookups | <5s | 3-5 |
auto | Balanced | 5-15s | 5-8 |
deep | Comprehensive | 15-45s | 8+ |
// Code context search
mcp__exa__get_code_context_exa({
query: "Next.js 16 server actions authentication",
tokensNum: 5000
})
// Web search
mcp__exa__web_search_exa({
query: "React 2025 best practices",
type: "auto",
numResults: 5
})
Exa Deep Research
Reserve for investigations requiring >30min manual effort.
// Start research
const { taskId } = await mcp__exa__deep_researcher_start({
instructions: "Compare authentication solutions for Node.js",
model: "exa-research-pro" // or "exa-research" for faster
})
// Poll until complete
mcp__exa__deep_researcher_check({ taskId })
Models:
exa-research: Standard depth (15-45s)exa-research-pro: Complex topics (45s-2min)
Sequential Thinking
mcp__sequential-thinking__sequentialthinking({
thought: "Analyzing authentication approaches",
thoughtNumber: 1,
totalThoughts: 5,
nextThoughtNeeded: true,
// Optional for revisions:
isRevision: false,
revisesThought: null,
branchId: null,
branchFromThought: null,
needsMoreThoughts: false
})
Best Practices:
- Start with realistic
totalThoughts, adjust dynamically - Use
isRevision: trueto reconsider hypotheses - Create branches (
branchId) for alternatives - Set
needsMoreThoughts: trueif incomplete
Multi-Source Synthesis
Parallelization:
- Run
resolve-library-id+web_search_exasimultaneously - Launch multiple Exa searches concurrently
- Execute Context7 docs + Exa code search in parallel
Source Priority:
- Official documentation (Context7)
- Recent tutorials (Exa, <6 months)
- Older content (with version verification)
Response Format
## 🔍 Research: [Topic]
### Methodology
- Sequential Thinking: [N thoughts, M revisions]
- Context7: [Library@version consulted]
- Exa: [Search types performed]
### Key Findings
1. **[Finding 1]** (Source: [URL])
- Technical details
- Code examples
2. **[Finding 2]** (Source: [URL])
### Recommendations
- [Action 1]: [Why + How]
- [Action 2]: [Why + How]
### Sources
- Context7: [Exact library IDs]
- Exa: [X results analyzed]
- Deep Research: [Task ID if used]
Error Handling
Context7 Failures:
- Verify library name spelling
- Try different formats ("/org/project" vs "project-name")
- Fallback to Exa code context
Exa Timeouts:
- Reduce
numResults - Simplify query
- Switch
type: "deep"→type: "fast"
Sequential Thinking Blocks:
- Revise with
isRevision: true - Increase
totalThoughts - Create new branch
Forbidden Behaviors
- ❌ Guess library IDs without
resolve-library-id - ❌ Start deep researcher without checking completion
- ❌ Mix opinions with facts without distinction
- ❌ Provide code without version verification
- ❌ Ignore WebFetch redirects
- ❌ Recommend without citing sources
- ❌ Skip Sequential Thinking for multi-step problems
Source
git clone https://github.com/fusengine/agents/blob/main/plugins/ai-pilot/skills/research/SKILL.mdView on GitHub Overview
This skill standardizes technical research using Context7 for library resolution and documentation, Exa for code and web context, and Sequential Thinking for multi-step investigations. It emphasizes source-backed documentation, best practices, and complex investigations.
How This Skill Works
Research follows formal workflows: Resolve library IDs with Context7, query docs via Context7, supplement with Exa code and web searches, then synthesize a sources-backed answer. For complex topics, use Deep Think, Deep Research, monitoring, validation, and comprehensive reporting.
When to Use It
- Research a library or framework to understand its official docs, usage patterns, and best practices
- Conduct a complex investigation that involves multi-hypothesis analysis and cross-source validation
- Stay current on technology trends with rapid web and code-context scans
- Validate findings against official sources and recent tutorials before decision-making
- Prepare a comprehensive, sources-backed report for stakeholders
Quick Start
- Step 1: Resolve library ID with Context7 (libraryName, topic)
- Step 2: Query docs using the returned libraryId and your topic
- Step 3: Run Exa code/web searches and synthesize findings into a sources-backed report
Best Practices
- Always resolve-library-id before query-docs
- Specify the topic parameter to focus retrieval
- Start with 5000 tokens and scale to 10000 if necessary
- Handle naming variations (e.g., 'nextjs' vs '/vercel/next.js')
- Run parallel searches (Context7 docs, Exa code, and web) when possible
Example Use Cases
- Research Next.js App Router server actions and authentication using Context7 docs and Exa code search
- Compare Node.js authentication solutions with Deep Research to pick a provider
- Map React ecosystem practices by combining web_search_exa results with official docs
- Build a library documentation map by merging Context7 docs with Exa code context
- Produce a migration plan for a microservices stack with sources and rationale