# Researching Web

> Web research via Perplexity AI. Use for technical comparisons (X vs Y), best practices, industry standards, documentation. Triggers on "research", "compare", "vs", "best practice", "which is better", "pros and cons".

- Skill: `majiayu000/researching-web` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add majiayu000/researching-web`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/researching-web/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/researching-web

---


# Web Research with Perplexity

Two modes: **quick** (MCP direct) or **deep** (Task-based with context).

## Best For

- Technology comparisons (X vs Y)
- Best practices, industry standards
- OWASP, security guidelines
- Documentation references
- Stable technical content

## Quick Mode (Simple Queries)

Use MCP directly for fast, simple lookups:

```json
mcp__perplexity-ask__perplexity_ask({
  "messages": [{ "role": "user", "content": "Your research question" }]
})
```

## Deep Mode (Context-Aware Research)

For codebase-aware research, spawn the **perplexity-researcher** agent.

### Foreground (blocking)

```
Task(subagent_type="perplexity-researcher", prompt="Research: <topic>")
```

### Background (recommended for context efficiency)

Run in background to avoid polluting main context:

```
Task(
  subagent_type="perplexity-researcher",
  prompt="Research: <topic>",
  run_in_background=true
)
```

Retrieve results when ready:

```
TaskOutput(task_id="<agent_id>", block=true)
```

**Use background mode when:**

- Running multiple research queries in parallel
- Main task can continue while research runs
- Want to keep main context clean

### When to Use Deep Mode

- User asks "best way to do X" (needs to compare with current code)
- Researching improvements to existing code
- Need to understand if recommendations apply to current stack

## Query Formulation Tips

- Be specific: "Go 1.25 error handling best practices 2025"
- Include context: "Redis vs Memcached for session storage in Go services"
- Ask comparisons: "Pros and cons of gRPC vs REST for microservices"
- Include year: "Claude Code context optimization 2025"

## Reference Following (Deep Research)

After Perplexity returns results with citations:

1. **Review all cited URLs** in the response
2. **WebFetch top 2-3 most relevant sources** for deeper context
3. **Synthesize comprehensive answer** combining all sources

```
# After Perplexity response with citations
WebFetch(url="<cited-url-1>", prompt="Extract key details about <topic>")
WebFetch(url="<cited-url-2>", prompt="Extract implementation examples")
```

Use reference following when:

- Initial answer is high-level and needs specifics
- User asks "tell me more" or "dig deeper"
- Implementing something that needs detailed guidance

## Output Structure

```markdown
## Summary

[Key findings - 2-3 sentences]

## Details

[Organized findings by topic]

## Recommendations

[Actionable items for the project]

## Sources

- [Source](url) - [what was learned]
```