# Query Expansion

> Expand a topic into query variants — synonyms, related terms, and alternate phrasings that surface content the original wording misses. Use before deep research to widen the net.

- Skill: `samraddhashrivastavatech/query-expansion` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add samraddhashrivastavatech/query-expansion`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/samraddhashrivastavatech/query-expansion/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: SAMRADDHASHRIVASTAVATECH (https://skillmd.com/u/samraddhashrivastavatech)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/samraddhashrivastavatech/query-expansion

---


# Query expansion

Grow one topic into a set of related variants to reduce recall failure.

## When to use

- A topic may be described with many terms (jargon, region-specific wording,
  emerging vocabulary).
- Initial search is thin and you want to widen without losing focus.
- You want a spread of queries to run across several providers.

## Tools used

- `expand_query` — from a `topic`, produce `n` variants; add extra `terms` to
  steer the expansion.

## Workflow

1. Confirm the topic and a few domain terms you already know.
2. `expand_query` with the seed terms.
3. Review variants; keep unambiguous ones, route the rest to `query-builder`
   for validation, then search.
4. Compare result sets — note synonymous hits the original query missed.

## Input schema

```json
{ "topic": "str", "terms": "list[str]", "n": "int" }
```

## Output schema

```json
{ "variants": "list[str]" }
```

## Security

Expansion is vocabulary work. It does not widen what content you may trust —
verification still applies.

## Related skills

`query-builder`, `query-refinement`, `search-operators`, `deep-research`