Research Specialist
A meta-skill for conducting deep, multi-source research by orchestrating exa-search (semantic Web), serper-search (Google SERP), github-quality-search (Code/Libraries), and hn-research (Trends/Sentiment). Use this when the user needs a comprehensive answer that requires synthesizing information from the web, open source ecosystem, and community discussions.
Tools & Capabilities
1a. Web Research — Semantic (Exa)
- Source:
exa-search
- Use for: Conceptual/semantic queries, finding related content, AI-native search with content extraction.
- Action: Use
exa-search for semantic search and when you need page contents inline.
- Fallback: If Exa credits are exhausted, fall back to
serper-search.
1b. Web Research — Google SERP (Serper)
- Source:
serper-search
- Use for: Factual lookups, current events, pricing pages, official docs, news, local/places, shopping. Cheap and fast.
- Action: Use
serper-search for keyword-driven Google results, news, and when Exa is unavailable.
- Endpoints:
/search, /news, /images, /scholar, /places, /shopping
2. Ecosystem Research (GitHub)
- Source:
github-quality-search
- Use for: Finding libraries, tools, frameworks, and checking the health/activity of solutions.
- Action: Use
github-quality-search to find the best tools for the job.
3. Community Research (Hacker News)
- Source:
hn-research
- Use for: Gauging sentiment, finding hidden gems, understanding historical context, and "real world" usage reports.
- Action: Use
hn-research to see what real engineers think.
Workflow
- Analyze Request: Determine which vectors (Web, Code, Community) are relevant.
- Parallel Execution:
- If looking for a solution: Check GitHub for tools + Serper/Exa for reviews.
- If exploring a topic: Check Serper for facts + Exa for deep content + HN for opinions.
- If debugging: Check Serper for fixes + GitHub issues.
- If Exa credits exhausted: Use Serper as primary web source.
- Synthesis: Combine findings into a structured report.
- Summary: High-level answer.
- Deep Dive: Evidence from Exa/Serper.
- Tools: Recommendations from GitHub.
- Community Consensus: Vibe check from HN.
Guidelines
- Cross-Reference: Don't rely on one source. If a library looks good on GitHub, check HN to see if people hate it in production.
- Citations: Always attribute where the info came from (e.g., "According to the docs...", "HN users discuss...", "The repo has 5k stars...").
- Synthesize, Don't Dump: Do not just list search results. Read them and write a coherent answer.
1---2name: research3description: Deep multi-source research by orchestrating exa-search (semantic), serper-search (Google SERP), github-quality-search (Code), and hn-research (Trends/Sentiment). Use for comprehensive answers requiring synthesis from web, open source, and community.4---56# Research Specialist7A meta-skill for conducting deep, multi-source research by orchestrating `exa-search` (semantic Web), `serper-search` (Google SERP), `github-quality-search` (Code/Libraries), and `hn-research` (Trends/Sentiment). Use this when the user needs a comprehensive answer that requires synthesizing information from the web, open source ecosystem, and community discussions.89## Tools & Capabilities1011### 1a. Web Research — Semantic (Exa)12* **Source**: `exa-search`13* **Use for**: Conceptual/semantic queries, finding related content, AI-native search with content extraction.14* **Action**: Use `exa-search` for semantic search and when you need page contents inline.15* **Fallback**: If Exa credits are exhausted, fall back to `serper-search`.1617### 1b. Web Research — Google SERP (Serper)18* **Source**: `serper-search`19* **Use for**: Factual lookups, current events, pricing pages, official docs, news, local/places, shopping. Cheap and fast.20* **Action**: Use `serper-search` for keyword-driven Google results, news, and when Exa is unavailable.21* **Endpoints**: `/search`, `/news`, `/images`, `/scholar`, `/places`, `/shopping`2223### 2. Ecosystem Research (GitHub)24* **Source**: `github-quality-search`25* **Use for**: Finding libraries, tools, frameworks, and checking the health/activity of solutions.26* **Action**: Use `github-quality-search` to find the best tools for the job.2728### 3. Community Research (Hacker News)29* **Source**: `hn-research`30* **Use for**: Gauging sentiment, finding hidden gems, understanding historical context, and "real world" usage reports.31* **Action**: Use `hn-research` to see what real engineers think.3233## Workflow34351. **Analyze Request**: Determine which vectors (Web, Code, Community) are relevant.362. **Parallel Execution**:37 * If looking for a solution: Check GitHub for tools + Serper/Exa for reviews.38 * If exploring a topic: Check Serper for facts + Exa for deep content + HN for opinions.39 * If debugging: Check Serper for fixes + GitHub issues.40 * If Exa credits exhausted: Use Serper as primary web source.413. **Synthesis**: Combine findings into a structured report.42 * *Summary*: High-level answer.43 * *Deep Dive*: Evidence from Exa/Serper.44 * *Tools*: Recommendations from GitHub.45 * *Community Consensus*: Vibe check from HN.4647## Guidelines48* **Cross-Reference**: Don't rely on one source. If a library looks good on GitHub, check HN to see if people hate it in production.49* **Citations**: Always attribute where the info came from (e.g., "According to the docs...", "HN users discuss...", "The repo has 5k stars...").50* **Synthesize, Don't Dump**: Do not just list search results. Read them and write a coherent answer.
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