Conducts systematic internet research through strategic questioning and multi-source analysis. Gathers information from web sources (not codebase), cross-references claims across multiple sources, evaluates source credibility using tier system (official docs, expert blogs, community resources), identifies patterns and consensus, and produces structured reports in .research/. Use when user needs to gather knowledge from internet, find best practices, compare solutions, evaluate technologies, understand industry trends, or investigate topics thoroughly. Triggers include "research online", "gather information about", "find best practices for", "compare solutions", "evaluate", "investigate topic", "what do sources say", "look up", "search for information".
View on GitHubFebruary 1, 2026
Select agents to install to:
npx add-skill https://github.com/Przemocny/generic-skills/blob/main/skills/general-research/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill general-researchInstallation paths:
.claude/skills/general-research/# General Research ## Overview **Purpose:** Systematic internet research on any topic through methodical questioning and multi-source analysis **Approach:** - Understand context first - clarify what's truly needed before starting - Ask strategic questions - research direction must be clear - Use multiple sources - never rely on single page (minimum 5-8 sources) - Identify patterns - analyze and synthesize, don't just collect - Evaluate credibility - use tier system for source quality - Cross-reference claims - verify key information across sources - Document systematically - capture process and conclusions **Output:** Research report saved in `.research/[topic-slug]-[date].md` **Note:** Research is iterative - you can return to earlier phases when discovering new information or when scope needs adjustment. --- ## Guidelines ### What Makes Good Research **Quality indicators:** - **Multiple perspectives** - Minimum 5-8 different sources from various tiers - **Cross-verification** - Key claims confirmed by multiple independent sources - **Pattern recognition** - Identifying consensus and common themes across sources - **Critical evaluation** - Assessing source credibility and potential biases - **Analysis over collection** - Drawing insights and conclusions, not just gathering facts - **Practical focus** - Actionable recommendations over theoretical information - **Systematic documentation** - Clear trail from sources to conclusions ### Key Principles **Source evaluation:** - Use tier system (see `references/source-evaluation.md`) - Tier 1 (highest): Official documentation, API references - Tier 2: Expert blogs, engineering blogs, conference talks - Tier 3: StackOverflow, GitHub issues, technical subreddits - Always verify lower-tier sources with higher-tier ones **Research process:** - Start with WebSearch to identify best sources - Extract information with WebFetch using specific prompts - Cross-reference all key claims - Note both consensus and disagreem