Research Agent — Deep Investigation on Any Topic
A structured research workflow that turns a vague question into a comprehensive analysis. 5 research modes, each with a clear output format. Supports web search, source evaluation, and structured reporting.
Research Modes
| Mode | Trigger | Output |
|---|
| Quick | "What is X?" / "Tell me about X" | 1-paragraph summary + 3 key facts |
| Deep Dive |
"Research X" / "Deep dive into X" | Full analysis report |
|
Compare | "Compare X vs Y" / "X or Y?" | Comparison matrix + recommendation |
|
Landscape | "What's out there for X?" / "Alternatives to X" | Market map + positioning |
|
Evaluate | "Should we use X?" / "Is X worth it?" | Decision framework with scoring |
How to Use
Quick Research (30 seconds)
"What is gstack?"
"Tell me about Claude Code skills"
→ Web search, extract key facts, 1-paragraph summary. No fluff.
Deep Dive (2-5 minutes)
"Research the AI coding agent landscape"
"Deep dive into Agent Skills standard"
→ Spawn subagent (Sonnet) with the Deep Dive prompt. Searches multiple sources, cross-references, identifies patterns, writes
RESEARCH.md.
Compare (1-3 minutes)
"Claude Code vs Cursor vs Codex"
"RICE vs Kano vs ICE for prioritization"
"Notion vs Linear vs Jira"
→ Side-by-side comparison table with scoring across key dimensions. Includes a recommendation with reasoning.
Landscape Analysis (3-5 minutes)
"What open source projects exist for X?"
"Map the competitive landscape for X"
"What tools do PMs use for X?"
→ Categorized map of existing solutions. For each: what it does, what it misses, where the gap is.
Evaluate (2-3 minutes)
"Should we build on X or Y?"
"Is it worth adopting X?"
"Pros and cons of using X for our case"
→ Decision matrix scoring across dimensions (cost, effort, risk, fit, longevity). Recommendation with confidence level.
Phase Details
Deep Dive Prompt
Spawn a subagent (Sonnet) with this research methodology:
- 1. Define the question. Restate the research question. What specifically are we trying to find out?
- 2. Source gathering. Search for:
- Official docs / primary sources (most reliable)
- Community discussions (Reddit, HN, Discord — real user opinions)
- Technical analysis (blog posts, benchmarks, comparisons)
- GitHub metrics (stars, activity, issues, contributors)
- Commercial context (funding, team, business model)
- 3. Source evaluation. For each source:
- Credibility: official vs community vs opinion
- Recency: when was this published/updated?
- Bias: does the author have a stake in the outcome?
- 4. Pattern extraction. What themes emerge across sources?
- Points of agreement (high confidence)
- Points of disagreement (needs further investigation)
- Gaps in available information
- 5. Structured output. Write
RESEARCH.md with:
- Executive summary (3-5 sentences)
- Key findings (numbered, with sources)
- Detailed analysis (organized by theme)
- Gaps and caveats (what we couldn't verify)
- Recommendation (if applicable)
- Sources (with URLs)
Compare Prompt
For comparing N items across M dimensions:
- 1. Define comparison axis. What dimensions matter for this decision?
- Functional: what can it do?
- Performance: how fast/reliable?
- Cost: pricing model, free tier?
- Ecosystem: integrations, community, docs?
- Maturity: how battle-tested?
- 2. Score each item (1-5 per dimension):
CODEBLOCK5
- 3. Context-specific recommendation. Not "A is best" but "A is best IF you need X, B if you need Y."
Landscape Prompt
For mapping a space:
- 1. Categorize solutions:
- Direct competitors (same approach, same users)
- Adjacent tools (different approach, overlapping use case)
- Workarounds (not products, but how people solve it today)
- Emerging (new, not proven yet)
- 2. For each solution:
- What it does (1 sentence)
- What it does well (strength)
- What it misses (gap)
- Who should use it (ideal user)
- 3. Identify the gap. Where is nobody doing a good job? That's the opportunity.
Output Files
- -
RESEARCH.md — Deep dive report (full analysis with sources) - Comparison results go to stdout (capture in conversation)
- Landscape maps go to stdout or
LANDSCAPE.md if long
Model Selection
| Mode | Model | Why |
|---|
| Quick | Haiku | Simple lookup, fast answer |
| Deep Dive |
Sonnet | Needs reasoning, source evaluation |
| Compare | Sonnet | Needs judgment for scoring |
| Landscape | Sonnet | Needs categorization and pattern recognition |
| Evaluate | Sonnet | Needs decision-making framework |
Tips
- - Be specific. "Research AI" is too broad. "Research AI coding agents for solo developers" is actionable.
- State your goal. "I need to decide between X and Y" gives the research direction.
- Time-box it. "Give me the top 5, not top 50" keeps it focused.
- Ask for sources. "Show me where you found this" for verification.
研究代理 — 对任意主题的深度调查
一个结构化研究工作流,能将模糊问题转化为全面分析。提供5种研究模式,每种模式都有清晰的输出格式。支持网络搜索、来源评估和结构化报告。
研究模式
| 模式 | 触发条件 | 输出 |
|---|
| 快速 | X是什么?/给我讲讲X | 1段摘要 + 3个关键事实 |
| 深度挖掘 |
研究X/深入探究X | 完整分析报告 |
|
对比 | 比较X和Y/X还是Y? | 对比矩阵 + 推荐 |
|
全景分析 | X领域有什么?/X的替代方案 | 市场地图 + 定位 |
|
评估 | 我们应该用X吗?/X值得吗? | 带评分的决策框架 |
使用方法
快速研究(30秒)
什么是gstack?
给我讲讲Claude Code技能
→ 网络搜索,提取关键事实,1段摘要。无废话。
深度挖掘(2-5分钟)
研究AI编程代理领域
深入探究Agent Skills标准
→ 使用深度挖掘提示生成子代理(Sonnet)。搜索多个来源,交叉引用,识别模式,编写RESEARCH.md。
对比(1-3分钟)
Claude Code vs Cursor vs Codex
RICE vs Kano vs ICE 优先级排序
Notion vs Linear vs Jira
→ 并排对比表格,各维度评分。包含带推理的推荐。
全景分析(3-5分钟)
X领域有哪些开源项目?
绘制X的竞争格局
产品经理使用什么工具做X?
→ 现有解决方案的分类地图。每项:功能、缺失、差距所在。
评估(2-3分钟)
我们应该基于X还是Y构建?
采用X值得吗?
在我们的案例中使用X的利弊
→ 跨维度(成本、工作量、风险、适配度、持久性)的决策矩阵评分。带置信度的推荐。
阶段详情
深度挖掘提示
使用以下研究方法生成子代理(Sonnet):
- 1. 定义问题。 重述研究问题。我们具体想了解什么?
- 2. 收集来源。 搜索:
- 官方文档/主要来源(最可靠)
- 社区讨论(Reddit、HN、Discord — 真实用户意见)
- 技术分析(博客文章、基准测试、对比)
- GitHub指标(星标、活跃度、问题、贡献者)
- 商业背景(融资、团队、商业模式)
- 3. 评估来源。 对每个来源:
- 可信度:官方 vs 社区 vs 观点
- 时效性:何时发布/更新?
- 偏见:作者是否与结果有利害关系?
- 4. 提取模式。 各来源中浮现出哪些主题?
- 共识点(高置信度)
- 分歧点(需要进一步调查)
- 信息空白
- 5. 结构化输出。 编写RESEARCH.md,包含:
- 执行摘要(3-5句话)
- 关键发现(编号,附来源)
- 详细分析(按主题组织)
- 空白与注意事项(无法验证的内容)
- 推荐(如适用)
- 来源(附URL)
对比提示
用于在M个维度上比较N个项目:
- 1. 定义对比轴。 哪些维度对此决策重要?
- 功能:能做什么?
- 性能:多快/多可靠?
- 成本:定价模式、免费层级?
- 生态:集成、社区、文档?
- 成熟度:经过多少实战检验?
- 2. 评分每个项目(每个维度1-5分):
| 维度 | 选项A | 选项B | 选项C |
|------------|-------|-------|-------|
| 功能集 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| 易用性 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐| ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ |
- 3. 情境化推荐。 不是A最好,而是如果你需要X,A最好;如果你需要Y,B最好。
全景分析提示
用于绘制领域地图:
- 1. 分类解决方案:
- 直接竞争对手(相同方法,相同用户)
- 相邻工具(不同方法,重叠用例)
- 变通方案(非产品,但人们目前如何解决)
- 新兴方案(新事物,尚未验证)
- 2. 对每个解决方案:
- 功能(1句话)
- 优势(强项)
- 缺失(差距)
- 适用人群(理想用户)
- 3. 识别差距。 哪里没人做得好?那就是机会所在。
输出文件
- - RESEARCH.md — 深度挖掘报告(带来源的完整分析)
- 对比结果输出到stdout(记录在对话中)
- 全景地图输出到stdout或LANDSCAPE.md(如果较长)
模型选择
| 模式 | 模型 | 原因 |
|---|
| 快速 | Haiku | 简单查询,快速回答 |
| 深度挖掘 |
Sonnet | 需要推理、来源评估 |
| 对比 | Sonnet | 需要评分判断 |
| 全景分析 | Sonnet | 需要分类和模式识别 |
| 评估 | Sonnet | 需要决策框架 |
提示
- - 具体明确。 研究AI太宽泛。研究面向独立开发者的AI编程代理才可操作。
- 说明目标。 我需要决定X和Y之间选哪个能指明研究方向。
- 设定时间限制。 给我前5个,不是前50个能保持聚焦。
- 要求来源。 告诉我你在哪里找到的便于验证。