langchain-ai / web-research

Skill Content

---
name: web-research
description: Use this skill for requests related to web research; it provides a structured approach to conducting comprehensive web research 
---

# Web Research Skill

This skill provides a structured approach to conducting comprehensive web research using the `task` tool to spawn research subagents. It emphasizes planning, efficient delegation, and systematic synthesis of findings.

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Research complex topics requiring multiple information sources
- Gather and synthesize current information from the web
- Conduct comparative analysis across multiple subjects
- Produce well-sourced research reports with clear citations

## Research Process

### Step 1: Create and Save Research Plan

Before delegating to subagents, you MUST:

1. **Create a research folder** - Organize all research files in a dedicated folder relative to the current working directory:
   ```
   mkdir research_[topic_name]
   ```
   This keeps files organized and prevents clutter in the working directory.

2. **Analyze the research question** - Break it down into distinct, non-overlapping subtopics

3. **Write a research plan file** - Use the `write_file` tool to create `research_[topic_name]/research_plan.md` containing:
   - The main research question
   - 2-5 specific subtopics to investigate
   - Expected information from each subtopic
   - How results will be synthesized

**Planning Guidelines:**
- **Simple fact-finding**: 1-2 subtopics
- **Comparative analysis**: 1 subtopic per comparison element (max 3)
- **Complex investigations**: 3-5 subtopics

### Step 2: Delegate to Research Subagents

For each subtopic in your plan:

1. **Use the `task` tool** to spawn a research subagent with:
   - Clear, specific research question (no acronyms)
   - Instructions to write findings to a file: `research_[topic_name]/findings_[subtopic].md`
   - Budget: 3-5 web searches maximum

2. **Run up to 3 subagents in parallel** for efficient research

**Subagent Instructions Template:**
```
Research [SPECIFIC TOPIC]. Use the web_search tool to gather information.
After completing your research, use write_file to save your findings to research_[topic_name]/findings_[subtopic].md.
Include key facts, relevant quotes, and source URLs.
Use 3-5 web searches maximum.
```

### Step 3: Synthesize Findings

After all subagents complete:

1. **Review the findings files** that were saved locally:
   - First run `list_files research_[topic_name]` to see what files were created
   - Then use `read_file` with the **file paths** (e.g., `research_[topic_name]/findings_*.md`)
   - **Important**: Use `read_file` for LOCAL files only, not URLs

2. **Synthesize the information** - Create a comprehensive response that:
   - Directly answers the original question
   - Integrates insights from all subtopics
   - Cites specific sources with URLs (from the findings files)
   - Identifies any gaps or limitations

3. **Write final report** (optional) - Use `write_file` to create `research_[topic_name]/research_report.md` if requested

**Note**: If you need to fetch additional information from URLs, use the `fetch_url` tool, not `read_file`.

## Available Tools

You have access to:
- **write_file**: Save research plans and findings to local files
- **read_file**: Read local files (e.g., findings saved by subagents)
- **list_files**: See what local files exist in a directory
- **fetch_url**: Fetch content from URLs and convert to markdown (use this for web pages, not read_file)
- **task**: Spawn research subagents with web_search access

## Research Subagent Configuration

Each subagent you spawn will have access to:
- **web_search**: Search the web using Tavily (parameters: query, max_results, topic, include_raw_content)
- **write_file**: Save their findings to the filesystem

## Best Practices

- **Plan before delegating** - Always write research_plan.md first
- **Clear subtopics** - Ensure each subagent has distinct, non-overlapping scope
- **File-based communication** - Have subagents save findings to files, not return them directly
- **Systematic synthesis** - Read all findings files before creating final response
- **Stop appropriately** - Don't over-research; 3-5 searches per subtopic is usually sufficient