Research

Workflow Routing

Route to the appropriate workflow based on the request.

CRITICAL: For due diligence, company/person background checks, or vetting -> INVOKE OSINT SKILL INSTEAD

Research Modes (Primary Workflows)

• Quick research - DEFAULT (1 Claude, FREE) → Workflows/QuickResearch.md
• Standard research (3 agents: Claude + Gemini + Perplexity Sonar, ~$0.01) → Workflows/StandardResearch.md
  Trigger: "standard research", "thorough research", "research X from multiple angles"
• Extensive research (4-5 providers, flexible angles, ~$0.10-0.50) → Workflows/ExtensiveResearch.md Trigger: "extensive research" - REQUIRES USER CONFIRMATION

Controller & Constraints

• Research with enforced recursion limits → ResearchController.md
  READ FIRST: When spawning parallel research agents to prevent Matryoshka Paradox

Deep Content Analysis

• Extract alpha / deep analysis / highest-alpha insights -> Workflows/ExtractAlpha.md

Content Retrieval

• Difficulty accessing content (CAPTCHA, bot detection, blocking) -> Workflows/Retrieve.md
• YouTube URL extraction (use fabric -y URL immediately) -> Workflows/YoutubeExtraction.md
• Web scraping -> Workflows/WebScraping.md

Specific Research Types

• Claude WebSearch only (free, no API keys) -> Workflows/ClaudeResearch.md
• Perplexity API research (use Quick for single-agent) -> Workflows/QuickResearch.md
• Interview preparation (Tyler Cowen style) -> Workflows/InterviewResearch.md
• AI trends analysis -> Workflows/AnalyzeAiTrends.md

Fabric Pattern Processing

• Use Fabric patterns (242+ specialized prompts) -> Workflows/Fabric.md

Content Enhancement

• Enhance/improve content -> Workflows/Enhance.md
• Extract knowledge from content -> Workflows/ExtractKnowledge.md

Quick Reference

READ: QuickReference.md for detailed examples and mode comparison.

Integration

Feeds Into

• blogging - Research for blog posts
• newsletter - Research for newsletters
• xpost - Create posts from research

Uses

• be-creative - deep thinking for extract alpha
• OSINT - MANDATORY for company/people comprehensive research
• BrightData MCP - CAPTCHA solving, advanced scraping
• Apify MCP - RAG browser, specialized site scrapers

File Organization

Scratch (temporary work artifacts): ~/.opencode/MEMORY/WORK/{current_work}/scratch/

• Read ~/.opencode/MEMORY/STATE/current-work.json to get the work_dir value
• All iterative work artifacts go in the current work item's scratch/ subdirectory
• This ties research artifacts to the work item for learning and context

History (permanent): ~/.opencode/History/research/YYYY-MM/YYYY-MM-DD_[topic]/

⚠️ MANDATORY: Research Agent Constraints

CRITICAL RULES to prevent Matryoshka Paradox (recursive agent spawning):

1. Recursion Depth Limit

• MAXIMUM 1 level deep: Parent Research Agent → Sub-Agent(s)
• Sub-Agents CANNOT spawn further research agents
• Any research task requiring more depth must be handled by the parent

2. Sub-Agent Tier Restrictions

When a Research Agent spawns Sub-Agents:

• ✅ ALLOWED: QuickResearch (1 agent, FREE)
• ✅ ALLOWED: StandardResearch (3 agents, ~$0.01)
• ❌ FORBIDDEN: ExtensiveResearch in Sub-Agents

3. ExtensiveResearch Requires Human Approval

• ExtensiveResearch (~$0.10-0.50) MUST get explicit user confirmation before executing
• Sub-Agents CANNOT auto-trigger expensive research modes
• Pattern: Ask user → Get confirmation → Then spawn

4. Enforcement

When implementing research workflows:

// Parent agent (you) decides tier
IF cost < $0.01 AND no_sub_agents_needed:
  → Use QuickResearch or StandardResearch
  
IF cost > $0.01 OR complex multi-angle:
  → Ask user for ExtensiveResearch approval
  → Only spawn Sub-Agents with Quick/Standard modes
  → Sub-Agents return results to parent
  → Parent synthesizes (no further spawning)

Violation: If you see a plan with 3+ levels of research agents, STOP and restructure.