Deep Research Command

Conduct systematic, multi-source research on specified topics using AI-powered analysis and cross-referenced insights.

🎯 Purpose & Scope

What this command does NOT do:

•Generate research without source attribution
•Create content without verification

When to REJECT:

•Topic is better suited for simple web search

🔄 Workflow

ultrathink: you'd perform the following steps

Step 1: Planning

•
Analyze Requirements
- •Parse research topic from $ARGUMENTS
- •Identify optional focus areas
- •Determine research scope and boundaries
- •
  Select Research Strategy based on topic type:
  - •Technical/Scientific: Prioritize academic papers, documentation, code repos
  - •Historical: Focus on primary sources, archives, temporal progression
  - •Current Events: Emphasize recent sources, news, real-time updates
  - •Theoretical/Conceptual: Balance foundational texts with recent developments
  - •Product/Market: Industry reports, user feedback, competitive analysis
- •Plan source discovery strategy aligned with selected approach
•
Initialize Research Infrastructure
- •Create research workspace: research_$ARGUMENTS_$(date +%Y%m%d)
- •Initialize source tracker: source_tracker.md
- •Set up finding templates for cross-source insights
- •
  Check for existing research sessions: Look for source_tracker.md in workspace
  - •If exists: Resume from last state (check status fields)
  - •Auto-save progress to tracker after each source analysis
  - •Tracker serves as both documentation and checkpoint
  - •Resume capability: Continue from any 'pending' or 'analyzing' sources
•
Identify Applicable Workflows & Standards
- •Identify any relevant workflows for research processes
- •Identify any related documentation standards
- •Note: MUST follow any matching workflows and standards
•
Delegation Decision
- •Plan parallel source analysis tasks
- •Identify specialized research agents needed
- •Define synthesis coordination points
•
Risk Assessment
- •Identify potential source reliability issues
- •Plan verification strategies
- •Note information gaps

Step 2: Execution

•
Workflow Compliance
- •MUST follow workflows identified in Phase 1
- •Apply research methodology standards
- •Reference specific workflow files when applicable
•
Primary Implementation
- •Dispatch subagents for iterative source analysis
- •
  Each agent analyzes assigned sources for:
  - •Key information relevant to topic
  - •Cross-source patterns and themes
  - •Contradictions and debates
  - •NEW INSIGHTS requiring further research
- •Update source tracker with analysis status
- •CRITICAL: When finding new insights, discover additional sources
•
Cross-Source Finding Format
- •Pattern/Theme identification
- •Evidence compilation from multiple sources
- •Implication analysis for research topic
- •Source attribution with locations
•
Iterative Deep Research Strategy
- •
  Discovery Triggers: When subagents identify:
  - •Unfamiliar concepts or terminology
  - •References to related work
  - •Gaps in understanding
  - •Contradictory information requiring more context
- •
  Action Protocol:
  1. •Add discovered sources to tracker immediately
  2. •Spawn new research tasks for high-relevance discoveries
  3. •Update finding files with connection chains
  4. •Document research depth (initial → level 2 → level 3)
- •Depth Limits: Maximum 3 levels of iterative discovery
- •Priority Management: High-relevance discoveries analyzed first
•
Edge Case Handling
- •No sources found: Expand search parameters
- •Duplicate sources: Check content similarity before analysis
- •Conflicting information: Document all perspectives
- •Subagent timeout: Mark as failed, continue with available data
- •Discovery overflow: Prioritize by relevance + credibility
- •Circular references: Document but don't re-analyze
- •Early termination: If high-confidence convergent evidence achieved

Step 3: Verification

•
Quality Assurance
- •Verify all sources marked as analyzed have summaries
- •Confirm discovered sources are tracked and processed
- •Cross-reference findings across multiple sources
- •Identify contradictions between sources
- •Flag gaps in research coverage
- •Validate discovery chains (source → insight → new source)
•
Consolidation Tasks
- •Merge similar findings from different subagents
- •Resolve conflicting information with source priority
- •
  Apply Synthesis Framework:
  - •Convergent Evidence: Multiple sources supporting same conclusion
  - •Divergent Perspectives: Document contrasting viewpoints with context
  - •Confidence Scoring: Weight findings by source credibility + convergence
  - •Knowledge Gaps: Explicitly mark where evidence is insufficient
- •Create synthesis notes for complex topics with confidence levels
•
Source Validation
- •Confirm source reliability and credibility
- •Check for citation accuracy
- •Verify quotes and references
•
Side Effect Validation
- •Clean temporary sketchpad files
- •Ensure all findings traceable to sources
- •Verify workspace organization

Step 4: Reporting

Output Format:

text

[✅/❌] Research: $ARGUMENTS

## Summary
- Initial sources: [count]
- **Discovered sources: [count] (across [N] levels)**
- Total sources analyzed: [count]
- **Duplicates detected: [count]**
- Key findings: [count]
- Research gaps: [count]
- **Overall confidence**: [High/Medium/Low]
- **Discovery depth reached: [1-3 levels]**
- **Credibility distribution**: Academic:[N] | Official:[N] | Industry:[N] | Community:[N]

## Executive Summary
[3-5 sentence overview of key discoveries]

## Key Findings
### Finding 1: [Title] (Confidence: High/Medium/Low)
- **Evidence**: [Sources and quotes with credibility indicators]
- **Convergence**: [N sources agree] | [M sources disagree]
- **Significance**: [Why this matters]

### Finding 2: [Title] (Confidence: High/Medium/Low)
[Continue pattern...]

## Thematic Analysis
### Theme A: [Emergent Pattern]
[Synthesis across multiple findings]

## Debates and Contradictions
[Areas where sources disagree]

## Discovery Chains
### Chain 1: [Initial Topic → Discovery]
- Started with: [initial source]
- Led to discovery of: [concept/source]
- Further revealed: [deeper insight]

### Chain 2: [Another Discovery Path]
[Continue pattern...]

## Research Gaps
[What wasn't found or needs further investigation]

## References
[Complete source list with access information, grouped by discovery level]
### Level 1 (Initial Sources)
- [Source 1]
- [Source 2]

### Level 2 (Discovered from initial research)
- [Source A] ← discovered from [Source 1]
- [Source B] ← discovered from [Source 2]

### Level 3 (Deep discoveries)
- [Source X] ← discovered from [Source A]

📝 Examples

Basic Research

bash

/deep-research "quantum computing applications"
# Conducts comprehensive research on quantum computing uses

Focused Research

bash

/deep-research "machine learning" "healthcare applications"
# Researches ML specifically in healthcare context

Complex Multi-Domain Research

bash

/deep-research "climate change impact on global supply chains"
# Analyzes intersection of climate and supply chain topics

Iterative Discovery Research

bash

/deep-research "emerging AI safety frameworks"
# Initial search finds 3 sources
# Agent A discovers reference to "constitutional AI" → adds 2 new sources
# Agent B finds mention of "RLHF techniques" → triggers deep dive with 4 sources
# Agent C identifies "red teaming methodologies" → spawns specialized search
# Result: 15 total sources analyzed across 3 discovery levels

Parallel Source Analysis

bash

/deep-research "blockchain scalability solutions"
# Automatically delegates to:
#   - Agent A: Academic papers analysis
#   - Agent B: Industry reports (parallel)
#   - Agent C: Technical documentation (parallel)
#   - Agent D: Synthesis and consolidation

Error Case Handling

bash

/deep-research "classified-information"
# Error: Topic requires restricted access
# Suggestion: Refine to publicly available information
# Alternative: Focus on general concepts instead