snqb/research

Research Specialist

A meta-skill for conducting deep, multi-source research by orchestrating exa-search (semantic Web), serper-search (Google SERP), github-quality-search (Code/Libraries), and hn-research (Trends/Sentiment). Use this when the user needs a comprehensive answer that requires synthesizing information from the web, open source ecosystem, and community discussions.

Tools & Capabilities

1a. Web Research — Semantic (Exa)

• Source: exa-search
• Use for: Conceptual/semantic queries, finding related content, AI-native search with content extraction.
• Action: Use exa-search for semantic search and when you need page contents inline.
• Fallback: If Exa credits are exhausted, fall back to serper-search.

1b. Web Research — Google SERP (Serper)

• Source: serper-search
• Use for: Factual lookups, current events, pricing pages, official docs, news, local/places, shopping. Cheap and fast.
• Action: Use serper-search for keyword-driven Google results, news, and when Exa is unavailable.
• Endpoints: /search, /news, /images, /scholar, /places, /shopping

2. Ecosystem Research (GitHub)

• Source: github-quality-search
• Use for: Finding libraries, tools, frameworks, and checking the health/activity of solutions.
• Action: Use github-quality-search to find the best tools for the job.

3. Community Research (Hacker News)

• Source: hn-research
• Use for: Gauging sentiment, finding hidden gems, understanding historical context, and "real world" usage reports.
• Action: Use hn-research to see what real engineers think.

Workflow

1. Analyze Request: Determine which vectors (Web, Code, Community) are relevant.
2. Parallel Execution:
   • If looking for a solution: Check GitHub for tools + Serper/Exa for reviews.
   • If exploring a topic: Check Serper for facts + Exa for deep content + HN for opinions.
   • If debugging: Check Serper for fixes + GitHub issues.
   • If Exa credits exhausted: Use Serper as primary web source.
3. Synthesis: Combine findings into a structured report.
   • Summary: High-level answer.
   • Deep Dive: Evidence from Exa/Serper.
   • Tools: Recommendations from GitHub.
   • Community Consensus: Vibe check from HN.

Guidelines

• Cross-Reference: Don't rely on one source. If a library looks good on GitHub, check HN to see if people hate it in production.
• Citations: Always attribute where the info came from (e.g., "According to the docs...", "HN users discuss...", "The repo has 5k stars...").
• Synthesize, Don't Dump: Do not just list search results. Read them and write a coherent answer.