thomasholknielsen/websearch-quick

Quick Web Research Strategy

What This Skill Does

Provides fast, targeted search methodology for simple questions requiring direct factual answers from authoritative sources. Implements single-pass workflow with precise query formulation and minimal citation overhead.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the research question requires:

• Version lookups: "What version of React Router was released in 2025?"
• Documentation finding: "Find docs for Terraform AWS provider"
• Simple definitions: "What is GraphQL?"
• Existence checks: "Does Next.js support Server Components?"
• URL/link requests: "Link to Python asyncio documentation"

Triggers: Keywords like "what version", "find docs", "link to", "what is", "does X support", "URL for"

Instructions

Single-Pass Workflow

Objective: Execute 1-2 targeted queries, identify 1-2 authoritative sources, extract concise answer.

Step 1: Targeted Query Formulation (1-2 Queries)

Generate 1-2 highly specific queries using advanced operators:

Query Strategy:

• Official Source Priority: Use site: operator for authoritative domains
• File Type Targeting: Use filetype: for specific document types
• Exact Phrase Matching: Use "exact phrase" for precision
• Recent Content: Use after:YYYY for latest information

Examples:

Version Lookup:
- site:npmjs.com "react-router" "version"
- site:github.com "react-router" "releases" after:2025

Documentation Finding:
- site:terraform.io "aws provider" "documentation"
- site:docs.python.org "asyncio"

Simple Definition:
- site:graphql.org "what is GraphQL"
- "GraphQL definition" site:official-docs

Existence Check:
- site:nextjs.org "Server Components" "support"
- "Next.js Server Components" site:vercel.com

Step 2: Authoritative Source Identification (1-2 Sources)

Target Authoritative Sources:

• Official documentation: Framework/library official sites
• Package registries: npm, PyPI, Maven Central
• Official GitHub repos: Releases, changelog
• Peer-reviewed sources: Academic papers (rare for quick lookups)

Credibility Hierarchy:

1. Official docs (highest authority)
2. Official GitHub/package registry
3. Established tech publications (MDN, Smashing Magazine)
4. Community sources (Stack Overflow) - only if official unavailable

Step 3: Extract Concise Answer

Extract direct answer with minimal context:

Answer Format:

{Concise 1-3 sentence answer with inline citation [1]}

Optional: {1 sentence additional context if needed} [2]

Examples:

Version Lookup:
React Router v7.2.0 was released on March 15, 2025 [1]. The release introduced new data loading APIs and improved TypeScript support [1].

Documentation Finding:
The Terraform AWS Provider documentation is available at https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs [1].

Simple Definition:
GraphQL is a query language for APIs that allows clients to request exactly the data they need [1].

Existence Check:
Yes, Next.js 14+ supports Server Components as a stable feature [1]. Server Components are enabled by default in the App Router [1].

Step 4: Minimal Citation

Provide 1-2 citations with essential information only:

Citation Format:

[1] **{Source Title}**
    - URL: {URL}
    - Author/Org: {organization}
    - Date: {YYYY-MM-DD}
    - Excerpt: "{1-sentence quote}"

Example:

[1] **React Router v7 Release Notes**
    - URL: https://github.com/remix-run/react-router/releases/tag/v7.2.0
    - Author/Org: Remix Team
    - Date: 2025-03-15
    - Excerpt: "React Router v7.2.0 introduces new data loading APIs..."

Step 5: Verify Factual Accuracy

Quick verification checklist:

• [ ] Answer directly addresses the question?
• [ ] Source is authoritative (official or highly credible)?
• [ ] Information is recent (if time-sensitive)?
• [ ] Citation includes URL for user verification?

No iteration - single pass only for quick mode.

Output Template

# Web Research Analysis (Quick Mode)

**Research Mode**: quick
**Objective**: {1-sentence: what was researched}

---

## Answer

{Concise 1-3 sentence answer with inline citations [1][2]}

---

## Source Citations

[1] **{Source Title}**
    - URL: {URL}
    - Author/Org: {author/org}
    - Date: {date}
    - Excerpt: "{quote}"

[2] **{Source Title}** (if applicable)
    - URL: {URL}
    - Author/Org: {author/org}
    - Date: {date}
    - Excerpt: "{quote}"

Examples

Example 1: Version Lookup

Scenario: "What version of React Router was released in 2025?"

Process:

Query (1):
site:github.com "react-router" "releases" "2025"

Source Identified (1):
React Router GitHub Releases [1]

Answer Extracted:
React Router v7.2.0 was released on March 15, 2025 [1].

Citation:
[1] React Router v7.2.0 Release
    - URL: https://github.com/remix-run/react-router/releases/tag/v7.2.0
    - Author/Org: Remix Team
    - Date: 2025-03-15
    - Excerpt: "v7.2.0 Release Notes..."

Verification: ✅ Authoritative (official repo), ✅ Recent, ✅ Directly answers question

Output: Quick Mode Context File with concise answer and 1 citation

Example 2: Documentation Finding

Scenario: "Find docs for Python asyncio"

Process:

Query (1):
site:docs.python.org "asyncio"

Source Identified (1):
Python Official Documentation [1]

Answer Extracted:
The Python asyncio documentation is available at https://docs.python.org/3/library/asyncio.html [1].

Citation:
[1] Python asyncio Documentation
    - URL: https://docs.python.org/3/library/asyncio.html
    - Author/Org: Python Software Foundation
    - Date: 2025-01-10 (last updated)
    - Excerpt: "asyncio is a library to write concurrent code using async/await syntax."

Verification: ✅ Official docs, ✅ Recent, ✅ Direct link

Output: Quick Mode summary with documentation URL

Example 3: Simple Definition

Scenario: "What is GraphQL?"

Process:

Queries (2):
- site:graphql.org "what is GraphQL"
- "GraphQL definition"

Sources Identified (1 primary):
GraphQL Official Site [1]

Answer Extracted:
GraphQL is a query language for APIs and a runtime for fulfilling queries with existing data [1].
It was developed by Facebook and provides a complete description of the data in your API [1].

Citations:
[1] GraphQL Introduction
    - URL: https://graphql.org/
    - Author/Org: GraphQL Foundation
    - Date: 2024-12-01 (last updated)
    - Excerpt: "GraphQL is a query language for APIs and a runtime for fulfilling those queries..."

Verification: ✅ Official source, ✅ Clear definition

Output: Quick Mode summary with definition and official citation

Example 4: Existence Check

Scenario: "Does Next.js support Server Components?"

Process:

Query (1):
site:nextjs.org "Server Components" "support"

Source Identified (1):
Next.js Official Documentation [1]

Answer Extracted:
Yes, Next.js 14+ supports Server Components as a stable feature [1]. Server Components are
enabled by default in the App Router and allow rendering components on the server [1].

Citation:
[1] Next.js Server Components Documentation
    - URL: https://nextjs.org/docs/app/building-your-application/rendering/server-components
    - Author/Org: Vercel
    - Date: 2025-01-20
    - Excerpt: "Server Components are a new feature that allow you to render components on the server..."

Verification: ✅ Official docs, ✅ Recent, ✅ Confirms existence and provides context

Output: Quick Mode summary confirming Server Components support

Best Practices

• Official Sources First: Always try site:official-domain.com before broader searches
• Be Specific: Use exact version numbers, product names, specific terminology
• Avoid Over-Research: 1-2 sources sufficient for factual lookups - don't overthink
• Verify Recency: For technology topics, check publication/update date
• Direct Answers Only: No analysis, no comparison, no deep dive - just the answer
• Single Iteration: Never iterate in quick mode - if answer unclear, escalate to standard mode

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Version Lookup

Query: site:{official-repo} "{package}" "version" "release" after:YYYY
Source: GitHub releases, npm registry, official changelog
Answer: "{Package} v{X.Y.Z} released on {date} [1]"

Pattern 2: Documentation URL

Query: site:{official-docs-domain} "{topic}"
Source: Official documentation site
Answer: "Documentation available at {URL} [1]"

Pattern 3: Yes/No Existence Check

Query: site:{official-site} "{feature}" "support"
Source: Official feature documentation
Answer: "Yes/No, {product} supports {feature} [1]. {1-sentence context} [1]"

Troubleshooting

Issue 1: Multiple Conflicting Versions

• Check official source first (GitHub releases, official site)
• Verify date (latest is correct for "current version" questions)
• If user asks about specific date, note date in answer

Issue 2: No Official Documentation Found

• Try package registry (npm, PyPI)
• Check official GitHub repo
• If still not found, note "No official documentation found; community resources available at {URL}"

Issue 3: Question More Complex Than Expected

• Don't force quick mode for complex questions
• Note in output: "Question requires deeper analysis; recommend /research:standard or /research:deep"
• Provide best-effort answer with caveat

Integration Points

• WebSearch Tool: Execute 1-2 targeted queries only
• Official Sources: Prioritize site: operator for authoritative domains
• Context Files: Persist minimal findings to .agent/Session-{name}/context/research-web-analyst.md
• No MCP Servers: Quick mode avoids external dependencies for speed

Key Terminology

• Targeted Query: Highly specific search using advanced operators
• Authoritative Source: Official documentation, package registry, official repo
• Single-Pass: One iteration only, no refinement
• Concise Answer: 1-3 sentences directly addressing question
• Minimal Citation: 1-2 sources with essential metadata only

Additional Resources

• Google Search Operators: https://ahrefs.com/blog/google-advanced-search-operators/
• Official Documentation Sites: Language/framework official domains
• Package Registries: npm (https://npmjs.com), PyPI (https://pypi.org), Maven (https://mvnrepository.com)