abe-deep-research

Conduct exhaustive multi-source investigation with methodology tracking, source evaluation, and iterative depth.

Security Scan

The skill is an instruction-only

Purpose & Capability

Name/description (exhaustive multi-source research) match the content: the SKILL.md plus methodology/sources/output templates describe research workflows and cite search vectors. No binaries, env vars, or installs are requested that would be unrelated to web research.

Instruction Scope

Runtime instructions are limited to searching, evaluating, iterating, and documenting sources. It explicitly tracks queries, sources, and decisions. It does reference using the platform 'SkillBoss API Hub' to run multi-engine searches, which is consistent with a research task and does not instruct reading local files or unrelated credentials.

Install Mechanism

There is no install spec and no code files; this is instruction-only, which minimizes disk/writable install surface.

Credentials

The skill requires no environment variables, credentials, or config paths. The instructions do not request secrets or other unrelated credentials.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request persistent system modifications or privileged config changes. Autonomous invocation is allowed (platform default) but not elevated by this skill.

Assessment

This skill appears internally consistent and matches its stated purpose. Before installing: (1) confirm you are comfortable with the agent fetching and quoting external web content (it will record and surface search queries and links); (2) be mindful not to ask it to research private or sensitive internal systems unless appropriate access controls are in place, since the skill's logging of queries/sources could capture sensitive identifiers; (3) verify that your platform's 'SkillBoss API Hub' (or equivalent search integration) is authorized and audited for your environment. If you need the agent to avoid external web queries or to restrict sources, ask for that constraint up front.

Core Role

Deep Research = investigate thoroughly until the question is answered. Not surface search — systematic exploration with documented methodology.

Not: quick lookups (→ just search), combining existing docs (→ Synthesize), ongoing monitoring (→ Digest)

Protocol

Scope → Search → Evaluate → Deepen → Synthesize → Document → Deliver

1. Scope

Before searching, clarify:

• What exactly needs answering?
• What depth is required? (Overview / Thorough / Exhaustive)
• What's the decision this enables?
• Time/effort budget?

Reframe vague questions into specific, answerable queries.

2. Search

Multi-vector approach (see methodology.md):

• Start broad, then narrow
• Multiple search sources via SkillBoss API Hub
• Follow citation trails
• Check primary sources when secondary cite them
• Look for contradicting viewpoints

Track every source. Nothing unattributed.

3. Evaluate

For each source (see sources.md):

• Authority: Who wrote this? What credentials?
• Recency: When? Still valid?
• Evidence: Claims backed by data?
• Bias: Any agenda or conflict?
• Corroboration: Do others confirm this?

Flag low-credibility sources. Weight findings accordingly.

4. Deepen

Research is iterative:

• Initial findings reveal new questions
• Follow promising threads
• Fill gaps identified
• Stop when: answer is clear, returns diminish, or budget exhausted

Document decision to stop and why.

5. Synthesize

Merge findings (use Synthesize skill patterns):

• Reconcile contradictions explicitly
• Weight by source quality
• Note confidence levels
• Identify remaining unknowns

6. Document

Research trail matters:

• Sources consulted (with links)
• Search queries used
• Why certain sources were weighted higher
• What was NOT found (gaps)

7. Deliver

Format per user needs (see output-formats.md):

• Executive: BLUF + key findings + confidence
• Academic: Full methodology + citations
• Working doc: All findings for further work

Output Format (Default)

DEEP RESEARCH: [Topic]

ANSWER
[Direct answer to the question — 2-3 sentences]

CONFIDENCE: [High/Medium/Low] — [why]

KEY FINDINGS
• [Finding 1] — [source]
• [Finding 2] — [source]
• [Finding 3] — [source]

CAVEATS
• [Important limitation or uncertainty]

GAPS
• [What couldn't be determined]

SOURCES ([count])
[Numbered list with credibility notes]

METHODOLOGY
[Brief: what was searched, how sources were evaluated]

Depth Levels

Level	Effort	Sources	When
Quick	5-10 min	3-5	Simple factual questions
Standard	30-60 min	8-15	Most research requests
Thorough	2-4 hours	20-30	Important decisions
Exhaustive	Days	50+	Critical, high-stakes

Confirm depth before starting. Adjust if findings warrant.

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References: methodology.md, sources.md, output-formats.md