Research

Deep market research — competitor analysis, user pain points, SEO/ASO keywords, naming/domain availability, and TAM/SAM/SOM sizing. Use when user says "research this idea", "find competitors", "check the market", "domain availability", "market size", or "analyze opportunity". Do NOT use for idea scoring (use /validate) or SEO auditing existing pages (use /seo-audit).

Rust@fortunto2

Install

openclaw skills install @fortunto2/solo-research

/research

Deep research before PRD generation. Produces a structured research.md with competitive analysis, user pain points, SEO/ASO keywords, naming/domain options, and market sizing.

MCP Tools (use if available)

If MCP tools are available, prefer them over CLI:

kb_search(query, n_results) — search knowledge base for related docs
web_search(query, engines, include_raw_content) — web search with engine routing
session_search(query, project) — find how similar research was done before
project_info(name) — check project details and stacks
codegraph_explain(project) — architecture overview of an existing project (stack, patterns, deps)
codegraph_query(query) — raw Cypher queries against code graph (find shared packages, dependencies)
project_code_search(query, project) — semantic search over project source code

MCP web_search supports engine override: engines="reddit", engines="youtube", etc. If MCP tools are not available, use WebSearch/WebFetch as primary. If MCP web_search tool is available, use it for better results.

Reddit Search Best Practices

Max 3 keywords in reddit queries — more keywords = fewer results
Good: "product hunt outreach launch" — Bad: "product hunt scraper maker profiles linkedin outreach launch strategy"
include_raw_content=true rarely works for Reddit — use fallback chain below

Reddit Content Access — Fallback Chain

When a search finds a relevant Reddit post, reading its full content requires a fallback chain:

text

1. MCP Playwright (old.reddit.com)     ← BEST: bypasses CAPTCHA, full post + comments
2. PullPush API (api.pullpush.io)      ← search by query/subreddit/author/score/date
3. MCP web_search include_raw_content   ← sometimes works, often truncated
4. WebFetch / WebSearch snippets        ← last resort, partial data only

Method 1: MCP Playwright (recommended for full post content)

Use browser_navigate("https://old.reddit.com/r/...") — old.reddit.com loads without CAPTCHA
www.reddit.com shows CAPTCHA ("Prove your humanity"), always use old.reddit.com
Snapshot contains full post text + comments in structured YAML
Example: old.reddit.com/r/indiehackers/comments/abc123/post_title/

Method 2: PullPush API (for search/discovery)

Endpoint: https://api.pullpush.io/reddit/submission/search
Params: q, subreddit, author, score (e.g. >10,<100), since/until (unix timestamps), size (max 100)
Rate limits: soft 15 req/min, hard 30 req/min, 1000 req/hr. Sleep 4 sec between requests.
Returns JSON with full selftext, author, score, created_utc
Comment search: /reddit/comment/search (same params)
Can use via curl:

bash

curl -s "https://api.pullpush.io/reddit/submission/search?q=product+hunt+launch&subreddit=indiehackers&size=10"

Method 3: Reddit .json endpoint (often blocked)

Append .json to any Reddit URL: reddit.com/r/sub/comments/id.json
Returns raw JSON with full post + comments
Frequently blocked (403/429) — use as opportunistic fallback only

Method 4: PRAW (Reddit Official API, for live search/user profiles)

praw-dev/praw — Python Reddit API Wrapper
OAuth2 auth, built-in rate limiting, sync/async support
Best for: live subreddit search, user profiles, comment trees
pip install praw / uv add praw

Search Strategy: Hybrid (MCP + WebSearch)

Use multiple search backends together. Each has strengths:

Step	Best backend	Why
Competitors	WebSearch + `site:producthunt.com` + `site:g2.com`	Broad discovery + Product Hunt + B2B reviews
Reddit / Pain points	MCP `web_search` with `engines: reddit` (max 3 keywords!) + MCP Playwright for full posts	PullPush API, selftext in content
YouTube reviews	MCP `web_search` with `engines: youtube`	Video reviews (views = demand)
Market size	WebSearch	Synthesizes numbers from 10 sources
SEO / ASO	WebSearch	Broader coverage, trend data
Page scraping	WebFetch or MCP `web_search` with `include_raw_content`	Up to 5000 chars of page content
Hacker News	WebSearch `site:news.ycombinator.com`	HN discussions and opinions
Funding / Companies	WebSearch `site:crunchbase.com`	Competitor funding, team size
Verified revenue	WebFetch `trustmrr.com/startup/<slug>`	Stripe-verified MRR, growth, tech stack, traffic

Search Availability

Use WebSearch/WebFetch as primary. If MCP web_search tool is available, use it for better results (supports engine routing and raw content extraction).

Steps

Parse the idea from $ARGUMENTS. If empty, ask the user what idea they want to research.
Detect product type — infer from the idea description:
- Keywords like "app", "mobile", "iPhone", "Android" → mobile (ios/android)
- Keywords like "website", "SaaS", "dashboard", "web app" → web
- Keywords like "CLI", "terminal", "command line" → cli
- Keywords like "API", "backend", "service" → api
- Keywords like "extension", "plugin", "browser" → web (extension)
- Default if unclear → web
- Only ask via AskUserQuestion if truly ambiguous (e.g., "build a todo app" could be web or mobile)
- This determines which research sections apply (ASO for mobile, SEO for web, etc.)
Search knowledge base and past work:
- If MCP kb_search available: kb_search(query="<idea keywords>", n_results=5)
- If MCP session_search available: session_search(query="<idea keywords>") — check if this idea was researched before
- Otherwise: Grep for keywords in .md files
- Check if research.md or prd.md already exist for this idea.
Check existing portfolio (if MCP codegraph tools available):
- codegraph_explain(project="<similar project>") — architecture overview of related projects in the portfolio
- project_code_search(query="<relevant pattern>", project="<sibling>") — find reusable code, patterns, infrastructure
- codegraph_query("MATCH (p:Project)-[:DEPENDS_ON]->(pkg:Package) WHERE pkg.name CONTAINS '<relevant tech>' RETURN p.name, pkg.name") — find projects using similar tech
- This helps assess: feasibility, reusable code, stack decisions, and time estimates
- If no MCP tools available, skip this step.
Competitive analysis — use WebSearch (primary) + MCP web_search (if available):
- "<idea> competitors alternatives 2026" — broad discovery
- "<idea> app review pricing" — pricing data
- WebFetch or MCP include_raw_content=true: scrape competitor URLs for detailed pricing
- MCP engines: reddit or WebSearch: "<idea> vs" — user opinions
- "site:producthunt.com <idea>" — Product Hunt launches
- "site:g2.com <idea>" or "site:capterra.com <idea>" — B2B reviews
- "site:crunchbase.com <competitor>" — funding, team size
- "site:trustmrr.com <idea>" or WebFetch trustmrr.com/startup/<slug> — Stripe-verified MRR, growth %, tech stack, traffic (24h/7d/30d)
- For each competitor extract: name, URL, pricing, key features, weaknesses, verified MRR (if on TrustMRR)
User pain points — use MCP web_search / WebSearch + YouTube:
- MCP engines: reddit or WebSearch: "<problem>" — Reddit discussions (max 3 keywords!)
- If Reddit post found but content not available → open via MCP Playwright: browser_navigate("https://old.reddit.com/r/...") — old.reddit.com bypasses CAPTCHA
- MCP engines: youtube or WebSearch: "<problem> review" — video reviews
- "site:news.ycombinator.com <problem>" — Hacker News opinions
- WebSearch: "<problem> frustrating OR annoying" — broader sweep
- Synthesis: top 5 pain points with quotes and source URLs
SEO / ASO analysis (depends on product type from step 2):

For web apps:
- "<competitor> SEO keywords ranking" — competitor keywords
- "<problem domain> search volume trends 2026" — demand signals
- WebFetch or MCP include_raw_content: scrape competitor pages for meta tags
- Result: keyword table (keyword, intent, competition, relevance)
For mobile apps:
- "<category> App Store top apps keywords 2026" — category landscape
- "site:reddit.com <competitor app> review" — user complaints
- Result: ASO keywords, competitor ratings, common complaints
Naming, domains, and company registration:
- Generate 7-10 name candidates (mix of descriptive + invented/brandable)
- Domain availability: triple verification (whois → dig → RDAP)
- Trademark + company name conflict checks
See references/domain-check.md (bundled with this skill) for TLD priority tiers, bash scripts, gotchas, and trademark check methods.
Market sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM) — use WebSearch (primary):
- WebSearch: "<market> market size 2025 2026 report" — synthesizes numbers
- WebSearch: "<market> growth rate CAGR billion" — growth projections
- Extrapolation: TAM → SAM → SOM (Year 1)
Write research.md — write to docs/research.md in the current project directory. Create the directory if needed.
Output summary:
- Key findings (3-5 bullets)
- Recommendation: GO / NO-GO / PIVOT with brief reasoning
- Path to generated research.md
- Suggested next step: /validate <idea>

research.md Format

See references/research-template.md (bundled with this skill) for the full output template (frontmatter, 6 sections, tables).

Notes

Always use kebab-case for project directory names
If research.md already exists, ask before overwriting
Run search queries in parallel when independent

Common Issues

MCP web_search not available

Cause: MCP server not running or not configured. Fix: Use WebSearch/WebFetch as primary. For better results with engine routing (Reddit, GitHub, YouTube), set up SearXNG (private, self-hosted, free) and configure solograph MCP.

Domain check returns wrong results

Cause: .app/.dev whois shows TLD creation date for unregistered domains. Fix: Use the triple verification method (whois -> dig -> RDAP). Check Name Server and Registrar fields, not creation date.

research.md already exists

Cause: Previous research run for this idea. Fix: Skill asks before overwriting. Choose to merge new findings or start fresh.

Proactive Search Practices

Reddit Deep Dive

MCP web_search or WebSearch — use for discovery (max 3 keywords for Reddit), get post URLs
MCP Playwright — open old.reddit.com URLs to read full post + comments (bypasses CAPTCHA)
Extract quotes — copy key phrases with attribution (u/username, subreddit, date)
Cross-post detection — same post in multiple subreddits = higher signal

Product Hunt Research

producthunt.com/visit-streaks — streak leaderboard (scrapeable via Playwright)
producthunt.com/@username — profile with social links, maker history, points
PH API v2 is broken — redacts usernames/Twitter since Feb 2023, use scraping
Apify actors — check for DEPRECATED status before relying on them (mass deprecation Sep 2025)

TrustMRR Revenue Validation

trustmrr.com/startup/<slug> — Stripe-verified MRR, growth %, subscriptions, traffic
WebFetch works — no auth needed, returns full page with JSON-LD structured data
Data fields: MRR, all-time revenue, last 30 days, active subs, tech stack, traffic (24h/7d/30d), category, founder X handle
Use for: competitor revenue validation, market sizing with real data, tech stack discovery
Search: "site:trustmrr.com <category or idea>" to find similar startups with verified revenue
Apify scrapers: TrustMRR Scraper for bulk extraction

GitHub Library Discovery

MCP engines: github — often returns empty, use WebSearch as primary
github.com/topics/ — browse topic pages via Playwright or WebFetch
Check stars, last update, open issues — avoid abandoned repos

Blocked Content Fallback Chain