ai-tool-research

Researches how people are using an AI tool (Claude Desktop, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, Google Gemini, or OpenClaw) and generates a Productivity Playbook plus a Sk...

Security Scan

The skill's files, declared requirements, and runtime instructions are coherent with its stated purpose (monthly research + markdown generation); it asks the agent to read/update local output files and perform web searches but does not request unrelated credentials, installers, or persistent privileges.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description (research + produce playbook/catalog) lines up with what the skill asks the agent to do: search web/GitHub/X/Reddit/YouTube, rate items, read templates, and write two Markdown files. There are no unrelated env vars, binaries, or install steps requested.

Instruction Scope

The SKILL.md explicitly instructs the agent to read existing files in the chosen output_dir (e.g., existing playbook/catalog and research-log.md) and to run broad web searches (Google/X/GitHub/Reddit/YouTube) with date filters. This is expected for a research/orchestration skill, but it does mean the agent will access local files in the output directory and perform network queries — verify that the output_dir does not contain sensitive files you wouldn't want read or re-shared.

Install Mechanism

No install spec or downloaded code; this is instruction-only with support templates included. No archives, external installers, or unusual package pulls are present.

Credentials

The skill declares no required environment variables, credentials, or config paths. The runtime actions described (reading/writing markdown files and performing web searches) are proportionate to the stated purpose.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request permanent system-wide changes. README suggests copying into user skill folders for various runtimes (normal for agent skills). Autonomous agent invocation remains enabled by default (expected); no elevated privileges or modifications to other skills are requested.

Assessment

This skill looks internally consistent for its stated goal. Before installing or running it: 1) Run it in a project/user folder that contains only non-sensitive markdown (the skill will read existing playbooks and research-log.md in the output_dir). 2) Be aware it requires the host agent to have web/search access to produce live research (in offline runtimes it will degrade to using whatever context you paste). 3) If you plan to enable it in a long-lived agent, remember the agent can invoke skills by default — verify your agent's approval/sandbox settings if you want to limit autonomous runs. If you want extra assurance, inspect the generated output files and the research-log after the first run to confirm behavior. If you want me to re-check anything specific (e.g., proposed modifications to the SKILL.md or a runtime-specific integration snippet), provide that and I can reassess.

AI Tool Research Skill

Generates two Markdown artifacts for a given AI tool, updated for the last N days:

1. <Tool>-Productivity-Playbook.md — how real people are using it (personas, use cases, unusual examples, links).
2. <Tool>-Skills-Catalog.md — rated list of skills / extensions / plugins / rules / MCP servers with persona mapping.

The skill is runtime-agnostic. It works in Cursor, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT (web), Codex, Gemini CLI, and OpenClaw. See Usage across runtimes.

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When to invoke

Trigger on requests like:

• "Update the Cursor playbook with what happened this month"
• "Do the same research for Claude / Codex / Gemini / OpenClaw"
• "Run the monthly AI tool research"
• "Rebuild <Tool>-Skills-Catalog.md with fresh ratings"
• "Do all five tools for this month"

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Supported tools

Tool key	What it is	Primary sources
claude	Claude Desktop + Claude Code + Anthropic Skills	anthropic.com, anthropics/skills, obra/superpowers, ComposioHQ
cursor	Cursor AI IDE + Rules / Skills / Plugins	cursor.com, cursor.directory, awesome-cursorrules
codex	OpenAI Codex (CLI + IDE + App + Cloud)	openai.com/codex, openai/skills, openai/codex-plugins
gemini	Google Gemini app + Gemini CLI + Code Assist + NotebookLM + Gems	ai.google.dev, gemini-cli-extensions, Piebald-AI/awesome-gemini-cli-extensions
openclaw	Peter Steinberger's OpenClaw local AI agent	openclaw.ai, openclaw/clawhub, VoltAgent/awesome-openclaw-skills

All five honor the agentskills.io open SKILL.md standard, so skills from one ecosystem often work in another — this is called out in every catalog.

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Inputs

Gather these before starting:

Input	Required?	Default
tool	yes	ask the user: one of claude / cursor / codex / gemini / openclaw / all
since_date	no	30 days before today (monthly cadence)
output_dir	no	current working directory
existing_file_mode	no	rewrite (default) or append-appendix (preserves body, adds "Updates since YYYY-MM-DD" appendix)

If tool = all, loop through the five tools and produce ten files total.

Always print today's date and the since_date used at the top of every generated file so the user can verify the time window later.

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High-level workflow

Copy this checklist into the conversation and track progress:

Research Progress:
- [ ] 1. Confirm inputs (tool, since_date, output_dir, mode)
- [ ] 2. Check existing files — if present, read them to avoid regressions
- [ ] 3. Research phase — search primary sources with since_date filter
- [ ] 4. Rating phase — apply validity + usefulness rubric to every item
- [ ] 5. Compose Productivity Playbook using playbook-template.md
- [ ] 6. Compose Skills Catalog using catalog-template.md
- [ ] 7. Verify link integrity + date stamps
- [ ] 8. Write files
- [ ] 9. Append run log entry

Do not skip any step. Step 2 is important — if the files already exist, you must read them so your update reflects genuine "what's new" signal, not repeated evergreen content.

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Step 1 — Confirm inputs

If a tool isn't specified, ask with a quick multi-choice question. Example:

Which tool should I research this month?

1. Claude Desktop
2. Cursor
3. OpenAI Codex
4. Google Gemini
5. OpenClaw
6. All five

Default since_date = today - 30 days. If the user already ran this skill recently, prefer since_date = last_run_date from the run log (see Step 9).

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Step 2 — Check existing files

Check for these files in output_dir:

• <Tool>-Productivity-Playbook.md
• <Tool>-Skills-Catalog.md
• research-log.md (created by Step 9)

If any exist:

• Read them. Note the existing structure, tone, and skill ratings.
• Preserve link references that are still valid.
• In the new file, explicitly list what changed since the last run in a "Changes since <last_run_date>" section near the top.
• If existing_file_mode = append-appendix, do NOT rewrite the body. Add a new appendix called Updates — <YYYY-MM-DD> at the end with only the deltas.

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Step 3 — Research phase

Source categories to cover (in order of trust)

1. Official — the tool vendor's own docs, blog, changelog, release notes
2. Official GitHub orgs — e.g., anthropics/, openai/, getcursor/, google-gemini/, openclaw/
3. Curated "awesome" lists — usually the fastest signal for new skills / rules / plugins
4. Community marketplaces — ClawHub, cursor.directory, Composio, geminicli.com/extensions
5. X.com / Twitter — search <tool> since:YYYY-MM-DD for fresh real-user workflows
6. Dev blogs — dev.to, Medium, Substack, HackerNoon, Pragmatic Engineer, The New Stack
7. Reddit — r/ClaudeAI, r/cursor, r/ChatGPTCoding, r/Bard
8. YouTube — transcripts of creator tutorials (last 30 days)

For the exact search-query library per tool, read research-queries.md.

Time filter

Apply date filtering to every search:

• Google / Web: after:<since_date> (e.g., after:2026-03-21)
• X.com: since:<since_date>
• GitHub: filter by pushed:>=<since_date> on repo search; for issues/PRs use updated:>=<since_date>

What to collect per item

For every skill / rule / plugin / use case you plan to include, capture:

• Canonical name and author/org
• Canonical URL (prefer the GitHub repo or the vendor's doc page — not a random blog)
• One-sentence "what it does" description
• Last-update date (for validity rating)
• Install count / stars / endorsements if available
• Persona fit (from personas.md)

Minimum coverage bar

A single-tool run should surface:

• ≥ 10 new or updated skills / rules / plugins since since_date
• ≥ 6 new real-world use-case stories (X threads, case studies, blog posts)
• ≥ 1 officially announced product/feature change (release notes / changelog)
• ≥ 3 community discussions (Reddit / HN / Discord)

If you can't hit this bar, state so explicitly in the final file and lower the confidence claims.

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Step 4 — Rating phase

Apply the rating system from rating-system.md to every skill / rule / plugin entry.

Quick version (details in the reference file):

Validity = is it real + maintained?

• ✅ Verified — Official, OR GitHub push in last ~90 days AND ⭐ > 500 or installs > 1k
• 🟢 Likely-valid — confirmed repo, moderate traction, recent activity
• 🟡 Early / Niche — real but new, low traction
• 🔴 Unverified — mentioned but canonical source couldn't be confirmed

Usefulness = editorial 1–5 stars based on breadth, docs, persona fit, time-to-value.

• ★★★★★ must-install
• ★★★★ weekly use
• ★★★ niche but excellent
• ★★ narrow fit
• ★ experimental / novelty

Be honest. If something is hyped but you couldn't confirm maintenance, rate it 🔴 and say so. Do not give sympathy stars.

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Step 5 — Compose the Productivity Playbook

Use the exact section structure in playbook-template.md. Do not renumber or rename sections — this is what makes month-over-month diffs useful.

Personas: always cover all eight from personas.md in the same order (PhD/research, solopreneur, marketer, designer, video/creator, developer, PKM/student, sales/finance/ops). If a persona has nothing meaningful for this tool, write one honest paragraph explaining why and move on.

Tone rules:

• Third person, not "you can…"
• Concrete verbs, no marketing fluff
• Every claim cites a link
• No emojis (except ratings badges)
• Prefer tables over prose for comparisons

Length: 300–600 lines is the healthy range. Longer than 700 = you're padding.

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Step 6 — Compose the Skills Catalog

Use the exact section structure in catalog-template.md.

Mandatory sections (skipping any breaks month-over-month consistency):

1. Primer — what are the tool's extensibility primitives
2. Install commands — copy-pasteable
3. Rating legend (link to or copy from rating-system.md)
4. Built-in / official foundation skills
5. Marketplaces / meta-collections
6. Skills by persona (all eight)
7. Cross-tool skills (agentskills.io-compatible, works in ≥ 2 ecosystems)
8. Starter kits (one per persona, copy-paste-able)
9. How to create your own skill — minimum viable SKILL.md
10. Safety / vetting protocol
11. Tier-1 must-installs (5–8 items)
12. Cross-catalog navigation (links to sibling catalogs)
13. Master source index

Ratings appendix at the end is encouraged but not required if ratings are already inline.

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Step 7 — Verify

Before writing files, run these checks:

• Every skill has a name + URL + one-line description + both ratings
• Every URL resolves (when a WebFetch-type tool is available, sample-test a handful)
• Last updated: line exists near the top of each file
• since_date and today_date are both printed
• Sibling catalog links use correct relative paths (./Claude-Skills-Catalog.md, etc.)
• No invented repo URLs or fake GitHub orgs
• Persona order matches personas.md
• Rating badges render correctly in Markdown (no broken emojis)

If any check fails, fix before proceeding to Step 8.

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Step 8 — Write files

Write to <output_dir>/<Tool>-Productivity-Playbook.md and <output_dir>/<Tool>-Skills-Catalog.md.

File-naming rules:

• <Tool> capitalization: Claude, Cursor, Codex, Gemini, OpenClaw
• For Claude specifically, the playbook is historically Claude-Desktop-Productivity-Playbook.md (note the "Desktop"). Preserve that exact name when updating — the skill catalog drops "Desktop" and is just Claude-Skills-Catalog.md.

If existing_file_mode = append-appendix, append to the existing files instead of overwriting.

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Step 9 — Append run log

Append a row to <output_dir>/research-log.md (create it if missing):

# AI Tool Research — Run Log

| Date run | Tool | since_date | Mode | New skills found | New use cases | Notable changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-21 | cursor | 2026-03-21 | rewrite | 14 | 9 | Composer 2 GA; 3 new MCP servers |

This is the source of truth for "when did I last run this" on future invocations.

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Output contract (what the user sees in chat)

When finished, reply with:

1. One-line summary: "Generated <Tool>-Productivity-Playbook.md (N lines) and <Tool>-Skills-Catalog.md (M lines), covering <since_date> → <today>."
2. Top 5 what's-new bullets — what the user should actually care about this month.
3. Any sources where you hit rate-limits or had to downgrade confidence.
4. Run-log row that was appended.

Do NOT dump the full file contents into chat. The file exists — let the user open it.

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Usage across runtimes

Cursor

1. Put this whole folder in .cursor/skills/ai-tool-research/ (project-local) or ~/.cursor/skills/ai-tool-research/ (personal).
2. Ensure Skills are enabled in Cursor settings.
3. Ask: "Run the AI tool research skill for Cursor this month."

Claude Desktop / Claude Code

1. Put this folder in ~/.claude/skills/ai-tool-research/ (or the Anthropic Skills path on your OS).
2. In Claude Desktop, enable the skill under Settings → Skills.
3. Ask: "Use the ai-tool-research skill to update the Codex playbook."

ChatGPT (web — no file system)

1. Start a new conversation.
2. Paste this SKILL.md as the first message, preceded by: You are an agent following this skill definition. Apply it to my next request.
3. Also paste the five supporting files (playbook-template.md, catalog-template.md, personas.md, rating-system.md, research-queries.md) in subsequent turns — ChatGPT will keep them in context.
4. Then say: "Run it for Gemini this month."
5. ChatGPT will return the two Markdown files as assistant messages; copy them into .md files locally.

Gemini CLI

1. Put this folder in ~/.gemini/skills/ai-tool-research/ (or whichever Skills path your Gemini CLI is configured with — see GEMINI.md).
2. Ask: "Use ai-tool-research to update the OpenClaw skills catalog."

OpenAI Codex (CLI / IDE / Cloud)

1. Put this folder in ~/.codex/skills/ai-tool-research/.
2. Reference in AGENTS.md if you want it auto-loaded per project.
3. Ask: "Run ai-tool-research for Claude this month."

OpenClaw

1. Put this folder in ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/ai-tool-research/.
2. Restart the gateway if needed.
3. Message the agent (on WhatsApp / Telegram / Slack): "Run the ai-tool-research skill for all five tools and DM me a summary."

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Reference files (read only when needed — progressive disclosure)

• playbook-template.md — exact section structure + tone guide for the Productivity Playbook
• catalog-template.md — exact section structure for the Skills Catalog
• personas.md — the 8 consistent personas, use-case angles, and what "good coverage" looks like per persona
• rating-system.md — the full validity + usefulness rubric with decision flowcharts
• research-queries.md — reusable search-query templates per tool, per source type

Read these only when the step requires it — they're progressive disclosure to keep this top-level SKILL.md lean.

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Examples of past output

If available, the user's own previous files in output_dir are the best examples:

• Claude-Desktop-Productivity-Playbook.md + Claude-Skills-Catalog.md
• Cursor-Productivity-Playbook.md + Cursor-Skills-Catalog.md
• Codex-Productivity-Playbook.md + Codex-Skills-Catalog.md
• Gemini-Productivity-Playbook.md + Gemini-Skills-Catalog.md
• OpenClaw-Productivity-Playbook.md + OpenClaw-Skills-Catalog.md

Match their voice, section numbering, and level of detail. If the user's versions differ from the templates in this skill, prefer the user's version — their file is the source of truth for their stylistic preferences.

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Anti-patterns to avoid

• ❌ Inventing repos or URLs. If you can't confirm it, rate 🔴 or drop it.
• ❌ Copying the previous month's file and changing the date. Always verify what actually changed.
• ❌ Giving five stars to everything. The rating system is useless if everything is ★★★★★.
• ❌ Marketing-speak ("revolutionary", "game-changing", "unlock"). Use concrete verbs.
• ❌ Long prose where a table would communicate faster.
• ❌ Skipping persona sections because "nothing new this month" — write one honest paragraph instead.
• ❌ Mentioning the skill file internals to the user. They just want the output files.

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This skill is intentionally portable — no hard-coded paths, no runtime-specific features. It works because Claude, Cursor, Codex, Gemini, and OpenClaw all honor the agentskills.io open spec.