research-assistant

# Research Assistant

**By [The Agent Ledger](https://theagentledger.com)** — Subscribe for more agent skills and premium blueprints.

Turn your AI agent into a structured research analyst. No more copy-pasting search results — your agent learns to plan research, cross-reference sources, synthesize findings, and maintain an evolving knowledge base.

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## What This Skill Does

- **Structured Research Protocol** — Plan → Search → Evaluate → Synthesize → Store
- **Research Brief Format** — Consistent, scannable output for every research task
- **Source Quality Scoring** — Teaches your agent to evaluate and rank sources
- **Research Library** — Organized storage for findings that persists across sessions
- **Topic Monitoring** — Track evolving topics with periodic re-research
- **Competitor/Market Analysis Templates** — Ready-to-use frameworks

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## Setup (5 Minutes)

### Step 1: Create Research Directory

```
research/
├── README.md          ← Library index (auto-maintained)
├── briefs/            ← Completed research briefs
├── monitoring/        ← Topics being tracked over time
└── templates/         ← Custom research templates (optional)
```

### Step 2: Create `research/README.md`

```markdown
# Research Library

## Recent Briefs
<!-- Agent maintains this list automatically -->

## Monitored Topics
<!-- Topics being tracked with periodic updates -->

## Quick Stats
- Total briefs: 0
- Active monitors: 0
- Last research: never
```

### Step 3: Add to Your Agent Instructions

Add to your `AGENTS.md`, `SOUL.md`, or system prompt:

```
## Research Protocol

When asked to research something:
1. Read `research/README.md` for existing work on this topic
2. Follow the Research Protocol below
3. Save the brief to `research/briefs/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.md`
4. Update `research/README.md` index
```

---

## Research Protocol

### Phase 1: Plan

Before searching, define:
- **Research Question** — What specifically are we trying to answer?
- **Scope** — Broad survey or deep di...