research

# Research Skill

## Description
Conduct open-ended research on a topic, building a living markdown document. The conversation is ephemeral; the document is what matters.

## Trigger
Activate when the user wants to:
- Research a topic, idea, or question
- Explore something before committing to building it
- Investigate options, patterns, or approaches
- Create a "research doc" or "investigation"
- Run deep async research on a complex topic

## Research Directory
Each research topic gets its own folder:
```
~/.openclaw/workspace/research/<topic-slug>/
├── prompt.md          # Original research question/prompt
├── research.md        # Main findings (Parallel output or interactive notes)
├── research.pdf       # PDF export (when generated)
└── ...                # Any other related files (data, images, etc.)
```

---

## Two Research Modes

### 1. Interactive Research (default)
For topics you explore together in conversation. You search, synthesize, and update the doc in real-time.

### 2. Deep Research (async)
For complex topics that need comprehensive investigation. Uses the Parallel AI API via `parallel-research` CLI. Takes minutes to hours, returns detailed markdown reports.

**When to use deep research:**
- Market analysis, competitive landscape
- Technical deep-dives requiring extensive source gathering
- Multi-faceted questions that benefit from parallel exploration
- When user says "deep research" or wants comprehensive coverage

---

## Interactive Research Workflow

### 1. Initialize Research

1. **Create the research folder** at `~/.openclaw/workspace/research/<topic-slug>/`

2. **Create prompt.md** with the original question:
   ```markdown
   # <Topic Title>

   > <The core question or curiosity>

   **Started:** <date>
   ```

3. **Create research.md** with the working structure:
   ```markdown
   # <Topic Title>

   **Status:** Active Research
   **Started:** <date>
   **Last Updated:** <date>

   ---

   ## Open Questions
   - <initial questions to expl...