Agent skill · research science · affaan-m
deep-research
Multi-source deep research using firecrawl and exa MCPs. Searches the web, synthesizes findings, and delivers cited reports with source attribution. Use when the user wants thorough research on any topic with evidence and citations.
Why this skill is useful
Adds specific commands and workflows for using firecrawl and exa MCP tools to conduct deep research that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
Requires exa, firecrawl installed locally. About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-06. 238,342 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Deep Research Drift-prone skill. Firecrawl/Exa MCP tool names, quotas, and result shapes change. Verify the configured MCP tools and current API docs before promising coverage or quoting live source counts. Produce thorough, cited research reports from multiple web sources using firecrawl and exa MCP tools. When to Activate User asks to research any topic in depth Competitive analysis, technology evaluation, or market sizing Due diligence on companies, investors, or technologies Any question requiring synthesis from multiple sources User says "research", "deep dive", "investigate", or "what's the current state of" MCP Requirements At least one of: firecrawl — firecrawlsearch, firecrawlscrape, firecrawlcrawl exa — websearchexa, websearchadvancedexa, crawlingexa Both together give the best coverage. Configure in ~/.claude.json or ~/.codex/config.toml. Workflow Step 1: Understand the Goal Ask 1-2 quick clarifying questions: "What's your goal — learning, making a decision, or writing something?" "Any specific angle or depth you want?" If the user says "just research it" — skip ahead with reasonable defaults. Step 2: Plan the Research Break the topic into 3-5 research sub-questions. Example: Topic: "Impact of AI on healthcare" What are the main AI applications in healthcare today? What clinical outcomes have been measured? What are the regulatory challenges? What companies are leading this space? What's the market size and growth trajectory? Step 3: Execute Multi-Source Search For EACH sub-question, search using available MCP tools: With firecrawl: With exa: Search strategy: Use 2-3 different keyword variations per sub-question Mix general and news-focused queries Aim for 15-30 unique sources total Prioritize: academic, official, reputable news > blogs > forums Step 4: Deep-Read Key Sources For the most promising URLs, fetch full content: With firecrawl: With exa: Read 3-5 key sources in full for depth. Do not rely only on search snippets. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills affaan-m/deep-research--1586e4