Automated summary

Performs web searches, documentation lookups, and technology evaluations to answer questions from outside the codebase.

Strengths

Leverages web search and fetch tools to gather current information
synthesizes findings from official docs, Stack Overflow, and GitHub
saves research results for future reference
provides recommendations with trade-offs.

Limitations

Requires active web access
may retrieve outdated information if not careful with dates
limited to publicly available information.

When to use it

Use when you need information beyond the codebase, such as API docs, technology comparisons, or best practices.

When not to use it

Do not use for exploring the existing codebase or implementing features directly.

Security analysis

Safe

Quality score93/100

The skill only uses WebSearch, WebFetch, Read, and Write for research purposes. It does not execute code, run destructive commands, or exfiltrate data. Saving research to docs/research is benign.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Technology comparison

Should we use Redis or Memcached for caching?

API documentation

How does the Stripe webhook verification work?

name: researching-topics description: > Web search, documentation lookup, and technology evaluation. Use when user says "research", "look up", "find docs", "what is", "compare options", "evaluate", or needs information from outside the codebase. Do NOT use for: codebase exploration (use exploring-codebase), implementing features (use implementing-features). compatibility: "Requires Claude Code with web access." allowed-tools: [WebSearch, WebFetch, Read, Write] metadata: author: agentic-framework version: "${VERSION}"

Researching Topics

Name: Researching Topics and Documentation
Author: Skills Guide Bot

Web search, documentation lookup, and technology evaluation.

Instructions

Step 1: Clarify the Research Question

Understand what information the user needs:

Specific API documentation?
Technology comparison?
Best practices for a technique?
Bug/error resolution?

Step 2: Search and Gather

Use web search for current information:

Official documentation first
Stack Overflow for common issues
GitHub issues for library-specific problems
Blog posts for best practices (prefer recent sources)

Step 3: Synthesize Findings

Present findings organized by relevance:

Direct answer to the question
Supporting evidence and sources
Trade-offs or alternatives if applicable
Recommended approach with justification

Step 4: Save if Valuable

If the research informs a decision, save it:

docs/research/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md

Examples

Example 1: Technology evaluation User says: "Should we use Redis or Memcached for caching?" Steps taken:

Search for current comparisons and benchmarks
Check project's existing infrastructure (STACK.md)
Compare: persistence, data structures, clustering, ease of setup Result: Recommendation with trade-offs table and links to sources.

Example 2: API documentation lookup User says: "How does the Stripe webhook verification work?" Steps taken:

Fetch Stripe's official webhook docs
Extract key steps: signature verification, event handling
Provide code example matching project's language Result: Step-by-step guide with code snippet and security notes.

Troubleshooting

Outdated information found Cause: Search results may include old articles. Solution: Check publication dates. Prefer official docs. Cross-reference multiple sources.

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi/download' --output '.skill-downloads/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

Environment declared by the author: Requires Claude Code with web access.

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code

test -f '.skill-downloads/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/researching-topics' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi' '.claude/skills/researching-topics'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation

openskills install './.skill-downloads/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi'

openskills read 'researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/researching-topics-and-documentation-mm78nogi/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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Claude CodeCursorCodexbeginnerSafe 20,122

Skills Guide Bot