Research Topic and Summarize Skill

Conduct thorough web research on a topic, synthesize findings into a detailed summary, and capture screenshots of key visuals.

Prerequisites

• Web search/fetch access is required for the core research loop.
• Screenshots require a browser automation tool (e.g. Playwright MCP). If none is available, do not fake images — link to the visual's source URL and describe it in text instead of embedding an image.

When to Use

Activate when:

• Evaluating a technology, library, or tool
• Learning about a new concept or pattern
• Comparing options (X vs Y)
• Gathering background for a decision

When NOT to use: For deep, multi-source fact-checked reports, prefer a dedicated deep-research capability if one is available. Skip entirely for questions answerable from local docs or code — read those directly.

Output Structure

## Research: [Topic]

### Summary

[Paragraph overview - what it is, why it matters, current state]

### Background

[Context, history, or foundational concepts needed to understand the topic]

### Key Findings

#### [Finding 1 Title]

[Detailed explanation with specifics, numbers, examples]

#### [Finding 2 Title]

[Detailed explanation with evidence from sources]

### Comparisons

| Aspect | Option A | Option B |
|--------|----------|----------|
| [Criteria] | [Detail] | [Detail] |

### Visual References

- ![Description](research-assets/screenshot-1.png) — [what this shows]
- ![Description](research-assets/screenshot-2.png) — [what this shows]

### Sources

1. [Title](url) — [what this source contributed]
2. [Title](url) — [what this source contributed]

### Analysis

- **Strengths**: [detailed pros]
- **Weaknesses**: [detailed cons]
- **Gaps**: [what the research didn't answer]

### Recommendation

[Actionable conclusion with reasoning]

Research Guidelines

Depth of Coverage

• Provide enough detail to make decisions without re-reading sources
• Include specific numbers, versions, dates when relevant
• Explain concepts, don't just name them
• Note conflicting information across sources

Source Quality

• Prefer official documentation over blog posts
• Note publication dates (flag outdated info)
• Cite sources for all claims
• Include 3-5 quality sources minimum

Screenshots

Capture screenshots when sources include:

• Architecture or flow diagrams
• Comparison tables
• Pricing or feature matrices
• UI examples (if evaluating tools)
• Code examples that benefit from visual context

Screenshot Best Practices

• Save screenshots to a research-assets/ directory alongside the summary file
• Reference images in the summary with relative paths into that directory, e.g. ![Comparison](research-assets/redis-vs-memcached-comparison.png)
• Use descriptive filenames: redis-vs-memcached-comparison.png
• Always include alt text descriptions
• Capture only relevant portions, not full pages
• Note the source URL in the description