Deep Research

Run focused research on specific questions to validate assumptions, check facts, and discover what's changed recently.

This process has 8 steps. Complete every step in order. Do not skip steps. When reporting progress, label each step as shown (e.g., "Step 3/8").

Step 1/8 -- Determine research questions

1. If the user provides specific questions as arguments, use those.
2. If no questions provided, look for a DEEP_RESEARCH_REQUEST.md or strategy/DEEP_RESEARCH_REQUEST.md in the working directory.
3. If neither exists, ask the user what they want researched.

Step 2/8 -- Check for overlap with existing work

Before researching anything, scan all existing docs in the project's strategy/analysis subfolder. Don't re-research what's already answered. Note which questions are already covered (partially or fully) and skip them.

Step 3/8 -- Verify the question hierarchy

Questions must be ordered by how fundamental they are. If a higher-level assumption is wrong, lower-level questions are irrelevant.

Level 0: Does the core capability actually work / is it differentiated?
  +-- Level 1: Is the market structure what we think it is?
       +-- Level 2: Will someone actually pay for this?
            +-- Level 3: Are our specific market picks right?
                 +-- Level 4: Can we execute? (timing, legal, competitive dynamics)

Research top-down. Don't research Level 3 until Level 0-1 are validated. Assign each question a level.

Step 4/8 -- Research Level 0-1 questions

For each question at Level 0-1:

Step 4a/8 -- Form a specific query

Write a well-formed, specific query with context. Tips:

• BAD: "Is the market big?"
• GOOD: "How many SaaS companies in the US currently pay for third-party pricing benchmarking data, who are the top 3 providers, and what do they charge?"
• Include context in the query: "In the context of [industry] companies evaluating [specific service]..."
• Ask for specific numbers, company names, and recent developments
• One focused question per query -- don't combine multiple topics

Step 4b/8 -- Execute the search

Use available research tools (Perplexity MCP, WebSearch, WebFetch, or other configured search tools) to find answers.

Step 4c/8 -- Record findings

For each question, record:

• What we assumed vs. what's actually true (with sources)
• Red flags -- assumptions that are significantly wrong
• New opportunities the research reveals

Step 5/8 -- Assess whether to proceed

After Level 0-1 answers come back:

• If confirmed -> proceed to Level 2-3 questions in Step 6/8
• If partially wrong -> reframe the thesis, rewrite lower-level questions before proceeding
• If fundamentally wrong -> stop. Report findings. The thesis needs restructuring.

Step 6/8 -- Research Level 2-4 questions

Repeat the same sub-steps as Step 4/8 (form query -> execute -> record) for each remaining question at Levels 2-4. After each level, reassess whether the lower-level questions are still relevant.

Step 7/8 -- Write the results document

Save results to strategy/DEEP_RESEARCH_RESULTS.md (or alongside the request file). Structure per question:

### Question: [the specific question]

**Our assumption:** [what we believed]

**What's actually true:** [findings with sources]

**What's changed recently:** [any developments since our analysis]

**Red flags:** [anything that invalidates our thesis]

**New opportunities:** [anything we didn't see before]

Step 8/8 -- Summary and share

Write a summary section at the end with:

• (a) Assumptions confirmed
• (b) Assumptions wrong
• (c) Storyline changes needed
• (d) New questions raised by the research

Rules

• Research ONLY the critical questions. Don't expand scope.
• Cite sources for every factual claim.
• Be honest when you can't find a definitive answer -- "unclear, needs expert interview" is a valid result.
• After all questions are researched, the summary must clearly state which assumptions survived and which didn't.

Tips for writing good research queries

• BAD: "Is the market big?"
• GOOD: "What is the total addressable market for [specific product category] in [geography] as of 2025, and which companies currently serve this market?"
• Include context: "In the context of [industry] companies evaluating [specific capability]..."
• Ask for specific numbers, company names, and recent developments
• One focused question per query -- don't combine multiple topics