researching-on-the-internet
Use when planning features and need current API docs, library patterns, or external knowledge; when testing hypotheses about technology choices or claims; when verifying assumptions before design decisions - gathers well-sourced, current information from the internet to inform technical decisions
What this skill does
# Researching on the Internet
## Overview
Gather accurate, current, well-sourced information from the internet to inform planning and design decisions. Test hypotheses, verify claims, and find authoritative sources for APIs, libraries, and best practices.
## When to Use
**Use for:**
- Finding current API documentation before integration design
- Testing hypotheses ("Is library X faster than Y?", "Does approach Z work with version N?")
- Verifying technical claims or assumptions
- Researching library comparison and alternatives
- Finding best practices and current community consensus
**Don't use for:**
- Information already in codebase (use codebase search)
- General knowledge within Claude's training (just answer directly)
- Project-specific conventions (check CLAUDE.md)
## Core Research Workflow
1. **Define question clearly** - specific beats vague
2. **Search official sources first** - docs, release notes, changelogs
3. **Cross-reference** - verify claims across multiple sources
4. **Evaluate quality** - tier sources (official → verified → community)
5. **Report concisely** - lead with answer, provide links and evidence
## Hypothesis Testing
When given a hypothesis to test:
1. **Identify falsifiable claims** - break hypothesis into testable parts
2. **Search for supporting evidence** - what confirms this?
3. **Search for disproving evidence** - what contradicts this?
4. **Evaluate source quality** - weight evidence by tier
5. **Report findings** - supported/contradicted/inconclusive with evidence
6. **Note confidence level** - strong consensus vs single source vs conflicting info
**Example:**
```
Hypothesis: "Library X is faster than Y for large datasets"
Search for:
✓ Benchmarks comparing X and Y
✓ Performance documentation for both
✓ GitHub issues mentioning performance
✓ Real-world case studies
Report:
- Supported: [evidence with links]
- Contradicted: [evidence with links]
- Conclusion: [supported/contradicted/mixed] with [confidence level]
```
## Quick Reference
| Task | Strategy |
|------|----------|
| **API docs** | Official docs → GitHub README → Recent tutorials |
| **Library comparison** | Official sites → npm/PyPI stats → GitHub activity |
| **Best practices** | Official guides → Recent posts → Stack Overflow |
| **Troubleshooting** | Error search → GitHub issues → Stack Overflow |
| **Current state** | Release notes → Changelog → Recent announcements |
| **Hypothesis testing** | Define claims → Search both sides → Weight evidence |
## Source Evaluation Tiers
| Tier | Sources | Usage |
|------|---------|-------|
| **1 - Most reliable** | Official docs, release notes, changelogs | Primary evidence |
| **2 - Generally reliable** | Verified tutorials, maintained examples, reputable blogs | Supporting evidence |
| **3 - Use with caution** | Stack Overflow, forums, old tutorials | Check dates, cross-verify |
Always note source tier in findings.
## Search Strategies
**Multiple approaches:**
- WebSearch for overview and current information
- WebFetch for specific documentation pages
- Check MCP servers (Context7, search tools) if available
- Follow links to authoritative sources
- Search official documentation before community resources
**Cross-reference:**
- Verify claims across multiple sources
- Check publication dates - prefer recent
- Flag breaking changes or deprecations
- Note when information might be outdated
- Distinguish stable APIs from experimental features
## Reporting Findings
**Lead with answer:**
- Direct answer to question first
- Supporting details with source links second
- Code examples when relevant (with attribution)
**Include metadata:**
- Version numbers and compatibility requirements
- Publication dates for time-sensitive topics
- Security considerations or best practices
- Common gotchas or migration issues
- Confidence level based on source consensus
**Handle uncertainty clearly:**
- "No official documentation found for [topic]" is valid
- Explain what you searched and where you looked
- Distinguish "doesn't exist" from "couldn't find reliable information"
- Present what you found with appropriate caveats
- Suggest alternative search terms or approaches
## Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Searching only one source | Cross-reference minimum 2-3 sources |
| Ignoring publication dates | Check dates, flag outdated information |
| Treating all sources equally | Use tier system, weight accordingly |
| Reporting before verification | Verify claims across sources first |
| Vague hypothesis testing | Break into specific falsifiable claims |
| Skipping official docs | Always start with tier 1 sources |
| Over-confident with single source | Note source tier and look for consensus |
Related in Design
contribute
IncludedLocal-only OSS contribution command center. Auto-refreshes the user's in-flight PR and issue state on invoke so conversations start with full context — no need to brief Claude on what's in flight. Helps the user find issues to contribute to on GitHub, builds per-repo dossiers of what each upstream expects (CLA, DCO, branch convention, AI policy, draft-first, review bots, issue templates), runs deterministic gates before any external action so AI-assisted contributions don't reach maintainers as slop. State is markdown-only: candidate files at ~/.contribute-system/candidates/, repo dossiers at ~/.contribute-system/research/, append-only event log at ~/.contribute-system/log.jsonl. No database, no cloud calls. Use when the user asks about their PRs / issues / contributions, wants to find new work to take on, claim an issue, build/refresh a repo's dossier, or draft a Design Issue or PR. Trigger with "/contribute", "what's my PR status", "find a contribution", "claim issue X", "draft a Design Issue for Y", "refresh dossier for Z".
architectural-analysis
IncludedUser-triggered deep architectural analysis of a codebase or scoped subtree across eight modes — information architecture, data flow, integration points, UI surfaces, interaction patterns, data model, control flow, and failure modes. This skill should be used when the user asks to "diagram this codebase," "map the architecture," "show the data flow," "give me an ERD," "trace control flow," "find the integration points," "verify the layout pattern," "audit the UX architecture," or any similar request whose primary deliverable is mermaid diagrams plus cited reports under docs/architecture/. Dispatches haiku/sonnet sub-agents in parallel for per-mode exploration, then verifies every citation mechanically before any node lands in a diagram. Not for one-off prose explanations of code (use code-explanation) or for high-level system design from scratch (use system-design).
mcp
IncludedModel Context Protocol (MCP) server development and tool management. Languages: Python, TypeScript. Capabilities: build MCP servers, integrate external APIs, discover/execute MCP tools, manage multi-server configs, design agent-centric tools. Actions: create, build, integrate, discover, execute, configure MCP servers/tools. Keywords: MCP, Model Context Protocol, MCP server, MCP tool, stdio transport, SSE transport, tool discovery, resource provider, prompt template, external API integration, Gemini CLI MCP, Claude MCP, agent tools, tool execution, server config. Use when: building MCP servers, integrating external APIs as MCP tools, discovering available MCP tools, executing MCP capabilities, configuring multi-server setups, designing tools for AI agents.
react-native-skia
IncludedDesign, build, debug, and optimise high-polish animated graphics in React Native or Expo using @shopify/react-native-skia, Reanimated, and Gesture Handler. Use when the user wants canvas-driven UI, shaders, paths, rich text, image filters, sprite fields, Skottie, video frames, snapshots, web CanvasKit setup, or performance tuning for custom motion-heavy elements such as loaders, hero art, cards, charts, progress indicators, particle systems, or gesture-driven surfaces. Also use when the user asks for fluid, glow, glass, blob, parallax, 60fps/120fps, or GPU-friendly animated effects in React Native, even if they do not explicitly say "Skia". Do not use for ordinary form/layout work with standard views.
plaid
IncludedProduct Led AI Development — guides founders from idea to launched product. Six capabilities: Idea (discover a product idea), Validate (pressure-test the idea against fatal flaws, problem reality, competition, and 2-week MVP feasibility), Plan (vision intake + document generation), Design (translate image references into a design.md spec), Launch (go-to-market strategy), and Build (roadmap execution). Use when someone says "PLAID", "plaid idea", "help me find an idea", "product idea", "idea from my business", "idea from my expertise", "plaid validate", "validate my idea", "pressure-test", "is this idea good", "find fatal flaws", "validate the problem", "plan a product", "define my vision", "generate a PRD", "product strategy", "plaid design", "design from image", "translate image to design", "create design.md", "extract design tokens", "plaid launch", "go-to-market", "launch plan", "GTM strategy", "launch playbook", "plaid build", "build the app", "start building", or "execute the roadmap".
nextjs-framer-motion-animations
IncludedAdds production-safe Motion for React or Framer Motion animations to Next.js apps, including reveal, hover and tap micro-interactions, whileInView, stagger, AnimatePresence, layout and layoutId transitions, reorder, scroll-linked UI, and lightweight route-content transitions. Use when the user asks to add, refactor, or debug Motion or Framer Motion in App Router or Pages Router codebases, especially around server/client boundaries, reduced motion, LazyMotion, bundle size, hydration, or route transitions. Avoid for GSAP-style timelines, WebGL or 3D scenes, heavy scroll storytelling, or CSS-only effects unless Motion is explicitly requested.