Web Research
Efficient research without token waste. Triage hard, fetch sparingly.
The Rule
Know what you're looking for before fetching anything. A vague search leads to vague results and expensive fetches.
Triage Order
- Search snippets first — most facts live in the snippet. If it answers the question, stop.
- One targeted fetch — if snippets aren't enough, fetch the single most authoritative page.
- Never fetch to browse — "let me see what's on this page" is the wrong move. Have a specific question first.
Platform Research Checklist
- API docs (official, linked from homepage or GitHub)
- Pricing page (what's free, what's paid, limits)
- Community hub (Discord, Reddit, forum — shows real activity vs. ghost town)
- Recent activity (last commit, last post, last update — anything older than 6 months is a flag)
Fact-Checking
- Minimum 2 independent sources. Wikipedia + the site claiming the fact doesn't count.
- Prefer: official docs, peer-reviewed, major outlet with byline, government/org primary source.
- One source is a lead, not a conclusion.
Red Flags for Unreliable Sources
- No author, no date, no links to primary sources
- SEO-stuffed content (headers every 2 sentences, "In this article we will...")
- Domain registered last year, high-traffic topic — likely scraper farm
- Claims without citations, or citations that don't say what's claimed
Synthesis Rule
3 bullet points max. Format:
- What it is — one sentence
- What matters — the key fact or insight
- What to watch — caveat, limitation, or next question
Resist the urge to dump everything you found. The goal is the answer, not the research.
Token Traps to Avoid
- Don't fetch a page to get a fact that was in the snippet
- Don't search 5 times when 1 targeted query works
- Don't read an entire article to find one number — use Ctrl+F logic (search within fetch)