Web Research Skill

Two-tier approach: fetch_webpage first → Playwright MCP tools (headless) as fallback.

See .gaia/skills/reflection.md for post-research reflection process.

Tier 1: fetch_webpage (Primary)

Use for known URLs (docs, blogs, GitHub, APIs). Fast and efficient.

fetch_webpage({
  urls: ["https://react.dev/learn"],
  query: "React hooks best practices",
});

Limitations: No JS rendering, no searches, no interactions.

Tier 2: Playwright MCP Tools (Fallback - Headless Mode)

Use for: web searches, dynamic content, JS-rendered pages, interactions.

IMPORTANT: Playwright runs in headless mode for research. No visible browser window.

Search Pattern:

1. Navigate: mcp_playwright-mc_browser_navigate({ url: "https://duckduckgo.com" })
2. Snapshot: mcp_playwright-mc_browser_snapshot() - get element refs
3. Type: mcp_playwright-mc_browser_type({ element: "search", ref: "[ref]", text: "query" })
4. Submit: mcp_playwright-mc_browser_key({ element: "search", ref: "[ref]", key: "Enter" })
5. Wait: mcp_playwright-mc_browser_wait_for({ text: "results" })
6. Extract: mcp_playwright-mc_browser_snapshot() - parse results

Key Tools: navigate, snapshot, click, type, key, wait_for, screenshot, evaluate

Quality Standards

• ✅ Minimum 3 sources
• ✅ Prioritize official docs
• ✅ Include versions & dates
• ✅ recall() before research
• ✅ remember() key findings
• ✅ Reflect after completion (see .gaia/skills/reflection.md)

Output Format

✓ Research: [Topic]
**[Answer]** (v[X], [Date])

- Key finding 1
- Key finding 2
  **Source**: [URL]
  **Method**: fetch_webpage / Playwright headless

Post-Research Reflection

After completing research:

remember("research", "[topic]", "[key findings + sources]", "ProjectWide")
remember("source", "[topic]", "[best URLs found]", "ProjectWide")
remember("pattern", "research_[approach]", "[what worked well]", "ProjectWide")

Critical Rules

• ✅ Try fetch_webpage FIRST
• ✅ Playwright runs headless (no GUI)
• ✅ Cite sources with URLs
• ✅ Cache findings via remember()
• ✅ Reflect on research quality/efficiency
• ❌ Never skip fetch_webpage
• ❌ Never present unverified info
• ❌ Never skip post-research reflection