Updating Knowledge

Core Principles

• Systematic > ad-hoc - Follow research methodology, don't scatter searches randomly

• Cross-validate - Verify claims across multiple independent sources

• Confidence tracking - Explicitly flag single-source claims and gaps

• Concise output - Present findings efficiently, introspection in thinking blocks

Preflight Check

CRITICAL: This skill requires web_search tool access.

Before proceeding:

• Verify WebSearch tool is available in tool set

• If NOT available:

• Immediately inform user: "I need web search enabled for research tasks."

• DO NOT attempt research without web search

• DO NOT proceed with workflow

If WebSearch is unavailable, fail fast—don't waste context attempting workarounds.

Imperative Triggers

Use this skill when:

• User says "Research", "Investigate", "What's current on", "Latest info on", "Find out about"

• Query requires synthesizing multiple authoritative sources

• Topic likely changed since training cutoff

• Technical/product questions where documentation is essential

• Contradictory information needs resolution

• Building comprehensive understanding for ongoing work

Note: Avoid triggering on generic action verbs like "update" (which could mean file/code changes). Focus on explicit knowledge-gathering requests.

Research Workflow

1. Scope Definition (internal)

Identify in thinking block:

• What specifically needs investigation

• Current knowledge baseline

• Known gaps

• Required depth (overview vs comprehensive)

2. Source Gathering (2-10 tool calls)

Source priority:

• Official documentation, project repos, company announcements

• Academic papers, technical blogs with clear expertise

• Community discussions (for ecosystem context only)

Tool selection:

• WebSearch

• Find authoritative sources

• mcp_web_fetch

• Extract complete content from any URL (no prior search required)

• Internal tools (GitHub, Drive, etc.) - Company/personal context

• Multiple tool types as needed

Gather 3-5 diverse sources minimum for cross-validation.

3. Synthesis (internal)

In thinking block:

• Cross-validate major claims across sources

• Note contradictions explicitly

• Track publication dates

• Assess source credibility

• Identify remaining gaps

4. Output (concise)

Present findings concisely:

[Topic]

Key findings: [2-3 sentence summary with most important updates]

Current state: [Concise description of what's true now]

Changes since cutoff: [Only if relevant - what's different]

Gaps: [Only if user needs to know - what wasn't found]

Sources: [URLs]

Confidence indicators:

• State explicitly when claims are single-source

• Note contradictions between sources

• Flag unverified information

• Quantify confidence (high/medium/low) when uncertain

Quality Standards

Minimum requirements:

• 3+ independent sources consulted

• Major claims cross-validated

• Explicit confidence assessment

• Remaining gaps identified when relevant

Avoid:

• Single-source claims presented as definitive

• Ignoring publication dates

• Marketing language as fact

• Verbose deliberation in final output (use thinking blocks)

• Over-explaining research process to user

Tool Usage Notes

web_fetch capabilities:

• Can fetch ANY URL directly - doesn't require prior search results

• Use for complete documentation pages, technical articles

• Effective for deep content extraction after search identifies sources

web_search patterns:

• Start specific, broaden if needed

• Never repeat similar queries - make each unique

• Use current date context when relevant (November 2025)

Internal tools:

• Prioritize for company/personal data

• Combine with web tools for comparative analysis

Output Efficiency

DO:

• Present findings concisely

• Use thinking blocks for deliberation

• Lead with key takeaways

• State confidence explicitly when low

• Cite sources inline

DON'T:

• Narrate research process unless asked

• Include verbose phase descriptions

• Over-explain methodology

• Repeat information across sections

• Document internal reasoning in output

Example Outputs

Technical documentation inquiry:

TypeScript 5.3 (Nov 2023) added import attributes for JSON modules. The syntax uses with instead of deprecated assert. Runtime performance unchanged—validation happens at parse time.

Gap: No official benchmarks comparing validation overhead across bundlers.

Sources: [TS release notes, GitHub issue #54242, esbuild docs]

Conflicting information:

React Server Components ship in Next.js 13.4+ (stable) and Remix 2.0 (experimental).

Contradiction: Meta's blog claims "production-ready" while Remix docs flag "breaking changes expected." Cross-validation shows Meta refers to Next.js implementation only.

Confidence: High on Next.js status, medium on Remix timeline.

Sources: [Next.js changelog, Remix docs, React.dev]

Avoid narrating process:

❌ "After conducting extensive research and cross-validating multiple authoritative sources..." ✓ Just present findings with source attribution