---
name: stock-search-research
description: Stock material search methodology — 3-move flow (search → evaluate → download+classify+upload to TrueNAS), 3-loop cap, /tmp ledger. Opt-in skill for the research profile.
version: 1.0.0
author: Hermes Agent
metadata:
  hermes:
    tags: [research, search, stock, download, truenas, methodology]
    related_skills: [better-search-research, deep-web-research]
---

# stock-search-research — Stock Material Search + Download Methodology

Loaded explicitly via `-s stock-search-research`. Not loaded during normal
interactive use of the research profile. This skill enforces a 3-move research
flow with a hard 3-loop cap, ending in file download and TrueNAS upload.

## §1 Overview

This skill performs a 3-move research flow:

1. **Move 1: Initial Search** — 2-3 SearXNG searches for downloadable stock
   materials matching the query, read top results, write structured summary to
   `/tmp/stock-<sid>.md`.
2. **Move 2: AI Evaluation + Refine** — Read the ledger from disk, self-evaluate
   for quality/relevance/license, optionally run 1-2 refinement searches.
3. **Move 3: Download + Classify + Upload** — Read full ledger, download top
   files to `/tmp/`, classify by type, upload to TrueNAS via smbclient, update
   inventory.

**Hard loop cap: 3** (1 initial search + up to 2 refinements). The cap is
enforced by the ledger — at most 1 `## Search` block and 2 `## Refinement`
blocks. No saturation-based continuation. No `--resume` — every dispatch is a
fresh session with a new ledger and a new 3-loop budget.

**Total budget: 50 turns.** The 3-loop cap is the real limit; 50 turns is a
safety net. If the agent hits 50, deliver partial results with a note.

**Ledger:** `/tmp/stock-<sid>.md` — a flat structured file. The ledger forces a
re-read from disk at each move so details that scrolled out of context are not
lost.

**TrueNAS target:** `//10.0.0.117/proxmoxBackup/ai_vid_stock_material/`
Access via `smbclient -N //10.0.0.117/proxmoxBackup`.

## §2 Parsing the Target Category

The question string contains `--target <category>` at the end. Parse it:

- `start_frames` → `ai_vid_stock_material/start_frames/`
- `character_refs` → `ai_vid_stock_material/character_refs/`
- `audio` → `ai_vid_stock_material/audio/`
- `misc_images` → `ai_vid_stock_material/misc_images/`
- `all` or missing → classify by file extension (see §4)

Strip `--target <category>` from the question before using it as the search query.

## §3 Move 1: Initial Search

**Turns 1-5.** Gather downloadable stock materials.

1. Run 2-3 SearXNG searches with different framings:
   - One broad: `<query> free download stock image`
   - One specific: `<query> site:pexels.com OR site:unsplash.com OR site:pixabay.com`
   - One targeted: `<query> site:huggingface.co OR site:civitai.com` (for AI-specific stock)
   - For audio: add `site:freesound.org OR site:epidemicsound.com`
   - Use `filetype:png OR filetype:jpg` when searching for images
2. Read top 1-3 results per search with `mcp_searxng_web_url_read`.
3. For each result, identify:
   - Direct download URL (not a page — the actual file URL)
   - File type (image, audio, video)
   - License (free/commercial/attribution required)
   - Resolution/quality notes
4. Write a structured summary to `/tmp/stock-<sid>.md`:

```
## Question
<verbatim question with --target stripped>

## Target Category
<category>

## Search 1: <query>
- Source: <url>
- Download URL: <direct file URL>
- Type: image/png | image/jpg | audio/mp3 | audio/wav
- License: free | commercial | attribution | unknown
- Notes: <resolution, quality, relevance>

## Search 2: <query>
...
```

**SearXNG error handling:** Same as better-search-research §2 — VPN reconnect
on first failure, different framing on second, proceed to Move 3 on third.

## §4 Move 2: AI Evaluation + Refine

**Turns 6-15.** Evaluate quality and fill gaps.

1. Read `/tmp/stock-<sid>.md` from disk.
2. Self-evaluate using these criteria (write the eval to the ledger):

   - **Relevance:** Does each result match the query intent?
   - **Quality:** Resolution sufficient? (Images: min 512px. Audio: min 44.1kHz.)
   - **License:** Safe to use? Prefer free/commercial. Flag attribution-required.
   - **Downloadability:** Is there a direct download URL? Skip pages that only
     show previews.
   - **Coverage:** Enough results? (Aim for 3-10 good files.)

3. IF gaps → write `## Refinement <N>: <new query>` to ledger, run 1-2 more
   searches, append findings.
4. Hard cap: 2 refinements total. Track count in the ledger.
5. IF no gaps (or cap hit) → proceed to Move 3.

**Ledger format for refinements:**

```
## Refinement 1: <new query>
- Source: <url>
- Download URL: <direct file URL>
- Type: <file type>
- License: <license>
- Notes: <notes>
```

## §5 Move 3: Download + Classify + Upload

**Turns 16-50.** Download files and upload to TrueNAS.

1. Read full ledger from `/tmp/stock-<sid>.md`.
2. Create a temp directory: `mkdir -p /tmp/stock-dl-<sid>/`
3. For each result with a direct download URL:
   - Download: `wget -q -P /tmp/stock-dl-<sid>/ "<download_url>"`
   - Skip if download fails (3 retries max, then blacklist)
   - Skip if file is < 1KB (likely an error page)
4. Classify each downloaded file:
   - `.png`, `.jpg`, `.jpeg`, `.webp` → `start_frames/` (if target is `all` or `start_frames`)
   - `.mp3`, `.wav`, `.ogg`, `.flac` → `audio/`
   - `.mp4`, `.webm`, `.mov` → `misc_images/` (no video category yet)
   - Everything else → `misc_images/`
   - If a specific `--target` was given, ALL files go to that category
5. Upload each file to TrueNAS:
   ```bash
   smbclient -N //10.0.0.117/proxmoxBackup -c "cd ai_vid_stock_material\\<category>; put /tmp/stock-dl-<sid>/<filename> <filename>"
   ```
   - Use backslashes in SMB paths: `ai_vid_stock_material\\start_frames`
   - If a file with the same name exists, append `-<N>` before the extension
6. Update the inventory README on TrueNAS:
   ```bash
   # Download current README
   smbclient -N //10.0.0.117/proxmoxBackup -c "cd ai_vid_stock_material; get README.md /tmp/stock-dl-<sid>/README.md"
   # Append new entries
   echo "## Stock Search: <date> — <query>" >> /tmp/stock-dl-<sid>/README.md
   for each uploaded file:
     echo "- <category>/<filename> — <source_url> — <license>" >> /tmp/stock-dl-<sid>/README.md
   # Upload updated README
   smbclient -N //10.0.0.117/proxmoxBackup -c "cd ai_vid_stock_material; put /tmp/stock-dl-<sid>/README.md README.md"
   ```
7. Clean up: `rm -rf /tmp/stock-dl-<sid>/`
8. Report to stdout:
   ```
   Downloaded N files to TrueNAS:
   - ai_vid_stock_material/<category>/<filename> (source: <url>, license: <license>)
   - ...
   ```

**Download safety:**
- Max 20 files per dispatch (prevents runaway downloads)
- Max 500MB total per dispatch
- Skip any URL that redirects to a different domain (potential malware)
- Skip `.exe`, `.dmg`, `.pkg`, `.msi` files (executables)
- If smbclient fails, report the error — do not retry more than 3 times

## §6 Safety Boundaries

These persist across all turns — they are in the skill, not in fading context:

- **Confined to /tmp.** All downloads go to `/tmp/stock-dl-<sid>/`. Never write
  outside /tmp except for TrueNAS uploads.
- **No self-provisioning.** Never install software. No pip, npm, apt, docker, or
  any package manager. Use only what's already configured (wget, smbclient, ffprobe).
- **No repeat searches.** If you catch yourself searching the same thing twice,
  stop. That sub-question is saturated.
- **Blacklist after 3 failures.** If a URL returns an error 3 times, blacklist it
  and move on. Do not retry indefinitely.
- **Local and free only.** No internet-based paid services, no SaaS APIs with
  billing, no metered endpoints.
- **Max 20 files, 500MB total per dispatch.** Hard cap to prevent runaway downloads.
- **No executables.** Skip `.exe`, `.dmg`, `.pkg`, `.msi`.

## §7 Cap-Hit Behavior

When the 3-loop cap is hit (1 initial search + 2 refinements used) without
satisfaction:

1. Proceed directly to Move 3 — download what you have.
2. In the stdout report, add a note:
   > **Note:** Loop cap reached (3 loops / 1 initial + 2 refinements). Some
   > results may not be fully explored. For exhaustive coverage, re-dispatch with
   > a refined question or use `deep-research`.

When the 50-turn ceiling is hit:

1. Download whatever files have been identified so far.
2. Report with a header note: "incomplete — turn ceiling hit at Move N."

## §8 See Also

- `better-search-research` — medium-depth research without download (report-only)
- `deep-web-research` — exhaustive multi-source research with disconfirmation
- `stock-search` (dispatcher) — the operator-facing skill that triggers this
  methodology. Installed on all profiles; delegates to the research profile via
  `research -s stock-search-research`.
- `ai-vid-stock` — manual stock management on TrueNAS (list, add, remove)