deep-research + deep-web-research: v2.0.0 — six-move flow, domain-aware tool selection, re-strategize checkpoints, tag-based saturation, 600-turn ceiling
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Hermes Agent
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---
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name: deep-web-research
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description: Exhaustive deep web research — five-move flow, external findings ledger, mechanical saturation check, disconfirmation, condensation from disk. Opt-in skill for the research profile.
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version: 1.0.0
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description: Exhaustive deep web research — six-move flow, external findings ledger, mechanical saturation check, disconfirmation, condensation from disk. Domain-aware tool selection with adaptive re-strategizing. Opt-in skill for the research profile.
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version: 2.0.0
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author: Hermes Agent
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---
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@@ -25,18 +25,54 @@ These persist across all turns — they are in the skill, not in fading context:
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- **Local and free only.** No internet-based paid services, no SaaS APIs with
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billing, no metered endpoints. Use any tool already configured that fits this rule.
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## Tool Selection Principles
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These are reasoning heuristics, not rules. Apply judgment. Read once — they are
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static reference, not generated per-question.
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1. **Match tool strength to information need.** Don't use SearXNG when arxiv is
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purpose-built for paper search. Don't use SearXNG when maigret is purpose-built
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for username lookup. Each tool exists because it's better at something than
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general search.
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2. **Compose, don't isolate.** Most questions need multiple tool categories. A
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person investigation might need OSINT (maigret, holehe) + social (twscrape) +
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web (SearXNG) + reference (wikipedia). Compose across categories.
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3. **Start broad, then specialize.** Landscape pass uses broad tools (SearXNG,
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wikipedia). Deep-dive uses specialized tools (arxiv, maigret, Firecrawl). Don't
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lead with Spiderfoot when a SearXNG search would tell you whether there's even
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a domain to scan.
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4. **Follow the trail, not the plan.** If a finding points to a source type you
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didn't anticipate, add the tool that handles that source type. The strategy is
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a starting point, not a contract.
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5. **Prefer purpose-built over general.** arxiv > SearXNG for papers. maigret >
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SearXNG for usernames. holehe > SearXNG for email registration. gnews > SearXNG
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for news. Use SearXNG for what doesn't have a purpose-built tool.
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6. **Consult the `search-key` decision matrix.** It maps task types to tools. Use
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it as a reference, not a lookup table. If the matrix says `maigret` for username
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lookup, that's a strong signal — but verify it makes sense for this specific
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question.
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7. **OSINT tools are an escalation ladder, not a default.** Start with SearXNG for
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person lookups. Escalate to maigret if you have a username. Escalate to holehe
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if you have an email. Escalate to Spiderfoot only if you have a domain and the
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scope justifies it. Don't jump to the most aggressive tool first.
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## Architecture: External Findings Ledger
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At 200 turns, early findings scroll out of context. The ledger is the fix.
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At 600 turns, early findings scroll out of context. The ledger is the fix.
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**Path:** `/tmp/research-<session-id>.md`
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**Schema per finding:**
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```
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## Finding #<N>: <short label>
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- Sub-Question: <which sub-question this belongs to>
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### Finding #<N> [SQ<N>]: <short label>
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- Claim: <the factual claim>
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- Source: <URL> — <credibility tier: primary|secondary|aggregator|social>
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- Source: <URL> — <credibility tier: primary|secondary|aggregator|social|osint>
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- Confirmed by: <URL> (or "single-sourced")
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- Date: <YYYY-MM-DD of the information, not of the search>
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- Confidence: confirmed | likely | single-sourced | disputed
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@@ -47,11 +83,48 @@ At 200 turns, early findings scroll out of context. The ledger is the fix.
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finding with the same claim. If found, add the new source to "Confirmed by"
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instead of creating a duplicate. Duplicate findings defeat the saturation check.
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**Sub-question tagging:** Every finding must reference which sub-question it
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belongs to. This enables the phase gate to verify coverage and the condensation
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phase to group findings by topic.
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**Sub-question tagging:** Every finding line includes `[SQ<N>]` — e.g.,
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`### Finding #3 [SQ2]: ...`. This enables per-sub-question saturation checks
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that are immune to header ordering.
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## Five-Move Research Flow
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**Credibility Tiers:**
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| Tier | Definition | Examples |
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|---|---|---|
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| `primary` | Original source — the entity that created or owns the data | Official docs, original research paper, company release notes, raw dataset, government database, court filing |
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| `secondary` | Reports on or analyzes primary sources with editorial oversight | News article citing a study, analyst report, Wikipedia (well-cited), reputable tech blog |
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| `aggregator` | Collects/curates from other sources without original analysis | Hacker News, Reddit, link aggregators, auto-generated comparison sites |
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| `social` | Individual opinion without institutional backing | Tweet, personal blog, forum post, YouTube comment |
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| `osint` | Machine-generated tool output — marks provenance, not confidence | maigret report, holehe results, Spiderfoot scan, theHarvester output |
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**Important:** `osint` marks *provenance* (where the claim came from), not
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*confidence*. A single raw maigret hit is low-confidence osint; the same account
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confirmed by a human-authored source is still confirmable. Don't auto-cap
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confidence just because the tier is `osint`.
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## Six-Move Research Flow
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### Move 0: Analyze & Strategize
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1. Consult the `search-key` decision matrix — it's your tool reference, not a
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lookup you match against.
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2. Call `mcp_searxng_searxng_instance_info` to discover available categories and
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engines. Write them to the ledger.
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3. Write this to the ledger, then start Move 1:
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```
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## Strategy
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- Info needed: <kinds of facts that answer this question>
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- Where it lives: <source types — papers? profiles? release notes? news?>
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- Tools: <tool → what it fetches> (purpose-built over general search)
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- Pivots: if I find <X>, add <tool Y>
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```
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4. OSINT gate — only if the plan names maigret / holehe / theHarvester /
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Spiderfoot AND the target is a private individual with no public role: log
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`## Ethics Note: <intent>` and confirm the scan is proportionate.
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### Move 1: Decompose
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@@ -77,6 +150,21 @@ Shallow-but-broad sweep. For each sub-question, 1-2 searches, read top 1-2 resul
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Extract only: key sources, terms of art, where disagreement lives, major players.
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No deep-diving yet. Append landscape notes to the ledger.
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**After Move 2: Re-Strategize Checkpoint.** Read the strategy from the ledger. Ask:
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- Are the tools I selected actually producing results?
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- Have I discovered new angles that need different tools?
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- Is the topic different than I initially thought?
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- Are there tools I should add or drop?
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If the answer to any is yes, update the strategy section:
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```
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### Strategy Revision <N>
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- Trigger: <what I learned that changed my mind>
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- Added tools: <tools to add and why>
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- Dropped tools: <tools to drop and why>
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- New pivot signals: <updated signals>
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```
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### Move 3: Deep-Dive per Sub-Question
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For each sub-question:
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@@ -90,13 +178,27 @@ For each sub-question:
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- Assign credibility tier at capture time (not post-hoc in output).
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- Cross-reference: every claim needs 2+ independent sources.
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- Use browser tools (Playwright) when static extraction fails on JS-heavy pages.
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- Append every finding to the ledger.
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- Append every finding to the ledger with `[SQ<N>]` tag.
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Citation trail stop conditions:
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- Reached primary source (original paper, official docs, raw data)
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- Dead end (paywall, 404, requires login)
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- Circular reference (already read this source)
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**Every ~10 findings during Move 3: Re-Strategize Checkpoint.** Same questions
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as after Move 2. Update strategy if needed.
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**Information-void handling:** After 5 searches on a sub-question with zero
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relevant results (not zero *new* findings — zero *any* findings), document the
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void and move on:
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```
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## SQ<N>: <sub-question> — VOID
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- Searches attempted: <N>
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- Tools tried: <comma-separated>
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- Reason: no relevant results found
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- Note: <why this might be — too new, too obscure, paywalled, etc.>
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```
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### Move 4: Disconfirmation Pass
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Actively try to falsify each key claim:
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Read the full ledger from disk. Read the phase gate file. If any box is
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unchecked, do NOT condense — go back and complete that item.
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Synthesize:
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- Lead with the answer. No process narrative.
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- Evidence-backed. Every claim tied to a source from the ledger.
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- Concrete. Numbers, dates, names, specifics.
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- Uncertainty explicit. "X confirmed by A and B. Y single-sourced from C.
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Z unresolved — D and E conflict."
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- Sources section: numbered list with URLs and credibility tiers.
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Synthesize using this template:
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```
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# <Answer in 1-3 sentences>
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## Key Findings
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- <finding> — <source> (<credibility tier>, <date>)
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- <finding> — <source> (<credibility tier>, <date>)
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## Uncertainty
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- <claim>: single-sourced from <source>
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- <claim>: disputed — <source A> vs <source B>
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- <claim>: unresolved — no sources found
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## Tools Used
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- <tool>: <what it contributed>
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- <tool>: <what it contributed>
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## Sources
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1. <URL> — <description> (<tier>)
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2. <URL> — <description> (<tier>)
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## Tools That Would Have Helped
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- <tool>: <what it would have enabled>
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None: all sources were accessible with available tools.
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```
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## Guardrails
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@@ -127,11 +248,12 @@ Synthesize:
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Every 3-4 searches, run this command — do not self-assess:
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```
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grep -c "^## Finding #" /tmp/research-<sid>.md
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grep -c "^### Finding #.*\[SQ<N>\]" /tmp/research-<sid>.md
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```
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Compare to the previous count. If zero new findings in the last 3 searches,
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that sub-question is saturated. Move to the next. This is a measurable fact,
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not a vibe.
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not a vibe. The `[SQ<N>]` tag makes this immune to header ordering — it counts
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by tag, not by position.
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### Phase Gate File
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@@ -143,17 +265,34 @@ If any box is unchecked, do NOT condense. Go back and complete that item.
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# Phase Gate
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- [ ] All sub-questions have findings in the ledger
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- [ ] Disconfirmation pass completed for key claims
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- [ ] Source diversity: ≥5 unique domains across all findings
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- [ ] Source diversity: no single domain >30% of findings
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- [ ] Tool diversity: ≥2 different tool categories used (not just SearXNG)
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- [ ] Recency spread: findings span appropriate date range for topic
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- [ ] OR: saturation condition fired (no new findings in last 3 searches)
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- [ ] OR: turn ceiling approaching (wrap up what you have)
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```
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Update this file as you progress.
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Mechanical domain diversity check:
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```
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grep -oP 'Source: \K[^ ]+' /tmp/research-<sid>.md | grep -oP 'https?://[^/]+' | sort -u | wc -l
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```
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### Turn Ceiling
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200 turns is a safety net, not a target. Hitting the ceiling is a failure to
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condense, not the normal path. If the ceiling is hit, deliver partial findings
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with a note on what's missing.
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600 turns is a safety net, not a target. Hitting the ceiling is a failure to
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condense, not the normal path. Ramp: if ≥450 turns used, begin condensation
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within 60 turns. If ≥540 turns used, condense immediately with what you have.
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If the ceiling is hit, deliver partial findings with a note on what's missing.
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### SearXNG Failure Handling
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If SearXNG returns errors or empty results for 3 consecutive searches (different
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queries), wait 10 seconds and retry once. If still failing, note the instance
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issue in the ledger and fall back to `web_search` (built-in) or
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`duckduckgo-search` (Python library) for the remainder of that sub-question.
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## Tool Policy
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