---
name: deep-research
description: Dispatch exhaustive deep web research to the research profile. Triggered by "deep research", "ask web", or "research this". The research profile runs with the deep-web-research skill loaded — five-move flow, external ledger, mechanical saturation, disconfirmation, condensation from disk.
version: 1.0.0
author: Hermes Agent
license: MIT
platforms: [linux]
metadata:
  hermes:
    tags: [research, deep-research, delegation, web-search, scraping]
    related_skills: [ask-hermes, ask-dev, deep-web-research]
---

# deep-research — Exhaustive Web Research Delegation

## Overview

Dispatches a research question to the research profile, which runs with the `deep-web-research` skill loaded. The research agent does exhaustive, trail-following research — any tool, any trail, no rush — then condenses everything into a tight, concrete, evidence-backed answer. This agent just relays the result.

**Trigger phrases:** "deep research", "ask web", "research this", "deep dive on", "exhaustive research on"

## Command

```
hermes -p research -s deep-web-research chat -q "<question>" -Q --max-turns 200 --yolo
```

- Output line 1: `session_id: <id>` — capture this
- Output line 2+: the research agent's condensed answer
- Hold the session_id for follow-up questions

**Subsequent asks (resume the session):**
```
hermes -p research -s deep-web-research chat --resume <session_id> -q "<follow-up>" -Q --max-turns 200 --yolo
```

## What the Research Agent Does

The `deep-web-research` skill on the research profile enforces:

1. **Decompose** — break the question into sub-questions with time classifications
2. **Landscape Pass** — shallow sweep, identify key sources and terms
3. **Deep-Dive** — 3+ search angles per sub-question, full-page reads, citation trails, depth-first
4. **Disconfirmation** — actively hunt for contradiction and outdated claims
5. **Condensation** — read the external findings ledger from disk, synthesize into a concrete answer

The research agent writes all findings to `/tmp/research-<sid>.md` (external ledger) and uses a phase gate file to enforce completion before condensing. Mechanical saturation checks (`grep -c`) prevent endless searching.

## When to Use

- User says "deep research", "ask web", "research this", "deep dive on"
- Question requires exhaustive multi-source investigation
- User wants current, verified, cross-referenced information
- Phone number lookup, person research, topic investigation, fact verification

## When NOT to Use

- Simple factual question (capital of France, current time)
- Question I can answer from a single search
- Task that needs my exact context state
- User explicitly says "quick search" or "just look it up"

## Relay Rule

Relay the research agent's actual response. Do not paraphrase or summarize. If the response is long, chunk it. The research agent already condensed — don't re-condense.

## Spot-check Rule

The research agent self-reports are not verified fact. If it claims a file write, `read_file` the path to confirm. If it claims a specific finding, spot-check the source URL.

## Session Persistence

Capture session_id from output line 1. Every follow-up in the same line of research MUST use `--resume <session_id>`. Starting fresh discards the research context and wastes turns.

## Common Pitfalls

1. **Profile flag required.** Always use `-p research`. The sticky default may be general.
2. **Skill flag required.** Always use `-s deep-web-research`. Without it, the research agent runs in normal mode without the methodology.
3. **--yolo is required.** The research agent runs headless. Without it, approval prompts fail closed.
4. **200 turns is the ceiling, not the target.** The research agent should condense well before 200. Hitting the ceiling means it failed to condense.
5. **Don't re-condense.** The research agent already produced a condensed answer. Relay it, don't summarize it further.
6. **Don't do the research yourself.** If the user triggers deep research, dispatch it. Don't run a few searches and call it done.