Agent skill

Nw Research

by nWave-ai in nWave-ai/nWave

Gathers knowledge from web and files, cross-references across multiple sources, and produces cited research documents.

MITAuto-check: warnings

Install Nw Research

The automated check flagged lines worth reading first. See the safety section below.

skills CLI
$ npx skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-research -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install nWave-ai/nWave nw-research --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/nWave-ai/nWave.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/nWave/skills/nw-research .claude/skills/nw-research && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
nw-research
GitHub stars
616
Token cost
~2.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
452 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
14
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Gathers knowledge from web and files, cross-references across multiple sources, and produces cited research documents.

  • Works in 3 steps: Read Config — Read… → Seed If Missing — If file missing, write… → Embed Config — Embed the YAML content…
  • Investigating technologies
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, Orchestration: Trusted Source…, Agent Invocation and Output Management, plus 5 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Nw Research is an agent skill from nWave-ai/nWave. Gathers knowledge from web and files, cross-references across multiple sources, and produces cited research documents. Use when investigating technologies, patterns, or decisions that need evidence backing.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

The repository describes itself as: AI agents that guide you from idea to working code, with you in control at every step. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Investigating technologies
  • Decisions that need evidence backing

Example prompts

  • “Use the nw-research skill to gather knowledge from web and files, cross-references across multiple sources, and produces cited research documents”
  • “/nw-research”

Requirements

  • Docker

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Read Config — Read .nwave/trusted-source-domains.yaml from the project root. Gate: file read attempted.
  2. Seed If Missing — If file missing, write it from the defaults in ## Default Trusted Sources below, then notify the user: "Seeded…
  3. Embed Config — Embed the YAML content inline in the researcher subagent Task prompt so the agent receives trusted source config via prompt…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit da401a8. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are yaml).

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Nw Research loads about 2.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 55 tokens; SKILL.md has 452 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~55
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check: warnings

The automated check found patterns that need a careful read before installing.

  • WarningMentions a paste, webhook or tunnelling service often used to send data outSKILL.md:219
    - "pastebin.com"

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from nWave-ai/nWave at commit da401a8, republished under its MIT licence (© nWave-ai). 452 words, ~2,270 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/nw-research/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
nw-research
description
Gathers knowledge from web and files, cross-references across multiple sources, and produces cited research documents. Use when investigating technologies, patterns, or decisions that need evidence backing.
user-invocable
true
argument-hint
[topic] - Optional: --research_depth=[overview|detailed|comprehensive|deep-dive] --skill-for=[agent-name]

NW-RESEARCH: Evidence-Driven Knowledge Research

Wave: CROSS_WAVE Agent: Nova (nw-researcher) Command: *research

Overview

Systematic evidence-based research with source verification. Cross-wave support providing research-backed insights for any nWave phase using trusted academic|official|industry sources.

Optional --skill-for={agent-name} distills research into a practitioner-focused skill file for a specific agent.

Orchestration: Trusted Source Config

At orchestration time, before invoking the researcher subagent:

  1. Read Config — Read .nwave/trusted-source-domains.yaml from the project root. Gate: file read attempted.
  2. Seed If Missing — If file missing, write it from the defaults in ## Default Trusted Sources below, then notify the user: "Seeded .nwave/trusted-source-domains.yaml with defaults (7 categories, 42 trusted domains, 5 excluded). Edit the YAML directly to customize." Gate: file exists.
  3. Embed Config — Embed the YAML content inline in the researcher subagent Task prompt so the agent receives trusted source config via prompt context. Gate: YAML present in Task prompt.

Agent Invocation

@nw-researcher

Execute *research on {topic} [--skill-for={agent-name}].

Configuration:

  • research_depth: detailed # overview/detailed/comprehensive/deep-dive
  • source_preferences: ["academic", "official", "technical_docs"]
  • output_directory: docs/research/
  • skill_for: {agent-name} # Optional: distilled skill for specified agent
  • skill_output_directory: ~/.claude/nWave/skills/{agent-name}/

Output Management

The researcher MUST create the output file in the FIRST 5 turns with a document skeleton (title, sections, placeholders). All subsequent findings are written DIRECTLY to this file as they are gathered — never held only in context.

If the agent is interrupted or runs out of turns, the output file contains all work done so far. This is the researcher's equivalent of the crafter's "commit early, commit often."

  1. Skeleton — By turn ~5: Create output file with title, sections, and placeholders. Gate: output file exists.
  2. First Findings — By turn ~10: Write initial gathered findings to file. Gate: file has substantive content.
  3. Ongoing Writes — By turn ~25: Write all gathered findings so far. Gate: no findings held only in context.
  4. Synthesize — By turn ~35: Stop gathering, begin synthesizing. Gate: synthesis section started.
  5. Polish — Turn ~45+: Polish and finalize only. Gate: research document complete.
Show full SKILL.md (136 more words)Show less

Success Criteria

Research:

  • All sources from trusted source domains from prompt context
  • Cross-reference performed (3+ sources per major claim ideal, 2 acceptable, 1 authoritative minimum)
  • Research file created in docs/research/
  • Citation coverage > 95%
  • Average source reputation >= 0.80

Distillation (if --skill-for specified):

  • Skill file created in ~/.claude/nWave/skills/{agent-name}/
  • 100% essential concepts preserved
  • Self-contained with no external references
  • Token budget respected (<5000 tokens per skill)

Next Wave

Handoff To: Invoking workflow Deliverables: Research document + optional skill file

Examples

Example 1: Standalone research
/nw-research "event sourcing patterns" --research_depth=detailed

Nova researches event sourcing from trusted sources, cross-references 3+ sources per claim, produces comprehensive research document.

Example 2: Research with agent skill
/nw-research "mutation testing methodologies" --skill-for=software-crafter

Nova researches mutation testing, distills into practitioner-focused skill file at ~/.claude/nWave/skills/software-crafter/.

Expected Outputs

docs/research/{category}/{topic}-comprehensive-research.md
~/.claude/nWave/skills/{agent}/{topic}-methodology.md    (if --skill-for)

Default Trusted Sources

The following YAML is the default content for .nwave/trusted-source-domains.yaml. It is seeded automatically when the file does not exist.

yaml
# Trusted Source Domains for Evidence-Driven Research
# Used by knowledge-researcher agent to validate source credibility

# High-reputation academic and research sources
academic:
  description: "Peer-reviewed academic and research institutions"
  domains:
    - "*.edu"
    - "*.ac.uk"
    - "scholar.google.com"
    - "arxiv.org"
    - "pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov"
    - "researchgate.net"
    - "ieee.org"
    - "acm.org"
    - "springer.com"
    - "sciencedirect.com"
    - "jstor.org"
    - "nature.com"
    - "science.org"
  reputation: high
  verification_requirements:
    - peer_review_preferred
    - citation_tracking
    - author_credentials

# Official standards bodies and government sources
official:
  description: "Government, standards organizations, and official documentation"
  domains:
    - "*.gov"
    - "*.gov.uk"
    - "w3.org"
    - "ietf.org"
    - "iso.org"
    - "nist.gov"
    - "docs.microsoft.com"
    - "docs.oracle.com"
    - "docs.python.org"
    - "docs.oracle.com/javase"
    - "kubernetes.io/docs"
    - "docker.com/docs"
  reputation: high
  verification_requirements:
    - official_publication
    - version_tracking
    - standards_compliance

# Industry leaders and recognized experts
industry_leaders:
  description: "Established technology companies and recognized industry experts"
  domains:
    - "github.com"
    - "stackoverflow.com"
    - "martinfowler.com"
    - "refactoring.guru"
    - "enterpriseintegrationpatterns.com"
    - "microservices.io"
    - "12factor.net"
    - "reactivemanifesto.org"
    - "agilemanifesto.org"
    - "thoughtworks.com/insights"
    - "infoq.com"
  reputation: medium-high
  verification_requirements:
    - cross_reference_required
    - author_expertise_validation
    - community_consensus

# Technical documentation and established platforms
technical_documentation:
  description: "Official technical documentation and established platforms"
  domains:
    - "developer.mozilla.org"
    - "developers.google.com"
    - "aws.amazon.com/documentation"
    - "cloud.google.com/docs"
    - "learn.microsoft.com"
    - "devdocs.io"
    - "readthedocs.org"
  reputation: high
  verification_requirements:
    - version_accuracy
    - official_source_confirmation

# Open source foundations and communities
open_source:
  description: "Recognized open source foundations and communities"
  domains:
    - "apache.org"
    - "eclipse.org"
    - "cncf.io"
    - "opensource.org"
    - "fsf.org"
    - "linuxfoundation.org"
  reputation: high
  verification_requirements:
    - community_validation
    - project_maturity_check

# Medium-trust sources requiring additional verification
medium_trust:
  description: "Quality sources requiring cross-referencing"
  domains:
    - "medium.com"
    - "dev.to"
    - "hashnode.com"
  reputation: medium
  verification_requirements:
    - author_verification_required
    - minimum_3_source_cross_reference
    - fact_checking_mandatory

# Excluded sources - unreliable or promotional
excluded:
  description: "Sources excluded due to low quality control or bias"
  domains:
    - "*.blogspot.com"
    - "wordpress.com"
    - "tumblr.com"
    - "pastebin.com"
    - "quora.com"
  reason: "Unverified sources, potential bias, low quality control, no editorial oversight"
  action: "Reject and log warning"

# Source validation rules
validation_rules:
  minimum_sources_per_claim: 3
  cross_reference_required: true

  reputation_scoring:
    high: 1.0
    medium-high: 0.8
    medium: 0.6
    low: 0.0

  confidence_thresholds:
    high_confidence:
      min_sources: 3
      min_avg_reputation: 0.8
    medium_confidence:
      min_sources: 2
      min_avg_reputation: 0.6
    low_confidence:
      min_sources: 1
      min_avg_reputation: 0.4

  required_metadata:
    - source_url
    - domain
    - access_date
    - reputation_score
    - verification_status

# Research quality guidelines
quality_guidelines:
  evidence_standards:
    - "Direct quotes or data from reputable sources"
    - "Proper attribution and citation"
    - "Version information for technical documentation"
    - "Publication date or last update date"
    - "Author credentials when available"

  bias_detection:
    - "Check for commercial interests or sponsorship"
    - "Identify potential conflicts of interest"
    - "Verify with independent sources"
    - "Note any disclaimers or limitations"

  conflicting_information:
    - "Document all conflicting sources"
    - "Evaluate source reliability for each claim"
    - "Present both sides with evidence"
    - "Note which sources are more authoritative"

© nWave-ai, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in nWave/skills/nw-research of nWave-ai/nWave.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit da401a8

Compare with similar skills

Nw Research next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Nw Research compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Nw Research this skillnWave-ai/nWave616—~2.3kAutomated safety check: WarnMIT
Gatherkazukinagata/shinkoku365—~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Resilient Data GatheringHKUDS/OpenSpace7.8k—~2.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Gathered Scenes Zine PosterZeejay0/gathered-scenes-zine-skill5.4k—~3.8kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Gathered Scenes Zine PosterZeejay0/gathered-scenes-zine-skill5.4k—~9.6kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Gathered Scenes Live Photo FlowZeejay0/gathered-scenes-zine-skill5.4k—~1.5kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence

Similar skills

  • Gather

    kazukinagata/shinkoku

    This skill should be used when the user needs to know what documents to collect for their tax filing, wants a checklist of required documents, or asks where to obtain specific tax documents.

    365 GitHub stars~2.1k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Business, Finance & HRAuto-check passed
  • Fallback pattern when primary tools fail - embed known data in scripts and persist to JSON for auditability

    7.8k GitHub stars~2.2k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Gathered Scenes Zine Poster

    Zeejay0/gathered-scenes-zine-skill

    Turns a photo into a tactile collage poster where part stays an untouched photographic anchor and the rest becomes a simplified, color-fading illustration of the hidden scene.

    5.4k GitHub stars~3.8k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Media & CreativeAuto-check passed
  • Gathered Scenes Zine Poster

    Zeejay0/gathered-scenes-zine-skill

    Turns a supplied photo into a vertical 3:5 paper-collage poster that keeps the photograph truthful beside a simplified illustration field and a hand-torn edge.

    5.4k GitHub stars~9.6k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Media & CreativeAuto-check passed
  • Gathered Scenes Live Photo Flow

    Zeejay0/gathered-scenes-zine-skill

    Turns one photograph into a finished poster, then animates a flat paper tear into an Apple Live Photo ZIP and can hand it to a local importer.

    5.4k GitHub stars~1.5k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Media & CreativeAuto-check passed
  • Stakeholder Requirements Gathering

    nimrodfisher/data-analytics-skills

    Structured requirements elicitation for analysis requests. An agent skill from nimrodfisher/data-analytics-skills.

    470 GitHub stars~513 tokensUpdated 16 days ago
    Agent WorkflowsAuto-check passed

More from nWave-ai/nWave

All 14 skills in this repo
  • DELIVER wave orchestration workflow -- 9 phases from baseline to finalization.

    616 GitHub stars~974 tokensUpdated 24 days ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Nw Diagram

    nWave-ai/nWave

    Generates C4 architecture diagrams (context, container, component) in Mermaid or PlantUML.

    616 GitHub stars~640 tokensUpdated 24 days ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Nw Diverge

    nWave-ai/nWave

    Generates 3-5 divergent design directions through JTBD analysis, competitive research, structured brainstorming, and taste evaluation before convergence.

    616 GitHub stars~2.2k tokensUpdated 24 days ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Nw Document

    nWave-ai/nWave

    Creates evidence-based documentation following DIVIO/Diataxis principles.

    616 GitHub stars~1.4k tokensUpdated 24 days ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Nw Execute

    nWave-ai/nWave

    A skill your agent uses when a DELIVER roadmap already exists and you need to dispatch exactly one identified step through its TDD cycle.

    616 GitHub stars~3k tokensUpdated 24 days ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Nw Forge

    nWave-ai/nWave

    Creates new specialized agents using the 5-phase workflow (ANALYZE DESIGN CREATE VALIDATE REFINE).

    616 GitHub stars~626 tokensUpdated 24 days ago
    Auto-check passed

Questions about Nw Research

What does Nw Research do?

Gathers knowledge from web and files, cross-references across multiple sources, and produces cited research documents. Nw Research is an agent skill from nWave-ai/nWave. Gathers knowledge from web and files, cross-references across multiple sources, and produces cited research documents.

When should I use Nw Research?

Nw Research fits situations like: investigating technologies; decisions that need evidence backing.

How do I install Nw Research in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-research -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (nWave/skills/nw-research in nWave-ai/nWave) into .claude/skills/nw-research in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Nw Research in Codex?

Run `npx skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-research -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (nWave/skills/nw-research in nWave-ai/nWave) into .agents/skills/nw-research in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Nw Research in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-research -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/nw-research, .gemini/skills/nw-research, .github/skills/nw-research and .opencode/skills/nw-research in your project.

What does Nw Research need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Nw Research is instructions for the agent only. Our summary lists: Docker.

Does Nw Research access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Nw Research safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md flagged 1 warning(s): mentions a paste, webhook or tunnelling service often used to send data out. Read the flagged lines before installing; the check is not a guarantee either way.

What licence does Nw Research use?

Nw Research is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Nw Research use?

About 2.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 9.1k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Nw Research?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Nw Research: Gather (kazukinagata/shinkoku, 365 stars), Resilient Data Gathering (HKUDS/OpenSpace, 7.8k stars), Gathered Scenes Zine Poster (Zeejay0/gathered-scenes-zine-skill, 5.4k stars) and Gathered Scenes Zine Poster (Zeejay0/gathered-scenes-zine-skill, 5.4k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Nw Research?

nWave-ai (a GitHub organization) maintains it in nWave-ai/nWave, which has 616 GitHub stars. The repository holds 14 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 16, 2026.

Source: nWave-ai/nWave on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.