Auto-Research Skill#

An autonomous research agent for OpenClaw that searches, synthesizes, and stores findings with full source tracking.

Overview#

This skill enables OpenClaw to conduct autonomous research on any topic, compiling structured briefings with executive summaries, key findings, and actionable recommendations. Research outputs are stored in your Obsidian vault and vectorized in Qdrant for semantic retrieval.

Usage#

Natural Language Triggers#

• "Research [topic]" - Standard depth research
• "Quick research on [topic]" - Fast scan (5 sources)
• "Deep dive into [topic]" - Comprehensive analysis (10+ sources)

Command Line Usage#

bash

# Quick scan - 5 sources, 1-page summary
./clawhub-skills/auto-research/research.sh "AI agents 2026" quick

# Standard research - 7 sources, full briefing
./clawhub-skills/auto-research/research.sh "construction CRM software" standard

# Deep dive - 10+ sources, comprehensive analysis
./clawhub-skills/auto-research/research.sh "quantum computing breakthroughs" deep

Configuration#

Environment Variables#

VariableDescriptionDefaultBRAVE_API_KEYBrave Search API tokenUses built-in keyOBSIDIAN_VAULTPath to Obsidian vault~/Documents/Obsidian/YoderVault``QDRANT_URLQdrant server URLhttp://10.0.0.120:6333``REDIS_URLRedis cache server10.0.0.120:6379``RESEARCH_DEPTHDefault depth levelstandard

Depth Levels#

LevelSourcesDetail LevelUse Casequick5Brief summaryFast fact-checking, initial explorationstandard7Full briefingGeneral research, decision supportdeep10+ComprehensiveStrategic analysis, deep domain dives

Outputs#

1. Obsidian Vault Briefing#

Location: Inbox/Research - {Topic} - {YYYY-MM-DD}.md

Structure:

• Executive Summary - 3-5 sentence overview
• Key Findings - Bullet-point highlights
• Detailed Analysis - Organized by theme/subtopic
• Sources - Full citations with URLs and access dates
• Action Items - Recommendations and next steps
• Confidence Rating - High/Medium/Low based on source quality

2. Vectorized Knowledge (Qdrant)#

Collection: web_research

Each research document is chunked into semantic segments and stored with:

• Source URL and title
• Research topic tags
• Publication/access date
• Confidence metadata

Features#

Source Quality Assessment#

Research automatically evaluates source credibility:

High Confidence:

• Academic institutions (.edu)
• Government sources (.gov)
• Major news organizations
• Industry-leading publications

Medium Confidence:

• Established tech blogs
• Company press releases
• Trade publications

Low Confidence:

• Anonymous forums
• Unverified blogs
• Outdated sources (>3 years)

Smart Caching#

Search results are cached for 24 hours to avoid redundant API calls:

• Primary: Redis (if available)
• Fallback: Local file cache in /tmp/research-cache/

Cache key format: research:{topic_hash}:{depth}

Vector Search Integration#

Once stored in Qdrant, research becomes discoverable via:

bash

# Search your research corpus
./tools/yoder-kb.sh search "your query" 5 --collection web_research

File Structure#

text

clawhub-skills/auto-research/
├── SKILL.md                    # This documentation
├── research.sh                 # Main research orchestrator
├── vectorize.sh               # Qdrant vectorization
├── briefing-template.md       # Output format template
└── search-cache.sh           # Result caching utility

Dependencies#

Required (Pre-installed)#

• curl - API requests
• jq - JSON processing
• python3 - Vectorization script

Optional#

• redis-cli - For distributed caching
• obsidian-cli - Vault integration

Example Output#

markdown

# Research: Construction CRM Software 2026

**Date:** 2026-02-07
**Depth:** Standard
**Sources:** 7
**Confidence:** High

## Executive Summary

The construction CRM market in 2026 is dominated by integrated platforms
combining project management, client relationship tracking, and field
mobility. Key players include Procore, Buildertrend, and emerging AI-
powered solutions like Attentive.ai. Mobile-first design and AI
automation are the primary differentiators.

## Key Findings

- **Market Leaders:** Procore maintains ~35% market share with enterprise focus
- **AI Integration:** 60% of new platforms incorporate predictive analytics
- **Mobile Priority:** Field-accessible CRMs show 3x higher adoption rates
- **Pricing Trends:** Average $99-299/seat/month for full-featured platforms

[... detailed analysis continues ...]

Integration with OpenClaw#

As a Skill#

When placed in clawhub-skills/auto-research/, OpenClaw automatically:

1. Parses natural language research requests
2. Calls research.sh with appropriate parameters
3. Displays progress and final output path
4. Confirms vectorization success

Standalone Usage#

Scripts can run independently for automation:

bash

# Daily research digest via cron
0 9 * * 1 /path/to/research.sh "weekly tech trends" quick

Troubleshooting#

IssueSolutionNo results returnedCheck Brave API key; verify internet connectionCache not workingVerify Redis is running at configured URLVault save failsCheck Obsidian vault path permissionsVectorization failsVerify Qdrant is accessible and collection exists

Version#

v1.0.0 - Initial release with Brave Search, Qdrant integration, and Obsidian output.

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Part of the ClawHub skill ecosystem for OpenClaw.