Web Research#

Efficient research without token waste. Triage hard, fetch sparingly.

The Rule#

Know what you're looking for before fetching anything. A vague search leads to vague results and expensive fetches.

Triage Order#

1. Search snippets first — most facts live in the snippet. If it answers the question, stop.
2. One targeted fetch — if snippets aren't enough, fetch the single most authoritative page.
3. Never fetch to browse — "let me see what's on this page" is the wrong move. Have a specific question first.

Platform Research Checklist#

• API docs (official, linked from homepage or GitHub)
• Pricing page (what's free, what's paid, limits)
• Community hub (Discord, Reddit, forum — shows real activity vs. ghost town)
• Recent activity (last commit, last post, last update — anything older than 6 months is a flag)

Fact-Checking#

• Minimum 2 independent sources. Wikipedia + the site claiming the fact doesn't count.
• Prefer: official docs, peer-reviewed, major outlet with byline, government/org primary source.
• One source is a lead, not a conclusion.

Red Flags for Unreliable Sources#

• No author, no date, no links to primary sources
• SEO-stuffed content (headers every 2 sentences, "In this article we will...")
• Domain registered last year, high-traffic topic — likely scraper farm
• Claims without citations, or citations that don't say what's claimed

Synthesis Rule#

3 bullet points max. Format:

• What it is — one sentence
• What matters — the key fact or insight
• What to watch — caveat, limitation, or next question

Resist the urge to dump everything you found. The goal is the answer, not the research.

Token Traps to Avoid#

• Don't fetch a page to get a fact that was in the snippet
• Don't search 5 times when 1 targeted query works
• Don't read an entire article to find one number — use Ctrl+F logic (search within fetch)