Updating Knowledge Skill

Updating Knowledge

Core Principles

Systematic > ad-hoc - Follow research methodology, don't scatter searches randomly
Cross-validate - Verify claims across multiple independent sources
Confidence tracking - Explicitly flag single-source claims and gaps
Concise output - Present findings efficiently, introspection in thinking blocks

Preflight Check

CRITICAL: This skill requires web_search tool access.

Before proceeding:

Verify web_search tool is available in tool set
If NOT available:
- Immediately inform user: "I need web search enabled for research tasks. Please toggle on 'Web search' in the feature menu."
- DO NOT attempt research without web_search
- DO NOT proceed with workflow

If web_search is unavailable, fail fast—don't waste context attempting workarounds.

Imperative Triggers

Use this skill when:

User says "Research", "Investigate", "What's current on", "Latest info on", "Find out about"
Query requires synthesizing multiple authoritative sources
Topic likely changed since training cutoff
Technical/product questions where documentation is essential
Contradictory information needs resolution
Building comprehensive understanding for ongoing work

Note: Avoid triggering on generic action verbs like "update" (which could mean file/code changes). Focus on explicit knowledge-gathering requests.

Research Workflow

1. Scope Definition (internal)

Identify in thinking block:

What specifically needs investigation
Current knowledge baseline
Known gaps
Required depth (overview vs comprehensive)

2. Source Gathering (2-10 tool calls)

Source priority:

Official documentation, project repos, company announcements
Academic papers, technical blogs with clear expertise
Community discussions (for ecosystem context only)

Tool selection:

web_search - Find authoritative sources
web_fetch - Extract complete content from any URL (no prior search required)
Internal tools (GitHub, Drive, etc.) - Company/personal context
Multiple tool types as needed

Gather 3-5 diverse sources minimum for cross-validation.

3. Synthesis (internal)

In thinking block:

Cross-validate major claims across sources
Note contradictions explicitly
Track publication dates
Assess source credibility
Identify remaining gaps

4. Output (concise)

Present findings concisely:

## [Topic]

**Key findings:**
[2-3 sentence summary with most important updates]

**Current state:**
[Concise description of what's true now]

**Changes since cutoff:**
[Only if relevant - what's different]

**Gaps:**
[Only if user needs to know - what wasn't found]

Sources: [URLs]

Confidence indicators:

State explicitly when claims are single-source
Note contradictions between sources
Flag unverified information
Quantify confidence (high/medium/low) when uncertain

Quality Standards

Minimum requirements:

3+ independent sources consulted
Major claims cross-validated
Explicit confidence assessment
Remaining gaps identified when relevant

Avoid:

Single-source claims presented as definitive
Ignoring publication dates
Marketing language as fact
Verbose deliberation in final output (use thinking blocks)
Over-explaining research process to user

Tool Usage Notes

web_fetch capabilities:

Can fetch ANY URL directly - doesn't require prior search results
Use for complete documentation pages, technical articles
Effective for deep content extraction after search identifies sources

web_search patterns:

Start specific, broaden if needed
Never repeat similar queries - make each unique
Use current date context when relevant (November 2025)

Internal tools:

Prioritize for company/personal data
Combine with web tools for comparative analysis

Output Efficiency

DO:

Present findings concisely
Use thinking blocks for deliberation
Lead with key takeaways
State confidence explicitly when low
Cite sources inline

DON'T:

Narrate research process unless asked
Include verbose phase descriptions
Over-explain methodology
Repeat information across sections
Document internal reasoning in output

Example Outputs

Technical documentation inquiry:

TypeScript 5.3 (Nov 2023) added import attributes for JSON modules. The syntax uses `with` instead of deprecated `assert`. Runtime performance unchanged—validation happens at parse time.

Gap: No official benchmarks comparing validation overhead across bundlers.

Sources: [TS release notes, GitHub issue #54242, esbuild docs]

Conflicting information:

React Server Components ship in Next.js 13.4+ (stable) and Remix 2.0 (experimental). 

Contradiction: Meta's blog claims "production-ready" while Remix docs flag "breaking changes expected." Cross-validation shows Meta refers to Next.js implementation only.

Confidence: High on Next.js status, medium on Remix timeline.

Sources: [Next.js changelog, Remix docs, React.dev]

Avoid narrating process:

❌ "After conducting extensive research and cross-validating multiple authoritative sources..."
✓ Just present findings with source attribution

Agent Skills: Updating Knowledge

Skill Files