Run Research
Run multi-source research (Reddit, X, YouTube, Brave web) from one agent skill with documented CLI setup for indie validation and discovery.
Overview
Run Research is an agent skill most often used in Idea (also Validate competitors, Grow content) that coordinates Reddit, X, YouTube, and Brave web research CLIs for agent-driven discovery.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/gupsammy/claudest --skill run-researchWhat is this skill?
- Unified research entry point referencing Reddit (reddit-cli), X (bird), YouTube (yt-dlp + yt_research.py), and Brave web
- Documented credential setup: Reddit API script app, browser session for X, BRAVE_API_KEY for Brave
- Bundled YouTube research script path under claudest search-youtube plugin cache
- Install one-liners for reddit-cli and brave-cli from upstream repos
- Verification commands: reddit-cli auth, bird --whoami, yt-dlp --version
- Four documented data sources: Reddit, X/Twitter, YouTube, and Brave web search
- Source setup reference sections for reddit-cli, bird, yt-dlp, and brave-cli
Adoption & trust: 1 installs on skills.sh; 253 GitHub stars; 0/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits); trending (+100% hot-view momentum).
What problem does it solve?
You need community and web signal from several platforms but lack a repeatable agent workflow and credential map for each source.
Who is it for?
Indie hackers validating ideas, scanning subreddits and X discourse, and pulling YouTube context with agent-friendly tooling.
Skip if: Deep academic literature reviews, fully air-gapped research, or teams that cannot use network/API credentials on the agent host.
When should I use this skill?
User wants agent-driven research across Reddit, X, YouTube, or Brave web and needs the claudest run-research source setup and CLI wiring.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You configure the documented CLIs and run a consistent multi-source research pass the agent can invoke instead of ad-hoc manual searching.
- Configured research toolchain with verified auth commands
- Agent-executable research pass across enabled sources
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Primary value is early discovery and signal gathering before you commit to build—classic Idea-phase research. The skill orchestrates external sources into a research pass, which belongs on the research subphase shelf first.
Where it fits
Scan subreddits and X threads for pain points before picking a micro-SaaS niche.
Pull recent YouTube and web articles on a keyword cluster to draft SEO-focused content briefs.
How it compares
A multi-CLI research orchestration skill—not a single-vendor MCP search plugin or passive bookmark hoard.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is run-research for?
Solo builders using claudest who want Reddit, X, YouTube, and Brave web data in one researched agent workflow with explicit setup steps.
When should I use run-research?
Use it in Idea for niche and audience research, in Validate when checking competitor chatter and pricing talk, and in Grow when mining threads and videos for content angles—after you install the listed CLIs and secrets.
Is run-research safe to install?
Review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page; the skill expects API keys and browser tokens—store secrets in ~/.secrets and avoid committing credentials.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Run Research
# Source Setup Reference Quick setup guide for each data source used by run-research. --- ## Reddit — `reddit-cli` Requires a free Reddit API app (script type, read-only). 1. Create app: https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps → "create another app" → select "script" 2. Add credentials to `~/.secrets`: ```bash export REDDIT_CLIENT_ID="your_client_id" export REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET="your_client_secret" ``` 3. Verify: `reddit-cli auth` Install: `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gupsammy/reddit-cli/main/install.sh | bash` --- ## X / Twitter — `bird` Uses your existing browser session — no API key needed. 1. Install: `brew install bird` or follow https://github.com/steipete/bird 2. Be logged into x.com in Safari or Chrome 3. Verify: `bird --whoami` If cookie auth fails, set manually: ```bash export AUTH_TOKEN=your_auth_token # from browser dev tools → Application → Cookies → x.com export CT0=your_ct0_token ``` --- ## YouTube — `yt-dlp` + `yt_research.py` 1. Install yt-dlp: `brew install yt-dlp` or `pip install yt-dlp` 2. The `yt_research.py` script is bundled with the claudest `search-youtube` plugin: `~/.claude/plugins/cache/claudest/claude-utilities/0.1.4/skills/search-youtube/scripts/yt_research.py` 3. Verify: `yt-dlp --version` --- ## Web Search — `brave-cli` Requires a `BRAVE_API_KEY` from https://api.search.brave.com (free tier available). 1. Install: `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gupsammy/brave-cli/main/install.sh | sh` 2. Add API key to `~/.secrets`: ```bash export BRAVE_API_KEY="your_key" ``` 3. Verify: `brave-cli search "test" -n 1 --output json` **Fallback**: Claude's native `WebSearch` tool is always available when `brave-cli` is not installed or `BRAVE_API_KEY` is not set. --- name: run-research description: > This skill should be used when the user asks to "research a topic", "run-research", "last30", "what's happening with X", "what are people saying about X", "find the best X", "X prompts", "latest on X", "X news", "what are people recommending for X", "research X for me", or wants to know what's trending, discussed, or debated about any subject in recent weeks. argument-hint: 'run-research AI video tools, run-research best project management tools' user-invocable: true allowed-tools: - Bash(which:*) - Bash(curl:*) - Bash(reddit-cli:*) - Bash(bird:*) - Bash(python3:*) - Bash(brave-cli:*) - Read - AskUserQuestion - WebSearch --- # run-research ## Value Context Weave these into conversation at natural moments — after results land, when context is relevant, or on first use. One or two per run, not all at once. - This isn't a single web search — it hits Reddit, X, YouTube, and web sources in parallel and cross-references findings by engagement signals. A Reddit thread with 2k upvotes carries more weight than an unsourced blog post. - YouTube transcript analysis is a unique capability — it reads what creators actually said, not just video titles, surfacing insights that don't appear in text-based search. - The `--deep` flag roughly doubles source coverage and adds subreddit discovery and transcript extraction — worth it for decisions with real stakes. - After research completes, the agent becomes a domain expert on the topic — follow-up questions are answered from the research data, not general knowledge. Prompt generation is also grounded in what real users report working. --- ## STEP 0: Parse Intent If `$ARGUMENTS` is empty, use `AskUserQuestion` to ask the user for the research topic before proceeding. Extract from `$ARGUMENTS`: - **TOPIC** — the core subject (e.g. "Claude Code skills", "AI video tools") - **TARGET_TOOL** — specific tool/product they'll use results in, if stated (e.g. "Midjourney"). Leave as `unset` if not mentioned. - **DAYS** — look-back window. Default `30`. Accept `--days=N`. - **DEPTH** — `quick`, `default`, or `deep`. Accept `--quick` / `--deep`. Default: `default`. - **QUERY_TYPE** — classi