x-research✓ Pass

SKILL.md Content

---
name: x-research
version: 1.0.0
description: >
  General-purpose X/Twitter research agent. Searches X for real-time perspectives,
  dev discussions, product feedback, cultural takes, breaking news, and expert opinions.
  Works like a web research agent but uses X as the source.
  Use when: (1) user says "x research", "search x for", "search twitter for",
  "what are people saying about", "what's twitter saying", "check x for", "x search",
  "/x-research", (2) user is working on something where recent X discourse would provide
  useful context (new library releases, API changes, product launches, cultural events,
  industry drama), (3) user wants to find what devs/experts/community thinks about a topic.
  NOT for: posting tweets, account management, or historical archive searches beyond 7 days.
---

# X Research

General-purpose agentic research over X/Twitter. Decompose any research question into targeted searches, iteratively refine, follow threads, deep-dive linked content, and synthesize into a sourced briefing.

For X API details (endpoints, operators, response format): read `references/x-api.md`.

## CLI Tool

All commands run from this skill directory:

```bash
cd ~/clawd/skills/x-research
source ~/.config/env/global.env
```

### Search

```bash
bun run x-search.ts search "<query>" [options]
```

**Options:**
- `--sort likes|impressions|retweets|recent` — sort order (default: likes)
- `--since 1h|3h|12h|1d|7d` — time filter (default: last 7 days). Also accepts minutes (`30m`) or ISO timestamps.
- `--min-likes N` — filter by minimum likes
- `--min-impressions N` — filter by minimum impressions
- `--pages N` — pages to fetch, 1-5 (default: 1, 100 tweets/page)
- `--limit N` — max results to display (default: 15)
- `--quick` — quick mode: 1 page, max 10 results, auto noise filter (`-is:retweet -is:reply`), 1hr cache, cost summary
- `--from <username>` — shorthand for `from:username` in query
- `--quality` — filter low-engagement tweets (≥10 likes, post-hoc)
- `--no-replies` — exclude replies
- `--save` — save results to `~/clawd/drafts/x-research-{slug}-{date}.md`
- `--json` — raw JSON output
- `--markdown` — markdown output for research docs

Auto-adds `-is:retweet` unless query already includes it. All searches display estimated API cost.

**Examples:**
```bash
bun run x-search.ts search "BNKR" --sort likes --limit 10
bun run x-search.ts search "from:frankdegods" --sort recent
bun run x-search.ts search "(opus 4.6 OR claude) trading" --pages 2 --save
bun run x-search.ts search "$BNKR (revenue OR fees)" --min-likes 5
bun run x-search.ts search "BNKR" --quick
bun run x-search.ts search "BNKR" --from voidcider --quick
bun run x-search.ts search "AI agents" --quality --quick
```

### Profile

```bash
bun run x-search.ts profile <username> [--count N] [--replies] [--json]
```

Fetches recent tweets from a specific user (excludes replies by default).

### Thread

```bash
bun run x-search.ts thread <tweet_id> [--pages N]
```

Fetches full conversation thread by root tweet ID.

### Single Tweet

```bash
bun run x-search.ts tweet <tweet_id> [--json]
```

### Watchlist

```bash
bun run x-search.ts watchlist                       # Show all
bun run x-search.ts watchlist add <user> [note]     # Add account
bun run x-search.ts watchlist remove <user>          # Remove account
bun run x-search.ts watchlist check                  # Check recent from all
```

Watchlist stored in `data/watchlist.json`. Use for heartbeat integration — check if key accounts posted anything important.

### Cache

```bash
bun run x-search.ts cache clear    # Clear all cached results
```

15-minute TTL. Avoids re-fetching identical queries.

## Research Loop (Agentic)

When doing deep research (not just a quick search), follow this loop:

### 1. Decompose the Question into Queries

Turn the research question into 3-5 keyword queries using X search operators:

- **Core query**: Direct keywords for the topic
- **Expert voices**: `from:` specific known experts
- **Pain points**: Keywords like `(broken OR bug OR issue OR migration)`
- **Positive signal**: Keywords like `(shipped OR love OR fast OR benchmark)`
- **Links**: `url:github.com` or `url:` specific domains
- **Noise reduction**: `-is:retweet` (auto-added), add `-is:reply` if needed
- **Crypto spam**: Add `-airdrop -giveaway -whitelist` if crypto topics flooding

### 2. Search and Extract

Run each query via CLI. After each, assess:
- Signal or noise? Adjust operators.
- Key voices worth searching `from:` specifically?
- Threads worth following via `thread` command?
- Linked resources worth deep-diving with `web_fetch`?

### 3. Follow Threads

When a tweet has high engagement or is a thread starter:
```bash
bun run x-search.ts thread <tweet_id>
```

### 4. Deep-Dive Linked Content

When tweets link to GitHub repos, blog posts, or docs, fetch with `web_fetch`. Prioritize links that:
- Multiple tweets reference
- Come from high-engagement tweets
- Point to technical resources directly relevant to the question

### 5. Synthesize

Group findings by theme, not by query:

```
### [Theme/Finding Title]

[1-2 sentence summary]

- @username: "[key quote]" (NL, NI) [Tweet](url)
- @username2: "[another perspective]" (NL, NI) [Tweet](url)

Resources shared:
- [Resource title](url) — [what it is]
```

### 6. Save

Use `--save` flag or save manually to `~/clawd/drafts/x-research-{topic-slug}-{YYYY-MM-DD}.md`.

## Refinement Heuristics

- **Too much noise?** Add `-is:reply`, use `--sort likes`, narrow keywords
- **Too few results?** Broaden with `OR`, remove restrictive operators
- **Crypto spam?** Add `-$ -airdrop -giveaway -whitelist`
- **Expert takes only?** Use `from:` or `--min-likes 50`
- **Substance over hot takes?** Search with `has:links`

## Heartbeat Integration

On heartbeat, can run `watchlist check` to see if key accounts posted anything notable. Flag to Frank only if genuinely interesting/actionable — don't report routine tweets.

## File Structure

```
skills/x-research/
├── SKILL.md           (this file)
├── x-search.ts        (CLI entry point)
├── lib/
│   ├── api.ts         (X API wrapper: search, thread, profile, tweet)
│   ├── cache.ts       (file-based cache, 15min TTL)
│   └── format.ts      (Telegram + markdown formatters)
├── data/
│   ├── watchlist.json  (accounts to monitor)
│   └── cache/          (auto-managed)
└── references/
    └── x-api.md        (X API endpoint reference)
```

License

Declared license: MIT

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 openclaw

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.

View the license in the source repository — the version published there is authoritative.