\r \r

AI Tool Research Skill\r

\r Generates two Markdown artifacts for a given AI tool, updated for the last N days:\r \r

1. \x3CTool>-Productivity-Playbook.md — how real people are using it (personas, use cases, unusual examples, links).\r
2. \x3CTool>-Skills-Catalog.md — rated list of skills / extensions / plugins / rules / MCP servers with persona mapping.\r \r The skill is runtime-agnostic. It works in Cursor, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT (web), Codex, Gemini CLI, and OpenClaw. See Usage across runtimes.\r \r ---\r \r

When to invoke\r

\r Trigger on requests like:\r \r

• "Update the Cursor playbook with what happened this month"\r
• "Do the same research for Claude / Codex / Gemini / OpenClaw"\r
• "Run the monthly AI tool research"\r
• "Rebuild \x3CTool>-Skills-Catalog.md with fresh ratings"\r
• "Do all five tools for this month"\r \r ---\r \r

Supported tools\r

\r | Tool key | What it is | Primary sources |\r |---|---|---|\r | claude | Claude Desktop + Claude Code + Anthropic Skills | anthropic.com, anthropics/skills, obra/superpowers, ComposioHQ |\r | cursor | Cursor AI IDE + Rules / Skills / Plugins | cursor.com, cursor.directory, awesome-cursorrules |\r | codex | OpenAI Codex (CLI + IDE + App + Cloud) | openai.com/codex, openai/skills, openai/codex-plugins |\r | gemini | Google Gemini app + Gemini CLI + Code Assist + NotebookLM + Gems | ai.google.dev, gemini-cli-extensions, Piebald-AI/awesome-gemini-cli-extensions |\r | openclaw | Peter Steinberger's OpenClaw local AI agent | openclaw.ai, openclaw/clawhub, VoltAgent/awesome-openclaw-skills |\r \r All five honor the agentskills.io open SKILL.md standard, so skills from one ecosystem often work in another — this is called out in every catalog.\r \r ---\r \r

Inputs\r

\r Gather these before starting:\r \r | Input | Required? | Default |\r |---|---|---|\r | tool | yes | ask the user: one of claude / cursor / codex / gemini / openclaw / all |\r | since_date | no | 30 days before today (monthly cadence) |\r | output_dir | no | current working directory |\r | existing_file_mode | no | rewrite (default) or append-appendix (preserves body, adds "Updates since YYYY-MM-DD" appendix) |\r \r If tool = all, loop through the five tools and produce ten files total.\r \r Always print today's date and the since_date used at the top of every generated file so the user can verify the time window later.\r \r ---\r \r

High-level workflow\r

\r Copy this checklist into the conversation and track progress:\r \r

Research Progress:\r
- [ ] 1. Confirm inputs (tool, since_date, output_dir, mode)\r
- [ ] 2. Check existing files — if present, read them to avoid regressions\r
- [ ] 3. Research phase — search primary sources with since_date filter\r
- [ ] 4. Rating phase — apply validity + usefulness rubric to every item\r
- [ ] 5. Compose Productivity Playbook using playbook-template.md\r
- [ ] 6. Compose Skills Catalog using catalog-template.md\r
- [ ] 7. Verify link integrity + date stamps\r
- [ ] 8. Write files\r
- [ ] 9. Append run log entry\r
```\r
\r
Do not skip any step. Step 2 is important — if the files already exist, you must read them so your update reflects genuine "what's new" signal, not repeated evergreen content.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Step 1 — Confirm inputs\r
\r
If a tool isn't specified, ask with a quick multi-choice question. Example:\r
\r
> Which tool should I research this month?\r
> 1. Claude Desktop\r
> 2. Cursor\r
> 3. OpenAI Codex\r
> 4. Google Gemini\r
> 5. OpenClaw\r
> 6. All five\r
\r
Default `since_date` = `today - 30 days`. If the user already ran this skill recently, prefer `since_date = last_run_date` from the run log (see Step 9).\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Step 2 — Check existing files\r
\r
Check for these files in `output_dir`:\r
\r
- `\x3CTool>-Productivity-Playbook.md`\r
- `\x3CTool>-Skills-Catalog.md`\r
- `research-log.md` (created by Step 9)\r
\r
If any exist:\r
\r
- Read them. Note the existing structure, tone, and skill ratings.\r
- Preserve link references that are still valid.\r
- In the new file, explicitly list **what changed since the last run** in a "Changes since `\x3Clast_run_date>`" section near the top.\r
- If `existing_file_mode = append-appendix`, do NOT rewrite the body. Add a new appendix called `Updates — \x3CYYYY-MM-DD>` at the end with only the deltas.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Step 3 — Research phase\r
\r
### Source categories to cover (in order of trust)\r
\r
1. **Official** — the tool vendor's own docs, blog, changelog, release notes\r
2. **Official GitHub orgs** — e.g., `anthropics/`, `openai/`, `getcursor/`, `google-gemini/`, `openclaw/`\r
3. **Curated "awesome" lists** — usually the fastest signal for new skills / rules / plugins\r
4. **Community marketplaces** — ClawHub, cursor.directory, Composio, geminicli.com/extensions\r
5. **X.com / Twitter** — search `\x3Ctool> since:YYYY-MM-DD` for fresh real-user workflows\r
6. **Dev blogs** — dev.to, Medium, Substack, HackerNoon, Pragmatic Engineer, The New Stack\r
7. **Reddit** — r/ClaudeAI, r/cursor, r/ChatGPTCoding, r/Bard\r
8. **YouTube** — transcripts of creator tutorials (last 30 days)\r
\r
**For the exact search-query library per tool, read [`research-queries.md`](./research-queries.md).**\r
\r
### Time filter\r
\r
Apply date filtering to every search:\r
\r
- Google / Web: `after:\x3Csince_date>` (e.g., `after:2026-03-21`)\r
- X.com: `since:\x3Csince_date>`\r
- GitHub: filter by `pushed:>=\x3Csince_date>` on repo search; for issues/PRs use `updated:>=\x3Csince_date>`\r
\r
### What to collect per item\r
\r
For every skill / rule / plugin / use case you plan to include, capture:\r
\r
- Canonical name and author/org\r
- **Canonical URL** (prefer the GitHub repo or the vendor's doc page — not a random blog)\r
- One-sentence "what it does" description\r
- Last-update date (for validity rating)\r
- Install count / stars / endorsements if available\r
- Persona fit (from [`personas.md`](./personas.md))\r
\r
### Minimum coverage bar\r
\r
A single-tool run should surface:\r
\r
- ≥ 10 new or updated skills / rules / plugins since `since_date`\r
- ≥ 6 new real-world use-case stories (X threads, case studies, blog posts)\r
- ≥ 1 officially announced product/feature change (release notes / changelog)\r
- ≥ 3 community discussions (Reddit / HN / Discord)\r
\r
If you can't hit this bar, state so explicitly in the final file and lower the confidence claims.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Step 4 — Rating phase\r
\r
Apply the rating system from [`rating-system.md`](./rating-system.md) to **every** skill / rule / plugin entry.\r
\r
Quick version (details in the reference file):\r
\r
**Validity** = is it real + maintained?\r
\r
- ✅ **Verified** — Official, OR GitHub push in last ~90 days AND ⭐ > 500 or installs > 1k\r
- 🟢 **Likely-valid** — confirmed repo, moderate traction, recent activity\r
- 🟡 **Early / Niche** — real but new, low traction\r
- 🔴 **Unverified** — mentioned but canonical source couldn't be confirmed\r
\r
**Usefulness** = editorial 1–5 stars based on breadth, docs, persona fit, time-to-value.\r
\r
- ★★★★★ must-install\r
- ★★★★ weekly use\r
- ★★★ niche but excellent\r
- ★★ narrow fit\r
- ★ experimental / novelty\r
\r
Be honest. If something is hyped but you couldn't confirm maintenance, rate it 🔴 and say so. Do not give sympathy stars.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Step 5 — Compose the Productivity Playbook\r
\r
Use the **exact section structure in [`playbook-template.md`](./playbook-template.md)**. Do not renumber or rename sections — this is what makes month-over-month diffs useful.\r
\r
**Personas**: always cover all eight from [`personas.md`](./personas.md) in the same order (PhD/research, solopreneur, marketer, designer, video/creator, developer, PKM/student, sales/finance/ops). If a persona has nothing meaningful for this tool, write one honest paragraph explaining why and move on.\r
\r
**Tone rules**:\r
\r
- Third person, not "you can…"\r
- Concrete verbs, no marketing fluff\r
- Every claim cites a link\r
- No emojis (except ratings badges)\r
- Prefer tables over prose for comparisons\r
\r
**Length**: 300–600 lines is the healthy range. Longer than 700 = you're padding.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Step 6 — Compose the Skills Catalog\r
\r
Use the **exact section structure in [`catalog-template.md`](./catalog-template.md)**.\r
\r
Mandatory sections (skipping any breaks month-over-month consistency):\r
\r
1. Primer — what are the tool's extensibility primitives\r
2. Install commands — copy-pasteable\r
3. Rating legend (link to or copy from `rating-system.md`)\r
4. Built-in / official foundation skills\r
5. Marketplaces / meta-collections\r
6. Skills by persona (all eight)\r
7. Cross-tool skills (agentskills.io-compatible, works in ≥ 2 ecosystems)\r
8. Starter kits (one per persona, copy-paste-able)\r
9. How to create your own skill — minimum viable SKILL.md\r
10. Safety / vetting protocol\r
11. Tier-1 must-installs (5–8 items)\r
12. Cross-catalog navigation (links to sibling catalogs)\r
13. Master source index\r
\r
Ratings appendix at the end is encouraged but not required if ratings are already inline.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Step 7 — Verify\r
\r
Before writing files, run these checks:\r
\r
- [ ] Every skill has a name + URL + one-line description + both ratings\r
- [ ] Every URL resolves (when a WebFetch-type tool is available, sample-test a handful)\r
- [ ] `Last updated:` line exists near the top of each file\r
- [ ] `since_date` and `today_date` are both printed\r
- [ ] Sibling catalog links use correct relative paths (`./Claude-Skills-Catalog.md`, etc.)\r
- [ ] No invented repo URLs or fake GitHub orgs\r
- [ ] Persona order matches `personas.md`\r
- [ ] Rating badges render correctly in Markdown (no broken emojis)\r
\r
If any check fails, fix before proceeding to Step 8.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Step 8 — Write files\r
\r
Write to `\x3Coutput_dir>/\x3CTool>-Productivity-Playbook.md` and `\x3Coutput_dir>/\x3CTool>-Skills-Catalog.md`.\r
\r
File-naming rules:\r
\r
- `\x3CTool>` capitalization: `Claude`, `Cursor`, `Codex`, `Gemini`, `OpenClaw`\r
- **For Claude specifically**, the playbook is historically `Claude-Desktop-Productivity-Playbook.md` (note the "Desktop"). Preserve that exact name when updating — the skill catalog drops "Desktop" and is just `Claude-Skills-Catalog.md`.\r
\r
If `existing_file_mode = append-appendix`, append to the existing files instead of overwriting.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Step 9 — Append run log\r
\r
Append a row to `\x3Coutput_dir>/research-log.md` (create it if missing):\r
\r
```markdown\r
# AI Tool Research — Run Log\r
\r
| Date run | Tool | since_date | Mode | New skills found | New use cases | Notable changes |\r
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|\r
| 2026-04-21 | cursor | 2026-03-21 | rewrite | 14 | 9 | Composer 2 GA; 3 new MCP servers |\r
```\r
\r
This is the source of truth for "when did I last run this" on future invocations.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Output contract (what the user sees in chat)\r
\r
When finished, reply with:\r
\r
1. One-line summary: "Generated `\x3CTool>-Productivity-Playbook.md` (N lines) and `\x3CTool>-Skills-Catalog.md` (M lines), covering \x3Csince_date> → \x3Ctoday>."\r
2. **Top 5 what's-new bullets** — what the user should actually care about this month.\r
3. Any sources where you hit rate-limits or had to downgrade confidence.\r
4. Run-log row that was appended.\r
\r
Do NOT dump the full file contents into chat. The file exists — let the user open it.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Usage across runtimes\r
\r
### Cursor\r
\r
1. Put this whole folder in `.cursor/skills/ai-tool-research/` (project-local) or `~/.cursor/skills/ai-tool-research/` (personal).\r
2. Ensure Skills are enabled in Cursor settings.\r
3. Ask: "Run the AI tool research skill for Cursor this month."\r
\r
### Claude Desktop / Claude Code\r
\r
1. Put this folder in `~/.claude/skills/ai-tool-research/` (or the Anthropic Skills path on your OS).\r
2. In Claude Desktop, enable the skill under Settings → Skills.\r
3. Ask: "Use the ai-tool-research skill to update the Codex playbook."\r
\r
### ChatGPT (web — no file system)\r
\r
1. Start a new conversation.\r
2. Paste this `SKILL.md` as the first message, preceded by: `You are an agent following this skill definition. Apply it to my next request.`\r
3. Also paste the five supporting files (`playbook-template.md`, `catalog-template.md`, `personas.md`, `rating-system.md`, `research-queries.md`) in subsequent turns — ChatGPT will keep them in context.\r
4. Then say: "Run it for Gemini this month."\r
5. ChatGPT will return the two Markdown files as assistant messages; copy them into `.md` files locally.\r
\r
### Gemini CLI\r
\r
1. Put this folder in `~/.gemini/skills/ai-tool-research/` (or whichever Skills path your Gemini CLI is configured with — see `GEMINI.md`).\r
2. Ask: "Use ai-tool-research to update the OpenClaw skills catalog."\r
\r
### OpenAI Codex (CLI / IDE / Cloud)\r
\r
1. Put this folder in `~/.codex/skills/ai-tool-research/`.\r
2. Reference in `AGENTS.md` if you want it auto-loaded per project.\r
3. Ask: "Run ai-tool-research for Claude this month."\r
\r
### OpenClaw\r
\r
1. Put this folder in `~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/ai-tool-research/`.\r
2. Restart the gateway if needed.\r
3. Message the agent (on WhatsApp / Telegram / Slack): "Run the ai-tool-research skill for all five tools and DM me a summary."\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Reference files (read only when needed — progressive disclosure)\r
\r
- [`playbook-template.md`](./playbook-template.md) — exact section structure + tone guide for the Productivity Playbook\r
- [`catalog-template.md`](./catalog-template.md) — exact section structure for the Skills Catalog\r
- [`personas.md`](./personas.md) — the 8 consistent personas, use-case angles, and what "good coverage" looks like per persona\r
- [`rating-system.md`](./rating-system.md) — the full validity + usefulness rubric with decision flowcharts\r
- [`research-queries.md`](./research-queries.md) — reusable search-query templates per tool, per source type\r
\r
Read these **only when the step requires it** — they're progressive disclosure to keep this top-level SKILL.md lean.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Examples of past output\r
\r
If available, the user's own previous files in `output_dir` are the best examples:\r
\r
- `Claude-Desktop-Productivity-Playbook.md` + `Claude-Skills-Catalog.md`\r
- `Cursor-Productivity-Playbook.md` + `Cursor-Skills-Catalog.md`\r
- `Codex-Productivity-Playbook.md` + `Codex-Skills-Catalog.md`\r
- `Gemini-Productivity-Playbook.md` + `Gemini-Skills-Catalog.md`\r
- `OpenClaw-Productivity-Playbook.md` + `OpenClaw-Skills-Catalog.md`\r
\r
Match their voice, section numbering, and level of detail. If the user's versions differ from the templates in this skill, **prefer the user's version** — their file is the source of truth for their stylistic preferences.\r
\r
---\r
\r
## Anti-patterns to avoid\r
\r
- ❌ Inventing repos or URLs. If you can't confirm it, rate 🔴 or drop it.\r
- ❌ Copying the previous month's file and changing the date. Always verify what actually changed.\r
- ❌ Giving five stars to everything. The rating system is useless if everything is ★★★★★.\r
- ❌ Marketing-speak ("revolutionary", "game-changing", "unlock"). Use concrete verbs.\r
- ❌ Long prose where a table would communicate faster.\r
- ❌ Skipping persona sections because "nothing new this month" — write one honest paragraph instead.\r
- ❌ Mentioning the skill file internals to the user. They just want the output files.\r
\r
---\r
\r
*This skill is intentionally portable — no hard-coded paths, no runtime-specific features. It works because Claude, Cursor, Codex, Gemini, and OpenClaw all honor the agentskills.io open spec.*\r