01
It starts by itself
weekly topic research. Runs in cron or Claude Code routine.
- ↻ weekly topic research
0 6 * * 1
actionbook · 3K installsActive Research skill
Runs by itself, weekly topic research.
Tracked topics get fresh research reports.
Install the Active Research skill and make it a habit: follow https://gethabit.dev/skills/actionbook/active-research.md
- 1Copy
- 2Paste into Claude Code, Codex or Cursor
- 3It runs by itself
3K installs2K starsApache-2.0 licenceSource on GitHub ↗
Active Research
by actionbook · 3K installs
The skill
The active research skill researches any topic, paper or technology with the Actionbook browser, searching arXiv and the web, reading sources in depth and producing a structured json-ui report rendered as HTML.
Only when you ask.
The habit
Tracked topics get fresh research reports.
↻ Runs by itselfweekly topic research
How the habit works.
You don't have to.
When does it start? How does it check its work? What does it remember?
One run, step by step.
Then it stops.
One topic per run, 5-8 queries and at most 20 source pages.
- 01
Read last report
Open the previous JSON report to see earlier findings and sources.
- 02
Plan the queries
Write 5-8 queries from angles such as overview, latest news, technical detail and comparisons.
- 03
Look up selectors
Run actionbook search and actionbook get for known sites before browsing them.
- 04
Search arXiv first
Use URL-based arXiv search, then add Google or Bing results for non-academic sources.
- 05
Deep read sources
Read pages with actionbook browser fetch and skip dead links without retrying.
- 06
Write the report
Synthesize overview, key findings, analysis, evidence and sources into a json-ui JSON file.
- 07
Render to HTML
Run json-ui render with absolute paths, trying all three methods before giving up.
- 08
Close the browser
Run actionbook browser close, even after errors.
What it may do.
Nothing more.
It writes only in its own folder and asks you before anything goes out.
- Writes only in./output/
- Talks toarxiv.org, ar5iv.org, huggingface.co, scholar.google.com, www.google.com, www.bing.com
- Sendsnothing
- Your OKNothing goes out, so it needs no OK.
Is it for you?
Use it when it fits.
Read both lists. If the left one sounds like you, the Active Research skill helps.
Use it when
- ✓ you need a deep-dive report
- ✓ you analyze an arXiv paper
- ✓ you compare tools in a field
Skip it when
- – a quick answer is enough
- – Actionbook is not installed
Active Research skill, answered.
Which tool does it use for the web?
Only the actionbook browser and actionbook search or get commands.
What if HTML rendering fails?
It tries the monorepo path, a global json-ui and npx, then tells you where the JSON report is.
How does it handle dead links?
It detects 404 pages fast, skips them and can still use the search snippet as data.
How do I install the Active Research skill?
Copy the prompt at the top into your agent. It installs the skill from actionbook/actionbook and sets up the habit. Or run npx skills add actionbook/actionbook --skill active-research.
Is the Active Research skill free?
Yes. It is published under Apache-2.0. Habit is free too.
Active Research. Now as a habit.
Install the Active Research skill and make it a habit: follow https://gethabit.dev/skills/actionbook/active-research.md
All actionbook skills →More content skills →
Works in
- Claude Code
- Codex
- Cursor
- ChatGPT
- Claude app
Made by actionbook, published under Apache-2.0. Habit links to the original and never changes it. Is this your skill?