If you have not met these minimums, keep researching. Do NOT shortcut.

Step 4 — Fact-Check

Do not skip this step.

• Cross-verify key data from multiple independent sources (aim for 2-3; more for L3)
• If only a single source exists, explicitly note: "Based on a single source — not independently verified"
• When sources contradict each other:
  1. Identify the reason (timing difference? different versions? conflicting interests?)
  2. State which source is more credible and why
  3. If you cannot resolve the contradiction, present both sides and ask the user how they want to proceed
• Distinguish facts from opinions — opinions may be cited but must not be stated as facts
• Never fabricate or assume unverified data — say "insufficient evidence" instead

Step 5 — Synthesize Output

• Conclusion first — Lead with the most important finding or recommendation, then expand
• Cite every data point with [1], [2], etc., so the reader can verify
• Be honest about uncertainty — If evidence is limited, say so; do not force a conclusion
• End with a full source list

Contradiction and Uncertainty Handling

When you encounter any of the following during research, do not silently resolve it — surface it to the user:

Format for follow-up questions:

⚠️ Needs clarification: [concise description of the issue]

Options:

1. [Option A]
2. [Option B]

Which would you prefer, or would you like me to handle it differently?

Error Handling

When a tool fails, follow this protocol — never silently fail or fabricate content:

Core principle: If a tool fails and you cannot recover, tell the user what happened, what you tried, and suggest next steps. Never pretend it succeeded.

Output Format

Strict portable Markdown only. The output must render correctly in any Markdown editor (GitHub, Obsidian, Typora, VS Code, etc.).

Rules

1. No HTML tags — no <br>, <div>, <table>, <sub>, <sup>, or any HTML whatsoever
2. Table cells must be single-line plain text — no line breaks, no nested lists, no multi-line content inside a cell
3. If content does not fit single-line table cells, use a list instead of a table
4. Use blank lines before and after headings, tables, code blocks, and block quotes to ensure correct parsing
5. Do not use indented code blocks — always use fenced code blocks with triple backticks

Formatting Toolkit

Table Example (Use Only When Appropriate)

Tables are for comparing multiple items with short single-line values:

| Product | Price | Offline | Rating |
| ------- | ----- | ------- | ------ |
| A       | $99   | ✅       | 4.5/5  |
| B       | $199  | ❌       | 4.0/5  |
| C       | Free  | ✅       | 3.5/5  |

Do not use tables when: content is single-column, cells need multi-line text, or structure requires nesting.

Source Citations

Inline: [1], [2], etc.

At the end:

## Sources
[1] [Title](URL) — Key data description
[2] [Title](URL)

Context Management

• Long content (>2000 words): Summarize key information after extraction; do not paste raw content into the response
• Subtitles: Download to disk by default — only load into context when the user explicitly asks for content analysis (e.g. "summarize this video", "extract info about X")
• Multiple pages: Synthesize and integrate findings; do not stack raw page dumps

CLI Tools Reference

📁 Working directory: All commands run from ~/.agents/skills/skilless/. The cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && prefix is shown in full for each command to ensure correct execution.

Search (Exa AI)

cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run scripts/search.py "your query"
cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run scripts/search.py "your query" 10

Web Reader (Jina Reader)

cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run scripts/web.py <url>

Video / Transcript Extractor

youtube.py — One-step subtitle + metadata extraction (recommended for most cases):

cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run scripts/youtube.py "<url>"

yt-dlp direct — Advanced usage (custom formats, audio-only, subtitle listing):

cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run yt-dlp "URL"
cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run yt-dlp --list-subs "URL"
cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run yt-dlp --write-subs --write-auto-subs "URL"
cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "URL"

Supported platforms (1700+ via yt-dlp): YouTube, Bilibili, TikTok, Twitter/X, Twitch, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Niconico, Rumble, Odysee, SoundCloud, Reddit, Instagram, Facebook, and many more.

Download path rules:

• Specific project directory (e.g. ~/codes/my-project/) → download to current working directory
• Home directory (~) or empty path → download to ~/Downloads/
• Never download to /tmp — requires special permissions, files may auto-delete

YouTube troubleshooting:

• "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot" or timeout → enable TUN mode proxy, or try --cookies-from-browser chrome, or use Bilibili as alternative

FFmpeg (Media Converter)

cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run scripts/ffmpeg.py <input> <output>
cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run scripts/ffmpeg.py video.mkv output.mp4
cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run scripts/ffmpeg.py audio.wav output.mp3
cd ~/.agents/skills/skilless/ && uv run scripts/ffmpeg.py input.mp4 output.mp4 -crf 28

Supports all common media formats (mp4, mkv, mp3, wav, flac, webm, avi, mov, etc.)

Cross-References

• Need a detailed report? → After completing research, invoke skilless.ai-writing to produce professional reports, articles, documentation, or any structured written content from your findings
• Research goal unclear? → Invoke skilless.ai-brainstorming to define scope, clarify questions, and explore approaches before starting a deep investigation