Universities

Deep Research

deep_research

Read-onlyIdempotent

ACCOUNT REQUIRED (free — sign in via GitHub at https://pipeworx.io/signup; depth:"thorough" needs a paid plan). If you are not signed in, use ask_pipeworx instead — it works on every tier. Grounded multi-source research across Pipeworx's 1820 STRUCTURED data sources (SEC filings, FRED/BLS economics, FDA, USPTO patents, markets, science, government records, etc.) in ONE call — this is NOT open-web search. Decomposes your question into focused facets, routes each to the right one of 6,919 tools IN PARALLEL, and returns a findings packet: verbatim evidence + confidence + source + fetched_at + a stable pipeworx:// citation per finding, with explicit gaps[] for facets the data couldn't answer (never invented). Best for broad/multi-part questions over structured data ("compare X and Y's regulatory + financial exposure", "research the filings + market picture for ACME"). For a single lookup use ask_pipeworx (one LLM call, not many). For BREAKING or colloquial CURRENT-NEWS / "what's the world saying about X" topics, prefer ask_pipeworx — it routes to live news APIs and the *-news-feeds packs; deep_research returns mostly empty gaps[] when the topic isn't in the structured catalog. Second-hop iteration: depth:"standard" re-angles unanswered gaps (gap recovery); depth:"thorough" additionally chases the best leads from the first pass — so multi-step questions resolve in one call. Every finding carries a hop field and a citation_uri — a resolvable pipeworx:// record URI, present only when the source emits one that resources/read can actually serve, so a citation you get back is always fetchable. "standard" and "thorough" also return contradictions[] flagging findings that disagree. Large records are semantically excerpted to the passages relevant to each facet (not head-truncated), so answers deep in a long filing/series aren't missed. Expect 15-60s (thorough with its follow-up + contradiction pass: up to ~90s).

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`q`	No	Alias for question.
`ask`	No	Alias for question.
`text`	No	Alias for question.
`depth`	No	How many facets to research in parallel: quick=3 (single hop), standard=3 (default; adds a gap-recovery hop that re-angles unanswered facets + a contradictions[] scan across findings), thorough=6 (paid; adds a full iterative hop that chases leads + recovers gaps, plus the contradictions[] scan).
`input`	No	Alias for question.
`query`	No	Alias for question.
`prompt`	No	Alias for question.
`message`	No	Alias for question.
`question`	Yes	The research question, in natural language. Broad/multi-part is fine — decomposition is the point. Accepts query, q, prompt, text, input, ask, message as aliases.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed8 schema fields changedSep 25, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / ask

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for question.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / input

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for question.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / message

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for question.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / prompt

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for question.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / q

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for question.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / query

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for question.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / question / description

Previous value: -"The research question, in natural language. Broad/multi-part is fine — decomposition is the point."New value: +"The research question, in natural language. Broad/multi-part is fine — decomposition is the point. Accepts query, q, prompt, text, input, ask, message as aliases."

addedInput schema / properties / text

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for question.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedSep 24, 2026

addedInput schema / examples

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "depth": "quick",
+    "question": "What is the current US unemployment rate and how has it changed over the past year?"
+  }
+]

Changed1 schema field changedAug 18, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / depth / description

Previous value: -"How many facets to research in parallel: quick=3 (single hop), standard=5 (default; adds a gap-recovery hop that re-angles unanswered facets + a contradictions[] scan across findings), thorough=8 (paid; adds a full iterative hop that chases leads + recovers gaps, plus the contradictions[] scan)."New value: +"How many facets to research in parallel: quick=3 (single hop), standard=3 (default; adds a gap-recovery hop that re-angles unanswered facets + a contradictions[] scan across findings), thorough=6 (paid; adds a full iterative hop that chases leads + recovers gaps, plus the contradictions[] scan)."

Changed1 schema field changedJul 14, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / depth / description

Previous value: -"How many facets to research in parallel: quick=3 (single hop), standard=5 (default; adds a gap-recovery hop that re-angles unanswered facets), thorough=8 (paid; adds a full iterative hop that chases leads + recovers gaps, plus a contradictions[] scan across findings)."New value: +"How many facets to research in parallel: quick=3 (single hop), standard=5 (default; adds a gap-recovery hop that re-angles unanswered facets + a contradictions[] scan across findings), thorough=8 (paid; adds a full iterative hop that chases leads + recovers gaps, plus the contradictions[] scan)."

Changed1 schema field changedJul 9, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / depth / description

Previous value: -"How many facets to research in parallel: quick=3, standard=5 (default), thorough=8 (paid plans). \"thorough\" also runs a second ITERATIVE hop — a planner inspects the first-pass findings/gaps and chases the most valuable leads or recovers gaps, resolving multi-step questions in one call."New value: +"How many facets to research in parallel: quick=3 (single hop), standard=5 (default; adds a gap-recovery hop that re-angles unanswered facets), thorough=8 (paid; adds a full iterative hop that chases leads + recovers gaps, plus a contradictions[] scan across findings)."

Changed1 schema field changedJul 9, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / depth / description

Previous value: -"How many facets to research in parallel: quick=3, standard=5 (default), thorough=8 (paid plans)."New value: +"How many facets to research in parallel: quick=3, standard=5 (default), thorough=8 (paid plans). \"thorough\" also runs a second ITERATIVE hop — a planner inspects the first-pass findings/gaps and chases the most valuable leads or recovers gaps, resolving multi-step questions in one call."

AddedJun 10, 2026

TDQS

A4.8/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive), and the description adds substantial context beyond them: account/tier gating, parallel routing, gaps[] never invented, hop and citation_uri semantics, contradiction passes, latency expectations (15-60s, up to ~90s), and semantic excerpting rather than head-truncation.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Front-loaded with the blocking prerequisite (account required) and the fallback, which is the right ordering. The prose is dense but long; nearly every clause carries a distinct constraint (tier gating, latency, citation fetchability), though it could be tightened by grouping the citation/gap details.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

No output schema exists, and the description compensates by describing the return shape precisely: findings packet with verbatim evidence, confidence, source, fetched_at, pipeworx:// citation, hop field, gaps[], and contradictions[]. Nothing an agent needs to decide and call this tool correctly is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3; the description additionally explains the account dependency for depth:'thorough' and characterizes the depth tiers by hop behavior, and the alias parameters are documented in the schema. It adds real meaning over the enum list but does not add syntax beyond that.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb (grounded multi-source research), scope (1,820 structured sources, 6,919 tools in parallel), and explicitly negates the alternative interpretation ('this is NOT open-web search'). It is instantly distinguishable from ask_pipeworx and from open-web search tools.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives explicit when-to-use (broad/multi-part questions over structured data, with two concrete examples), when-not (single lookup, breaking/colloquial news), and the named alternative ask_pipeworx for each case. Also states the account prerequisite and which tier unlocks thorough.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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Deep Research

Input Schema

Schema Changelog

TDQS

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