sequential_search
Track multi-step research progress with persistent sessions, branching, and knowledge gap tracking to organize your research workflow.
Instructions
Track multi-step research progress with persistent sessions, branching, and knowledge gap tracking. This is a state tracker, not a search tool — pair with web_search or search_and_scrape for actual searches. Call with stepNumber=1 (omit sessionId) to start a new session. Returns JSON with fields: sessionId, currentStep, totalStepsEstimate, isComplete, steps (array of {stepNumber, description, isRevision, revisesStep, branchId, timestamp}), sources, gaps (array of {description, foundInStep}), startedAt, completedAt (only when isComplete=true). Pass sessionId for steps 2+; each call returns the full accumulated session state. Set nextStepNeeded=false on final step to mark complete. Sessions expire after 30 min of inactivity (returns 'session expired or not found' error); max 50 concurrent sessions per tenant. Use branchFromStep + branchId to explore alternative directions without losing the main thread. Not cached.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| searchStep | Yes | Summary of what was researched or discovered in this step. Be descriptive to build a useful research trail.,required | |
| stepNumber | Yes | Current step number (start at 1 for a new session). Must increment sequentially.,required | |
| nextStepNeeded | Yes | Set true if more research steps will follow; false to mark the session complete.,required | |
| totalStepsEstimate | No | Your estimate of total steps needed. Update as scope becomes clearer. | |
| sessionId | No | Session ID returned from the first call. Required for steps 2+. Omit to start a new session. | |
| isRevision | No | Set true if this step revises a previous step's findings. | |
| revisesStep | No | The step number being revised (required if isRevision is true). | |
| branchFromStep | No | Step number to branch from, for exploring alternative research directions. | |
| branchId | No | Identifier for this research branch (e.g. 'technical-approach' vs 'business-angle'). | |
| knowledgeGap | No | A specific gap or unanswered question identified during this step that needs further investigation. |
Output Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| completedAt | No | ||
| currentStep | No | ||
| gaps | No | ||
| isComplete | No | ||
| sessionId | No | ||
| sources | No | ||
| startedAt | No | ||
| steps | No | ||
| totalStepsEstimate | No |