How to Set Up an AI Research Assistant

Research is one of the most time-consuming intellectual tasks — finding relevant sources, reading through documents, cross-referencing information, and synthesizing findings into coherent summaries. An AI research assistant can do the heavy lifting, allowing you to focus on analysis and decision-making.

Your OpenClaw agent on EZClaws can be configured as a dedicated research assistant that browses the web, analyzes documents, compiles findings, and produces structured reports. Whether you need market research, academic literature reviews, competitive analysis, or general information gathering, a well-configured research agent dramatically accelerates the process.

This guide shows you how to set up, configure, and optimize an OpenClaw agent specifically for research tasks.

Prerequisites

Before you start:

• An EZClaws account — Sign up at ezclaws.com.
• A deployed OpenClaw agent — Follow our deployment guide if you need one. You can also create a new agent during this tutorial.
• A model provider API key — For research, we strongly recommend GPT-4o (OpenAI) or Claude Sonnet (Anthropic) for their strong analytical and comprehension capabilities.

Step 1: Choose the Right Model for Research

Model selection matters significantly for research quality. Different models have different strengths:

Recommended Models

Model	Best For	Cost	Speed
GPT-4o	Complex analysis, nuanced reasoning, broad knowledge	Medium	Medium
Claude Sonnet	Long document analysis, careful reasoning, detailed outputs	Medium	Medium
Gemini Pro	Fast research, good at synthesizing multiple sources	Medium	Fast
GPT-4o-mini	Quick lookups, simple research, high volume	Low	Fast

For serious research work, use GPT-4o or Claude Sonnet. Their superior reasoning capabilities produce more accurate and nuanced research outputs.

For quick information gathering or high-volume research, GPT-4o-mini or Gemini Flash offers a good balance of quality and cost.

Deploy your agent with the chosen model at /app.

Step 2: Install Research-Related Skills

Navigate to /app/marketplace and install skills that enhance research capabilities:

Essential Skills

1. Web Browser — Enables the agent to search the web, visit URLs, and extract information from web pages. This is the most important skill for a research agent.

2. Persistent Memory — Allows the agent to remember research findings across sessions. Without this, each conversation starts from scratch. See our memory guide.

Recommended Skills

3. Document Reader — If available, this skill lets the agent process uploaded PDFs, documents, and other file formats.

4. Knowledge Base — For storing and organizing research findings in a structured, searchable format.

5. Email Sender — Useful for sending research reports directly to your inbox or team members. See our email guide.

Install each skill from the marketplace and configure them on your agent.

Step 3: Configure the Research System Prompt

The system prompt shapes your research assistant's behavior. A well-crafted prompt produces dramatically better research output.

## Research Assistant Configuration

You are a professional research assistant. Your primary function is to
help the user conduct thorough, accurate, and well-organized research.

### Research Methodology
1. When given a research topic, first clarify the scope and objectives
   with the user
2. Identify the key questions that need to be answered
3. Search multiple authoritative sources for information
4. Cross-reference findings across sources
5. Synthesize information into clear, structured summaries
6. Cite all sources with URLs and publication dates
7. Flag any conflicting information or areas of uncertainty

### Source Quality Standards
- Prefer primary sources over secondary sources
- Prioritize recent publications (within the last 2 years unless
  historical context is needed)
- Use authoritative sources: academic journals, official documentation,
  established news organizations, government publications
- Note the credibility and potential biases of each source
- Never fabricate sources or citations

### Output Format
Structure research outputs as follows:
1. Executive Summary (2-3 sentences)
2. Key Findings (bullet points)
3. Detailed Analysis (organized by theme or question)
4. Sources (numbered list with URLs)
5. Gaps and Limitations (what could not be confirmed)
6. Recommended Next Steps

### Research Ethics
- Clearly distinguish between facts and opinions
- Acknowledge uncertainty when it exists
- Present multiple perspectives on controversial topics
- Never plagiarize — always attribute information to its source
- Flag when information might be outdated

### What You Can Research
- Market analysis and industry trends
- Competitive intelligence
- Technical documentation and specifications
- Academic literature and scientific studies
- Current events and news analysis
- Historical context and background
- Product and service comparisons
- Regulatory and legal information (with disclaimer that this
  is not legal advice)

### Saving Research
- Save key findings to memory for future reference
- Organize findings by project or topic
- When asked about previous research, check memory first

Paste this into your agent's system prompt configuration and customize the sections to match your specific research needs.

Step 4: Test Research Capabilities

Run through several research scenarios to verify your agent works correctly:

Test 1: Quick Information Lookup

You: What are the current market trends in renewable energy
     for 2026?

Agent: [Should search the web, find recent sources, and provide
       a structured summary with citations]

Test 2: Comparative Analysis

You: Compare the top three project management tools for small
     teams. Focus on pricing, features, and user reviews.

Agent: [Should research multiple tools, compile a comparison
       table, and provide a recommendation with sources]

Test 3: In-Depth Research

You: I need a comprehensive overview of the current state of
     quantum computing. Cover key players, recent breakthroughs,
     commercial applications, and challenges. Target a
     professional audience.

Agent: [Should produce a detailed, multi-section report with
       multiple sources and balanced analysis]

Test 4: Source Verification

You: I read that [specific claim]. Can you verify this and
     find the original source?

Agent: [Should search for the claim, trace it to original
       sources, and confirm or deny with evidence]

Review the quality of responses. Look for:

• Source citations with URLs
• Structured formatting
• Balanced presentation
• Acknowledgment of limitations
• Accurate information

Step 5: Set Up Research Workflows

Configure your agent for common research workflows:

Morning Briefing

Create a regular research routine:

You: Give me a morning briefing on developments in AI
     regulation in the EU. Focus on anything new from the
     past week.

Agent: [Searches for recent EU AI regulation news and
       provides a structured summary]

Ongoing Research Projects

For multi-session research projects, use memory to maintain continuity:

Session 1:
You: I'm starting a research project on the impact of remote
     work on employee productivity. Let's begin with academic
     studies from the last 3 years.

Agent: [Researches and presents findings, saves key information
       to memory]

Session 2 (days later):
You: Continue our remote work productivity research. Now I
     need industry reports and surveys from major consulting firms.

Agent: [Recalls previous research, adds new findings,
       builds on existing knowledge]

Research Report Generation

Ask the agent to compile its findings into a formal report:

You: Compile all our research on [topic] into a formal report.
     Include an executive summary, methodology, findings,
     conclusions, and recommendations. Format it professionally.

Agent: [Produces a comprehensive report drawing from all
       previous research sessions]

Step 6: Optimize Research Quality

Use Follow-Up Questions

Research quality improves with iteration. After initial results, ask follow-up questions:

You: Those findings on market size are interesting. Can you
     dig deeper into the methodology of the studies that
     produced those numbers?

You: The data from Source 3 contradicts Source 1. Can you
     find additional sources to resolve this discrepancy?

You: Good analysis. Now add a section on potential risks
     and counterarguments.

Set Research Parameters

Be specific about what you need:

You: Research the competitive landscape for AI chatbot platforms.
     Parameters:
     - Focus on B2B companies only
     - Revenue must be above $10M
     - Include pricing information
     - Only use sources from 2025-2026
     - Compare at least 5 competitors
     - Include a SWOT analysis for the top 3

Request Specific Formats

Different outputs serve different purposes:

"Give me a bullet-point summary"  — Quick reference
"Create a comparison table"       — Side-by-side analysis
"Write a narrative report"        — Detailed reading
"Provide a slide deck outline"    — Presentation preparation
"List the top 10 with brief descriptions" — Overview

Managing Research Credits

Research tasks consume more credits than simple conversations because they involve web browsing and longer responses. Here is how to manage costs:

Typical Credit Usage

Research Task	Estimated Cost
Quick fact lookup	0.2-0.5 cents
Short comparison (2-3 items)	0.5-1 cent
In-depth analysis (single topic)	1-3 cents
Comprehensive report (multi-source)	3-10 cents
Full literature review	5-15 cents

Cost Optimization Tips

1. Be specific — Focused queries require fewer searches and less processing.
2. Use memory — Avoid re-researching topics the agent already covered.
3. Start narrow, then expand — Begin with targeted questions before asking for broad overviews.
4. Use the right model — GPT-4o-mini for quick lookups, GPT-4o for deep analysis.
5. Batch related questions — Ask multiple related questions in one session to share context.

Monitor your research-related credit usage at /app/billing.

Troubleshooting

Agent provides outdated information

If research results are not current:

1. Explicitly instruct the agent to search for recent sources: "Find information from 2026 only."
2. Verify the web browsing skill is installed and working.
3. Some topics may have limited recent coverage — the agent should acknowledge this.

Agent cannot access certain websites

If the agent reports it cannot access a site:

1. Some websites block automated access — this is normal.
2. Ask the agent to find the same information from alternative sources.
3. Websites behind logins or paywalls require credentials the agent does not have.
4. Some search engines may limit automated queries — try different search terms.

Research output is too superficial

If the agent provides shallow analysis:

1. Ask for more depth explicitly: "Go deeper on this topic."
2. Use a more capable model (GPT-4o or Claude Sonnet instead of mini models).
3. Provide specific questions rather than broad topics.
4. Ask for specific numbers, statistics, or examples.

Agent makes up sources or citations

If the agent fabricates sources (hallucination):

1. Strengthen the system prompt: "Never fabricate sources. If you cannot find a source, say so."
2. Ask the agent to provide clickable URLs for all citations.
3. Verify key citations by visiting the URLs yourself.
4. Use Claude models, which tend to be more conservative about source fabrication.

Research sessions lose context

If the agent forgets previous research:

1. Ensure the memory skill is installed. See our memory guide.
2. At the start of each session, ask: "What do you remember about our [topic] research?"
3. If memory is not available, provide a brief summary of previous findings at the start of each session.

Summary

An AI research assistant on EZClaws transforms hours of manual research into minutes of intelligent, automated information gathering. The key to a great research agent is a well-configured system prompt, the right model selection, web browsing capabilities, and persistent memory for multi-session projects.

Start with focused research tasks to build confidence in the agent's capabilities, then expand to more complex workflows like ongoing research projects and formal report generation. Monitor credit usage closely since research is more token-intensive than simple conversations.

For related capabilities, explore our guides on adding memory, using email for distributing research reports, and automating tasks for scheduled research routines.