Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Deep Research course design agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Deep Research course design skill is an agent skill for OpenMAIC's course generator. It makes the agent research a topic and check facts against live sources before writing a course, so the outline and pages rest on claims it can trace back to a source and date. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and what it needs to run.
Deep Research course designTHU-MAIC/OpenMAIC · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the skill ZIP from this page. It contains SKILL.md and outline-constraints.json.
- 2Unzip into the skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload it in the apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
- 4Confirm web search is available. Check that web search is registered in your OpenMAIC deployment, since the research steps depend on it.
- 5Attach your materials. Add any documents, links or data the course should rely on before you start.
- 6Ask for a research-based course. Describe the topic and say it needs current, sourced facts, then review the ledger and outline the agent produces.
What is an agent skill and what does this one do?
An agent skill is a folder of instructions that an AI agent loads when a task matches it. This skill is for courses whose content depends on current, external or real-world facts, such as recent events, market or policy data, product and version details, scientific developments or named cases.
The skill makes the agent work in a fixed order: it lists the materials the user attached, splits the topic into 2 to 4 facets, runs a limited number of web searches, fetches a small number of primary sources, and keeps a ledger linking each claim to its source and date. The outline and each page are then written only from those verified claims. Conflicts and gaps are stated openly rather than filled with guesses.
- Attached user materials are treated as the primary authority on their own subject.
- At most 8 web searches and 6 fetched URLs across the whole session.
- Every number, date and name in the course must appear in the ledger.
- Single-sourced key claims are softened, attributed or dropped.
Install the Deep Research skill
Download the ZIP for this skill from this page. The package includes SKILL.md and outline-constraints.json. Unzip it into one of two locations: ~/.claude/skills/ for your user account, or .claude/skills/ inside a specific project.
If you use the Claude apps instead, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. The skill is meant to activate when the request depends on up-to-date or externally checkable facts. Describe the course you want and say that it needs current sources.
The skill is not meant for timeless textbook topics. If the topic is established knowledge, the skill tells the agent to say so in one sentence and plan an ordinary course instead.
- Example: Make a course on how recent changes to data protection rules affect small online shops, with sourced figures.
- Example: Build a course on the latest public figures for electric vehicle sales, citing where each number comes from.
- Example: Create a course comparing the current versions and known limitations of two cloud databases.
- Example (not a fit): Make a course on the rules of algebra.
What the skill needs to run
The skill runs inside the OpenMAIC course-generation environment. It expects tools such as list_materials, web_search, fetch_url, read_material, search_material, create_stage and generate_scene. Web search must be registered in the deployment for the research steps to work.
If web search is not available, the skill tells the agent to say so, build from the user's materials and general knowledge, and mark what could not be verified. In that case it cannot check recent facts.
- Requires the OpenMAIC course-generation environment.
- Requires web search registered in the deployment for research.
- Does not run scripts.
- Uses the network to search and fetch pages.
Safety notes on scripts and network use
The skill does not run scripts. It does use the network: it calls web search and fetches pages, but only URLs that appeared in the user's messages or in the session's search results. The skill forbids building URLs from memory.
Fetched pages are ingested as session materials. Check the ledger and the sources yourself before you publish a course, especially where the content will be used for decisions.
- No script execution.
- Network access limited to search and to URLs that surfaced in the session.
- Review the ledger's sources before publishing.
Tips for better research-based courses
Attach your own documents and links before you ask for the course. The skill lists them first and treats them as the main authority on their subject.
Write precise requests. The skill runs fewer, more targeted searches, so a focused topic with named facets gets better coverage than a broad one.
When sources conflict, expect the course to present the range or the disagreement with both attributions, not a single chosen number.
- Attach materials before asking for research.
- Name the facets you care about, such as latest developments, baseline figures or open questions.
- Expect gaps to be stated, not hidden.
What people use it for
- A teacher builds a course on recent policy changes, with each figure tied to its official source and date.
- A trainer prepares material on current product versions and known limitations, with conflicting claims flagged.
- A developer tests the OpenMAIC course generator and checks that output is grounded in fetched sources.
- A student practises telling supported claims from unsupported ones using a quiz built from verified facts.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Deep Research course design skill free?
The source material for this page does not state pricing. It is published under the MIT licence, as listed on this page. Check the licence file in the repository for the full terms.
What do I need to use this skill?
You need the OpenMAIC course-generation environment with tools such as web_search and fetch_url. Web search must be registered in your deployment for the research steps to work.
How do I install an agent skill from a ZIP?
Unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Why does the agent say it cannot verify facts?
If web search is not registered or keeps failing, the skill tells the agent to say so and build only from your materials and general knowledge. Without search, it cannot verify recent facts.
Can I use this skill for a maths or history course?
Not for timeless textbook topics. The skill is designed for content that needs live or externally checkable sources, and it tells the agent to plan an ordinary course for topics that need no research.
How does this compare with simply asking an AI to write a course?
This skill makes the agent research first, keep a ledger of claims linked to sources and dates, and write only from verified claims. A plain request does not add that verification step.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you need a course on recent, policy, market, product or scientific facts and want each claim traced to a source. Pick something else if your topic is established textbook knowledge, if you need authoritative legal, medical or financial advice, or if your environment has no web search, since the skill cannot verify recent facts without it.
Download the skill