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GitHub Deep Research

Free

Conduct thorough analysis of GitHub repositories.

by bytedance79.7k stars on bytedance/deer-flow
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Updated Aug 10, 2026
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Free · Opens the source repo

What GitHub Deep Research does

The GitHub Deep Research skill enables users to perform comprehensive investigations of any GitHub repository. By leveraging the GitHub API and a structured research methodology, this skill conducts multi-round research to gather insights, metrics, and timelines about projects. It is particularly useful for developers, product managers, and analysts who need to understand the landscape of open-source projects or assess the viability of a technology stack.

The research process consists of four distinct rounds: starting with data retrieval from the GitHub API, followed by discovery through web searches, deep investigations into technical architecture and community sentiment, and finally, a deep dive into the commit history and issue tracking. This structured approach ensures that users can refine their queries and gather relevant information progressively, leading to a well-rounded understanding of the subject matter.

The output is a meticulously crafted markdown report that includes an executive summary, chronological timelines, detailed analyses, and visual representations such as Mermaid diagrams. This report format allows users to present findings clearly and effectively, making it an invaluable resource for strategic decision-making or competitive analysis. The skill is designed for anyone needing to conduct in-depth research on open-source projects, from software developers to business analysts.

By following best practices such as starting with official sources and triangulating claims, users can ensure the reliability of their findings. The skill also emphasizes the importance of inline citations, helping to maintain transparency and credibility in the research process.

When to use it

Use this skill when you need a detailed analysis of a GitHub repository or open-source project, especially for competitive analysis or timeline reconstruction.

When not to use it

This skill may not be suitable for quick, superficial checks or for repositories that lack sufficient public data.

What you can build with it

Analyzing a Competitor's Repository

Use this skill to gather detailed insights on a competitor's GitHub repository, including metrics and development history.

Assessing Open Source Technologies

Conduct a thorough analysis of an open-source technology's repository to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses.

Creating a Project Timeline

Utilize the skill to reconstruct the timeline of a project based on commit history and significant events.

How to install GitHub Deep Research

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add bytedance/deer-flow/github-deep-research --agent claude-code

2. Or install it manually

Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.

Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs

Inside SKILL.md

Written by bytedance

GitHub Deep Research Skill

Multi-round research combining GitHub API, web_search, web_fetch to produce comprehensive markdown reports.

Research Workflow

  • Round 1: GitHub API
  • Round 2: Discovery
  • Round 3: Deep Investigation
  • Round 4: Deep Dive

Core Methodology

Query Strategy

Broad to Narrow: Start with GitHub API, then general queries, refine based on findings.

Round 1: GitHub API
Round 2: "{topic} overview"
Round 3: "{topic} architecture", "{topic} vs alternatives"
Round 4: "{topic} issues", "{topic} roadmap", "site:github.com {topic}"

Source Prioritization:

  1. Official docs/repos (highest weight)
  2. Technical blogs (Medium, Dev.to)
  3. News articles (verified outlets)
  4. Community discussions (Reddit, HN)
  5. Social media (lowest weight, for sentiment)

Research Rounds

Round 1 - GitHub API Directly execute scripts/github_api.py without read_file():

python /path/to/skill/scripts/github_api.py <owner> <repo> summary
python /path/to/skill/scripts/github_api.py <owner> <repo> readme
python /path/to/skill/scripts/github_api.py <owner> <repo> tree

Available commands (the last argument of github_api.py):

  • summary
  • info
  • readme
  • tree
  • languages
  • contributors
  • commits
  • issues
  • prs
  • releases

Round 2 - Discovery (3-5 web_search)

  • Get overview and identify key terms
  • Find official website/repo
  • Identify main players/competitors

Round 3 - Deep Investigation (5-10 web_search + web_fetch)

  • Technical architecture details
  • Timeline of key events
  • Community sentiment
  • Use web_fetch on valuable URLs for full content

Round 4 - Deep Dive

  • Analyze commit history for timeline
  • Review issues/PRs for feature evolution
  • Check contributor activity

Report Structure

Follow template in assets/report_template.md:

  1. Metadata Block - Date, confidence level, subject
  2. Executive Summary - 2-3 sentence overview with key metrics
  3. Chronological Timeline - Phased breakdown with dates
  4. Key Analysis Sections - Topic-specific deep dives
  5. Metrics & Comparisons - Tables, growth charts
  6. Strengths & Weaknesses - Balanced assessment
  7. Sources - Categorized references
  8. Confidence Assessment - Claims by confidence level
  9. Methodology - Research approach used

Mermaid Diagrams

Include diagrams where helpful:

Timeline (Gantt):

gantt
    title Project Timeline
    dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
    section Phase 1
    Development    :2025-01-01, 2025-03-01
    section Phase 2
    Launch         :2025-03-01, 2025-04-01

Architecture (Flowchart):

flowchart TD
    A[User] --> B[Coordinator]
    B --> C[Planner]
    C --> D[Research Team]
    D --> E[Reporter]

Comparison (Pie/Bar):

pie title Market Share
    "Project A" : 45
    "Project B" : 30
    "Others" : 25

Confidence Scoring

Assign confidence based on source quality:

ConfidenceCriteria
High (90%+)Official docs, GitHub data, multiple corroborating sources
Medium (70-89%)Single reliable source, recent articles
Low (50-69%)Social media, unverified claims, outdated info

Output

Save report as: research_{topic}_{YYYYMMDD}.md

Formatting Rules

  • Chinese content: Use full-width punctuation(,。:;!?)
  • Technical terms: Provide Wiki/doc URL on first mention
  • Tables: Use for metrics, comparisons
  • Code blocks: For technical examples
  • Mermaid: For architecture, timelines, flows

Best Practices

  1. Start with official sources - Repo, docs, company blog
  2. Verify dates from commits/PRs - More reliable than articles
  3. Triangulate claims - 2+ independent sources
  4. Note conflicting info - Don't hide contradictions
  5. Distinguish fact vs opinion - Label speculation clearly
  6. CRITICAL: Always include inline citations - Use [citation:Title](URL) format immediately after each claim from external sources
  7. Extract URLs from search results - web_search returns {title, url, snippet} - always use the URL field
  8. Update as you go - Don't wait until end to synthesize

Citation Examples

Good - With inline citations:

The project gained 10,000 stars within 3 months of launch [citation:GitHub Stats](https://github.com/owner/repo).
The architecture uses LangGraph for workflow orchestration [citation:LangGraph Docs](https://langchain.com/langgraph).

Bad - Without citations:

The project gained 10,000 stars within 3 months of launch.
The architecture uses LangGraph for workflow orchestration.

Frequently asked questions about GitHub Deep Research

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