AI agents
deep-research
The smallest honest implementation of a deep-research agent
★ 20k
April 2026
MIT
AI agents
What we checked ourselves
Not copied from the project's own blurb. These are things we opened and verified, with the date.
- 7 Sept 2026We checked that the link to the project still resolves.
- 14 Aug 2026We read the licence text itself (LICENSE). No unusual restrictions were stated.
- 1 Sept 2026We read the project's own documentation and found no sign that development has stopped.
Where this sits among the 114 tools we list in AI agents
- Commercial use confirmed as allowed95 of 114
- Requires terminal commands21 that do not →
- Requires an API key29 that do not →
- Sends your input to the provider11 that do not →
Counted from our own checks: every tool we list is examined against the same criteria.
What it does
Searches, reads, extracts what it learned and what it still needs to know, then loops — refining its own direction until the configured depth runs out and it writes a Markdown report. The point is legibility: the repository is deliberately small enough to read end to end, which makes it a better starting template than a finished product. Depth multiplies both search and model calls, so cost climbs quickly. MIT.
Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.
Screenshots & visuals
Before you start
- Setup difficultySome setup needed
- Command lineRequired
- API keyRequired
- Sends data onlineYes
Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.
deep-research FAQ
- Is deep-research free?
- deep-research itself is free, but it needs an API key for an external AI service. That service charges separately, though some have a free tier.
- Do I need to install anything or write code to use deep-research?
- It needs the command line. If you are not comfortable typing commands, expect to get stuck during setup.
- Does deep-research work on a phone?
- No. It needs a computer.
- Can I use deep-research commercially?
- The licence is MIT, which permits commercial use. Conditions such as keeping the copyright notice still apply, so read the licence text before shipping it inside something.
How it compares
The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.
| Tool | Command line | API key | Sends data out | Phone | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| deep-research (this page) | Required | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
| gpt-researcher | Required | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
| company-research-agent | Required | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
| LangAlpha | Required | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.