Research Agent

A TypeScript application that uses OpenAI agents to conduct thorough research on any topic and generate comprehensive reports.

Features

• Intelligent Research Planning: Automatically generates strategic search queries for comprehensive topic coverage
• Native Web Search with Citations: Uses OpenAI's native web search API with proper source attribution
• Multi-Agent Coordination: Coordinates between planner and writer agents with direct web search integration
• Comprehensive Reports with Citations: Generates detailed markdown reports with proper citations, key findings, and follow-up questions
• Source Attribution: All claims are backed by clickable citations with full source information
• Interactive CLI: User-friendly command-line interface with help, examples, and report saving functionality

Architecture

The application consists of these main components:

1. Planner Agent (plannerAgent): Analyzes research questions and creates strategic search plans
2. Web Search Agent (WebSearchAgent): Uses OpenAI's native web search API with citation extraction
3. Writer Agent (writerAgent): Synthesizes research into comprehensive reports with proper citations
4. Research Manager (ResearchManager): Coordinates the entire workflow with proper tracing and error handling

Citation System

The application now uses OpenAI's native web search capabilities which provide:

• Automatic Citations: All search results include proper source attribution
• URL Citations: Clickable links to original sources
• Source Verification: Each claim is backed by verifiable sources
• Citation Formatting: Proper markdown formatting with inline citations

Installation

1. Install dependencies:

   npm install

2. Set up your OpenAI API key: Create a .env file in the project root and add your OpenAI API key:

   OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here
   

Usage

Web Interface (Recommended)

Launch the beautiful web interface:

npm run dev

Then open http://localhost:3000 in your browser. The web interface provides:

• Elegant UI: Clean, modern design with Tailwind CSS
• Interactive Form: Easy-to-use research question input with example prompts
• Real-time Loading: Beautiful loading animations showing research progress
• Comprehensive Reports: Well-formatted sections for summary, findings, detailed report, follow-up questions, and sources
• Report Saving: One-click download of reports as markdown files
• Responsive Design: Works perfectly on desktop and mobile devices

Production Deployment

Build for production:

npm run build
npm run start-next

The app is ready for deployment on Vercel, Netlify, or any Next.js hosting platform.

CLI Mode

Quick Demo

To see the research agent in action with a sample question:

npm run demo

This will demonstrate the complete research workflow using a predefined question about renewable energy technology.

Interactive CLI

Run the command-line interface:

npm run start-cli

The CLI application will start an interactive mode where you can:

• Ask research questions on any topic
• Type help to see example questions
• Type exit to quit the application

Example Research Questions

• "What are the latest developments in artificial intelligence?"
• "How is climate change affecting global food security?"
• "What are the current trends in renewable energy adoption?"
• "What is the impact of remote work on productivity?"
• "What are the newest treatments for diabetes?"

Output Format

For each research question, the application provides:

1. Executive Summary: Concise overview of main findings
2. Key Findings: 3-5 most important discoveries with citations
3. Detailed Report: Comprehensive markdown-formatted analysis with inline citations
4. Follow-up Questions: Suggestions for further research
5. Sources Consulted: Complete list of all sources with clickable URLs
6. Report Saving: Option to save reports as timestamped markdown files

Project Structure

research-agent/
├── app/                     # Next.js 14 app directory
│   ├── api/research/        # API route for research requests
│   ├── components/          # React components
│   │   ├── ResearchForm.tsx    # Input form with examples
│   │   ├── LoadingState.tsx    # Loading animations
│   │   └── ReportDisplay.tsx   # Report presentation
│   ├── globals.css          # Tailwind CSS styles
│   ├── layout.tsx           # Root layout component
│   └── page.tsx             # Main page component
├── main.ts                  # CLI entry point
├── manager.ts               # Research workflow coordinator
├── agents.ts                # Agent definitions and types
├── web-search-agent.ts      # OpenAI web search integration with citations
├── demo.ts                  # Demonstration script
├── example-queries.txt      # Sample research questions
├── package.json             # Dependencies and scripts
├── next.config.js           # Next.js configuration
├── tailwind.config.js       # Tailwind CSS configuration
├── tsconfig.json            # TypeScript configuration
└── .env                     # Environment variables (not tracked)

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• OpenAI API key with access to web search functionality
• TypeScript support

Development

To check TypeScript compilation:

npm run build-check

Error Handling

The application includes comprehensive error handling for:

• Missing API keys
• Network failures during searches
• Invalid queries
• Agent execution errors

License

This project is for educational and research purposes.