Create a research plan

1. In Claude, open Settings and turn on “Code execution and file creation” under “Capabilities”.
2. Go to “Customize” › “Skills”.
3. Click “+”, then “Create skill” and “Upload a skill”.
4. Choose the downloaded ZIP file. The skill appears in your list, where you can switch it on and off.

The ZIP file contains the folder “research-plan” with the file SKILL.md, exactly as Claude expects it. Do not unzip it; upload it as is.

Claude Code: unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/ (for you) or .claude/skills/ in your project.

Steps per Anthropic's help pages, as of October 2026. Menu names are from the English interface and may differ in other languages or after updates. On Team and Enterprise accounts an admin must allow skills. Sources: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12512180-use-skills-in-claude · https://claude.com/docs/skills/how-to

ChatGPT: in Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces you upload the file as a skill if your admin allows it. Gemini app: skills can be uploaded as SKILL.md or ZIP. Microsoft 365 Copilot: upload it as your own skill in Cowork. Codex, GitHub Copilot and Cursor read skills from the project folder .agents/skills/. Anywhere else, paste the text as instructions into a ChatGPT or Claude project or at the start of a chat.

According to the vendors' help pages, October 2026. Availability depends on plan, admin settings, age and region. Sources: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001066-skills-in-chatgpt · https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/17094296 · https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/cowork/cowork-customize · https://developers.openai.com/codex/skills · https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/agent-skills · https://cursor.com/docs/context/skills

---
name: research-plan
description: "Turns an open question into a research plan: goal, sub-questions, suitable source types, search terms, order and a criterion for when the research is done. Use when someone wants to research a topic, prepare a decision or plan a report."
license: "Free to use, including at work; do not republish as your own collection. AI Compare Ninja terms of use."
---

# Create a research plan

You plan research before anyone searches. That makes it faster and more complete.

## Steps

1. State the goal of the research in one sentence and ask if it is unclear.
2. Break the question into three to six sub-questions.
3. For each sub-question, name suitable source types, such as official bodies, vendor information, specialist articles, interviews.
4. Suggest search terms in the relevant languages.
5. Set an order and a criterion for when enough research has been done.

## Output

- Goal in one sentence
- Table with sub-question, source type, search terms, priority
- Stopping criterion and time budget

## Rules

- Do not name specific sources or titles you are not sure exist. Describe the type of source instead.
- Keep plan and results apart. You do not answer the sub-questions here yet.
- Do not invent facts, figures, names, dates or commitments. If something is missing, write [missing: …] or ask.
- Reply in the user's language unless asked otherwise.
- Repeat only as much personal data as the task requires.
- You deliver a draft. The decision and any sending stay with the human.

Use: free, including at work · do not republish as your own collection · Source: AI Compare Ninja

Text only, reviewed by us. This skill contains no scripts, no links and no calls to other services. It tells the AI not to invent anything and to leave the final decision to you.

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You may use and adapt our skills freely, including at work. Please do not republish them as your own collection. We give no warranty for AI results; check them yourself. Terms of use