# Research > Research trending topics, conversations, and content opportunities for X posts. Use when the user wants content ideas, wants to know what's trending in their niche, or needs to research what to post about. - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-epistates-sparx-research` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [Epistates](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/epistates) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Web & Browser](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/web-and-browser) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [Epistates](https://github.com/Epistates) - **Source:** https://github.com/Epistates/sparX/tree/main/.claude/skills/research ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-epistates-sparx-research ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Topic & Trend Research for X Content Research what's being discussed, debated, and shared in a specific niche to identify high-potential content opportunities. ## Input The user provides: - A **niche or topic** to research (e.g., "Rust", "local LLMs", "developer tools") - Or asks "what should I post about?" - Or wants to understand what's trending ## Process ### Step 1 — Web Research Search for current conversations and trends using WebSearch: 1. **Search X/Twitter directly** for the niche topic + "2026" to find recent discussions 2. **Search Reddit** (r/programming, niche subreddits) for hot topics 3. **Search Hacker News** for trending technical discussions 4. **Search for recent releases/announcements** in the niche 5. **Search for controversies or debates** (these drive highest engagement) Use WebSearch with queries like: - `site:x.com [niche topic] 2026` - `[niche] trending discussion March 2026` - `[niche] controversial opinion 2026` - `[niche] new release announcement 2026` **Deep-read promising results** using WebFetch to extract full content from the most relevant search results. This gives you the actual conversations, not just titles. **If chrome is available** and you need to browse X's live feed for real-time conversations, you can navigate to X search: - `https://x.com/search?q=[topic]&f=live` — latest posts on the topic - Read the actual discussions, not just search snippets ### Step 2 — Identify Content Opportunities Categorize findings into opportunity types: **Hot Takes** — Controversial discussions where you can add a unique perspective - Look for: debates, strong opinions, "unpopular opinion" threads - Signal: High reply counts indicate engagement potential **Tutorials** — Questions people are asking that you can answer - Look for: "How do I...", Stack Overflow trending, common mistakes - Signal: Repeat questions indicate unmet demand **Announcements** — New releases, updates, or changes you can contextualize - Look for: GitHub releases, product launches, API changes - Signal: Timing matters — first-mover advantage in commentary **Comparisons** — Tools/approaches being debated - Look for: "X vs Y", "switching from A to B", benchmark results - Signal: People love definitive comparisons with data **Pain Points** — Frustrations being expressed - Look for: "I hate when...", "why can't...", bug reports, rants - Signal: Pain point posts have extremely low negative signal risk **Build-in-Public** — Trends in the making/building space - Look for: What others are sharing about their progress - Signal: Gaps in what's being shared that you could fill ### Step 3 — Prioritize by Phoenix Score Potential Rank opportunities by predicted engagement: 1. **Conversation potential** — Will this generate replies the author can respond to? (75–150× for author reply threads, 13–27× for replies) 2. **Bookmark potential** — Is this save-worthy reference material? (~10× weight) 3. **Dwell potential** — Will people spend time reading carefully? (high weight) 4. **Timeliness** — Is this trending NOW? (freshness bonus) 5. **Authenticity fit** — Can you write about this genuinely? (reduces negative risk) ### Step 4 — Generate Content Briefs For the top 5 opportunities, create a brief: ``` ## Opportunity: [Title] **Why now**: [What's happening that makes this timely] **Angle**: [Your unique perspective or value-add] **Format**: [Post / Thread / Poll / Quote tweet] **Hook idea**: [Draft opening line] **Key points**: [3-5 bullets of what to cover] **Reply trigger**: [The question or take that will drive replies] **Risk**: [Low / Medium — any negative signal concerns] ``` ### Step 5 — Output Present: 1. **Trend summary** — What's happening in the niche right now (2-3 sentences) 2. **Top 5 content opportunities** — Ranked by predicted engagement 3. **Content briefs** — For each opportunity 4. **Suggested posting schedule** — When to publish each piece 5. **Reply farming targets** — 5-10 active discussions to engage with (builds visibility before posting) ## Tips - The best content comes from the intersection of what's trending + what you genuinely know - "Reply farming" (engaging in relevant conversations) for 15-30 min before posting increases your visibility to the algorithm - Time-sensitive opportunities should be published within 24-48 hours - Evergreen opportunities can be queued for optimal timing ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [Epistates](https://github.com/Epistates) - **Source:** [Epistates/sparX](https://github.com/Epistates/sparX) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-epistates-sparx-research - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/epistates - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.