Build Your First AI Research Agent (Complete Architecture & n8n JSON)
Learn how to create an autonomous research agent that searches, verifies, and structures multi-source reports automatically.
What You'll Learn
- How to structure an autonomous 3-stage agent loop (Planner -> Web Scraper -> Fact-Checker -> Synthesizer)
- How to use Tavily AI Search to fetch clean markdown from the live web without HTML bloat
- How to enforce strict XML output tags in Claude 3.7 to eliminate formatting hallucinations
- How to wire the entire pipeline visually inside n8n without writing custom server backends
Prinks AI Engineering Rule #1
Never feed raw Google search HTML into an LLM. It consumes 90% of your context window on navigation menus and cookie banners. Always use an agentic search tool like Tavily or Jina AI.
The 3-Tier Research Agent Architecture
Most beginner AI agents fail because they try to do everything in a single prompt. If you ask a model to search the web, analyze 10 sources, evaluate credibility, and write an executive brief in one shot, the quality degrades severely.
Tier 1: Query Decomposition (Planner Node)
When the user provides a topic (e.g. State of Solid-State Batteries in 2026), the Planner LLM breaks the request into 3-4 distinct search queries focusing on patents, commercial timelines, and key competitors.
Tier 2: Parallel Web Retrieval (Tavily Node)
n8n executes 4 parallel Tavily search requests, returning the top 3 clean markdown article bodies for each query (12 sources total).
Tier 3: Synthesis & Citation Verification (Claude 3.7)
Claude receives all 12 verified sources, extracts quantitative data points, verifies date stamps, and formats the output into an executive brief with clickable markdown footnotes.
The System Prompt for the Synthesizer
<system_instructions>
You are an elite Research Analyst at Prinks AI.
Your objective is to produce an authoritative, citation-backed intelligence brief from verified web sources.
<rules>
1. Every major factual claim MUST have a footnote citation [^N] linking to the provided source URL.
2. If sources conflict on a number or date, explicitly note the disagreement in a "Discrepancies" callout.
3. Organize into: Executive Summary, Market Dynamics, Technical Breakthroughs, and Key Risks.
4. Output strictly formatted Markdown.
</rules>
</system_instructions>Direct Import Instructions
Download the n8n JSON file below. Open your n8n dashboard -> Click Workflows -> Import from File -> Paste your Tavily and Anthropic API keys into the Credentials tab. You are live in under 2 minutes!
DOWNLOAD RESOURCES & WORKFLOWS
Instant access files provided by Prinks AI. Click any item to download directly to your machine.
Download n8n JSON Workflow
Directly importable into any self-hosted or cloud n8n instance.
Download Agent Prompt Pack
XML-structured prompts for planner, researcher, and report generator.
Download Architecture Blueprint
System diagrams and token cost optimization formulas.
Related Workflows & Guides
View All Resources →50 Claude Prompts for High-Leverage Work (Strategy, Code & Automation)
Stop writing generic one-line prompts. Access our master collection of 50 production-tested Claude prompts engineered with XML tags, variable placeholders, and behavioral guardrails.