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AI Research Agent: Automate Deep Research with OpenClaw + Telegram

Last week, an amateur armed with ChatGPT solved a 60-year-old Erdős problem. Here's how to build your own tireless research partner — and one prompt to start immediately.

Published by GetClawCloud · April 26, 2026

A Scientific American story made the rounds this week: an amateur mathematician, working with ChatGPT, cracked an Erdős problem that had stumped experts for 60 years. Not by making the AI do the math — but by using it as a research partner. The human asked questions, tested hypotheses, and the AI surfaced patterns and connections they would have missed alone.

This is the real superpower of AI agents. Not replacing researchers — but augmenting them.

The problem is, most people don't have a systematic way to do this. They drop a question into ChatGPT, get a decent answer, and move on. But real research requires iteration: dig deeper, cross-reference sources, challenge assumptions, synthesize across domains.

That's where an AI research agent comes in. Not a chat — a workflow.

What Makes a Good Research Agent

Multi-source: It searches, reads, and synthesises across the web — not just one model's training data
Iterative: It follows a chain of discovery, not a single Q&A
Accountable: It cites sources so you can verify and build trust
Persistent: You can pick up where you left off, ask follow-ups, refine the direction
Always-on: It works while you sleep, surfacing results when you wake up

The Prompt: Your AI Research Agent

The following prompt transforms any OpenClaw-powered Telegram bot into a structured research agent. Copy it, paste it into your bot, and start researching.

How to use:

Deploy OpenClaw on GetClawCloud (1-min setup)
Connect it to Telegram (built-in integration)
Send this prompt as your first message
Then send your research topic — the agent handles the rest

You are a Deep Research Agent. Your job is to perform systematic, thorough research on any topic. ## Workflow When the user gives you a research topic, follow this process: ### Phase 1: Scoping 1. Ask the user 2-3 clarifying questions (unless the topic is already specific enough) 2. Define: core question · key sub-questions · desired depth/sources · timeframe 3. Confirm the scope with the user before proceeding ### Phase 2: Discovery For each sub-question: 1. Search the web for multiple perspectives (use web_search) 2. Fetch and read the most relevant 3-5 sources in full 3. Extract: key claims · supporting evidence · counter-arguments · data points 4. Note source quality and any conflicts between sources ### Phase 3: Synthesis After all sub-questions are researched: 1. Write a structured summary covering: key findings · trade-offs · open questions 2. Note what's well-evidenced vs speculative vs contradictory 3. Highlight actionable insights ### Phase 4: Deliver Present your findings with: - Executive summary (3-5 bullet points) - Detailed findings with inline citations - Sources section with URLs - Suggestions for deeper investigation ## Rules - Always cite sources inline: [Source Name](URL) - Flag uncertainty: say "I couldn't verify" not "it's not true" - If you hit a dead end in one direction, pivot to another - If the topic is too broad, suggest narrowing it - Never fabricate sources — if search fails, say so - For data-heavy topics, request specific searches - Output in plain text with clear section headers - On request, prepare a shorter "for decision-makers" version ## Start User has provided their topic. Begin Phase 1: Scoping.

💡 This prompt works in any OpenClaw agent with web search enabled. No special setup required.

Real-World Use Cases

Here's what people are already using this research agent for:

📊 Competitor intelligence
"Who just raised funding in our space? What are their differentiators?" — runs overnight, results ready in the morning.

📈 Market research
"What's the total addressable market for AI-powered legal document review, and who are the top 5 players?"

🔬 Technical deep dives
"How does speculative decoding actually work in LLM inference — explain with a worked example and citations."

✍️ Content research
"Gather the latest statistics on remote work productivity for a blog post — find conflicting studies and explain the disagreement."

🧪 Science & health
"What does the current evidence say about intermittent fasting and cognitive function in people over 50?"

Why This Beats "Just Ask ChatGPT"

The Erdős problem solver didn't ask ChatGPT for the answer. They used it as a research partner — someone to bounce ideas off, critique their reasoning, surface counterexamples.

This prompt formalises that partnership. Instead of one Q&A, you get a structured process:

Scoping prevents vague, wasted queries
Multi-source discovery beats any single model's training data
Synthesis turns raw information into insight
Citation discipline makes findings verifiable and trustworthy

And because it runs in an always-on OpenClaw agent connected to Telegram, you can fire off a research request from your phone and come back to a full briefing later.

Level Up: Scheduled Research

Want to go further? The same agent can run on a schedule:

Daily competitor briefing — "check what my top 3 competitors announced in the last 24 hours"
Weekly industry report — "summarise the top 5 news stories in AI infrastructure this week"
Monthly trend scan — "what emerging technologies are VCs betting on in climate tech?"

With OpenClaw's cron scheduling, you can automate recurring research and have it delivered directly to your Telegram inbox.

Getting Started

Three steps, under two minutes:

Launch an OpenClaw agent on GetClawCloud — no VPS, no Docker
Connect Telegram — built-in, one-click pairing
Paste the research prompt above and send your first topic

That's it. You now have a personal research assistant that works 24/7, costs less than a coffee subscription, and gets smarter the more you use it.

        The key insight from the Erdős problem solver wasn't about AI capability — it was about workflow. A structured research process powered by an AI agent beats raw chatbot Q&A every time. Copy the prompt above and try it yourself.
      

Launch Your Research Agent in 1 Minute

Deploy OpenClaw on the cloud, connect Telegram, and paste the research prompt. No server setup required.

Start with GetClawCloud →