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Research a token and execute a trade if it passes due diligence. Autonomous research-to-trade pipeline: researches the token, evaluates risk, and only trades if the risk assessment approves. Stops and reports if risk is too high. Use when user wants "research X and buy if it looks good" or "due diligence then trade."
---
name: research-and-trade
description: >-
Research a token and execute a trade if it passes due diligence. Autonomous
research-to-trade pipeline: researches the token, evaluates risk, and only
trades if the risk assessment approves. Stops and reports if risk is too high.
Use when user wants "research X and buy if it looks good" or "due diligence
then trade."
model: opus
allowed-tools:
- Task(subagent_type:token-analyst)
- Task(subagent_type:pool-researcher)
- Task(subagent_type:risk-assessor)
- Task(subagent_type:trade-executor)
- mcp__uniswap__check_safety_status
---
# Research and Trade
## Overview
This is the autonomous research-to-execution pipeline. Instead of manually calling four different agents and wiring their outputs together, this skill runs the full expert workflow in one command: research a token, find the best pool, assess risk, and -- only if the risk assessment approves -- execute the trade.
**Why this is 10x better than calling agents individually:**
1. **Compound context**: Each agent receives the accumulated findings from all prior agents. The risk-assessor doesn't just evaluate a swap in isolation -- it sees the token-analyst's liquidity warnings, the pool-researcher's depth analysis, and the exact trade size, enabling a far richer risk assessment than standalone invocation.
2. **Automatic risk gating**: A VETO at any stage short-circuits the pipeline immediately. No wasted gas, no wasted time, and you get a full explanation of why.
3. **Single command for a 4-step expert workflow**: Manually coordinating token research, pool selection, risk evaluation, and trade execution takes significant time and expertise. This compresses it into one natural-language request.
4. **Progressive disclosure**: You see each stage's findings as they complete, not just a final result. If the pipeline stops at risk assessment, you still get the full research report.
## When to Use
Activate when the user says anything like:
- "Research UNI and buy if it looks good"
- "Due diligence on AAVE then trade"
- "Investigate and trade ARB"
- "Should I buy LINK? If so, do it"
- "Is PEPE safe to trade? Buy $500 worth if yes"
- "Research X, assess risk, and swap if it passes"
- "Autonomous trade: research then execute"
- "Check out TOKEN and buy some if the risk is acceptable"
**Do NOT use** when the user just wants research without trading (use `research-token` instead) or just wants to execute a swap without research (use `execute-swap` instead).
## Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Default | How to Extract |
| ------------- | -------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| token | Yes | -- | Token to research and potentially buy: "UNI", "AAVE", or 0x addr |
| amount | Yes | -- | Trade size: "$500", "1 ETH worth", "0.5 ETH" |
| chain | No | ethereum | Target chain: "ethereum", "base", "arbitrum" |
| riskTolerance | No | moderate | "conservative", "moderate", "aggressive" |
| action | No | buy | "buy" (swap into token) or "sell" (swap out of token) |
| payWith | No | WETH | Token to spend: "WETH", "USDC", etc. |
If the user doesn't provide an amount, **ask for it** -- never guess a trade size.
## Workflow
```
RESEARCH-AND-TRADE PIPELINE
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ Step 1: RESEARCH (token-analyst) │
│ ├── Token metadata, liquidity, volume, risk factors │
│ ├── Cross-chain presence │
│ └── Output: Token Research Report │
│ │ │
│ ▼ (feeds into Step 2) │
│ │
│ Step 2: POOL ANALYSIS (pool-researcher) │
│ ├── Find all pools for {token}/{payWith} on {chain} │
│ ├── Rank by fee APY, depth, utilization │
│ ├── Analyze depth at trade size (can it handle $X?) │
│ └── Output: Pool Research Report + Best Pool Selection │
│ │ │
│ ▼ (feeds into Step 3 with COMPOUND CONTEXT) │
│ │
│ Step 3: RISK ASSESSMENT (risk-assessor) │
│ ├── Receives: token risks + pool risks + trade size + slippage │
│ ├── Evaluates: slippage, liquidity, smart contract, token risk │
│ ├── Decision: APPROVE / CONDITIONAL_APPROVE / VETO / HARD_VETO │
│ └── Output: Risk Assessment Report │
│ │ │
│ ▼ CONDITIONAL GATE │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ APPROVE → Proceed to Step 4 │ │
│ │ COND. APPROVE → Show conditions, ask user │ │
│ │ VETO → STOP. Show research + reason. │ │
│ │ HARD VETO → STOP. Non-negotiable. │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ (only if APPROVE or user confirms CONDITIONAL) │
│ ▼ │
│ │
│ Step 4: USER CONFIRMATION │
│ ├── Present: research summary + risk score + swap quote │
│ ├── Ask: "Proceed with this trade?" │
│ └── User must explicitly confirm │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ │
│ Step 5: EXECUTE (trade-executor) │
│ ├── Execute swap through safety-guardian pipeline │
│ ├── Monitor transaction confirmation │
│ └── Output: Trade Execution Report │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
### Step 1: Research (token-analyst)
Delegate to `Task(subagent_type:token-analyst)` with:
- Token symbol or address
- Target chain
- Request: full due diligence report
**What to pass to the agent:**
```
Research this token for a potential trade:
- Token: {token}
- Chain: {chain}
- Trade size: {amount}
Provide a full due diligence report: liquidity across all pools, volume profile
(24h/7d/30d), risk factors, and a trading recommendation with maximum trade size
at < 1% price impact.
```
**Present to user after completion:**
```text
Step 1/5: Token Research Complete
Token: UNI (Uniswap) on Ethereum
Total Liquidity: $85M across 24 pools
24h Volume: $15M | 7d Volume: $95M
Volume Trend: Stable
Risk Factors: None significant
Max Trade (< 1% impact): $2.5M
Proceeding to pool analysis...
```
**Gate check:** If the token-analyst reports critical risk factors (total liquidity < $100K, no pools found, token not verified), present findings and ask the user if they want to continue before proceeding.
### Step 2: Pool Analysis (pool-researcher)
Delegate to `Task(subagent_type:pool-researcher)` with the token research output:
```
Find the best pool for trading {token}/{payWith} on {chain}.
Context from token research:
- Total liquidity: {from Step 1}
- Dominant pool: {from Step 1}
- Risk factors: {from Step 1}
Trade details:
- Trade size: {amount}
- Direction: {action} (buying/selling {token})
Analyze all pools for this pair across fee tiers. For each pool, report:
fee APY, TVL, liquidity depth at the trade size, and price impact estimate.
Recommend the best pool for this specific trade.
```
**Present to user after completion:**
```text
Step 2/5: Pool Analysis Complete
Best Pool: WETH/UNI 0.3% (V3, Ethereum)
Pool TVL: $42M
Price Impact: ~0.3% for your trade size
Fee Tier: 0.3% (3000 bps)
Proceeding to risk assessment...
```
### Step 3: Risk Assessment (risk-assessor)
Delegate to `Task(subagent_type:risk-assessor)` with **compound context** from Steps 1 and 2:
```
Evaluate risk for this proposed swap:
Operation: swap {amount} {payWith} for {token}
Pool: {best pool from Step 2}
Chain: {chain}
Risk tolerance: {riskTolerance}
Token research context (from token-analyst):
{Full token research summary from Step 1}
Pool analysis context (from pool-researcher):
{Full pool analysis from Step 2}
Evaluate all applicable risk dimensions: slippage, liquidity, smart contract risk.
Provide a clear APPROVE / CONDITIONAL_APPROVE / VETO / HARD_VETO decision.
```
**Conditional gate logic after risk-assessor returns:**
| Decision | Action |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **APPROVE** | Present risk summary, proceed to Step 4 (user confirmation) |
| **CONDITIONAL_APPROVE** | Show conditions (e.g., "split into 2 tranches"). Ask user: "Accept conditions?" |
| **VETO** | **STOP.** Show full research report + risk assessment + veto reason. Suggest alternatives. |
| **HARD_VETO** | **STOP.** Show reason. Non-negotiable -- do not offer to proceed. |
**Present to user (APPROVE case):**
```text
Step 3/5: Risk Assessment Complete
Decision: APPROVE
Composite Risk: LOW
Slippage Risk: LOW (0.3% estimated)
Liquidity Risk: LOW (pool TVL 840x trade size)
Smart Contract Risk: LOW (V3, 18-month-old pool)
Ready for your confirmation...
```
**Present to user (VETO case):**
```text
Step 3/5: Risk Assessment -- VETOED
Decision: VETO
Reason: Price impact of 4.2% exceeds moderate risk tolerance (max 2%)
Research Summary:
Token: SMALLCAP ($180K total liquidity)
Best Pool: WETH/SMALLCAP 1% (V3, $95K TVL)
Your trade size ($5,000) represents 5.3% of pool TVL
Suggestions:
- Reduce trade size to < $1,000 for acceptable slippage
- Use a limit order instead: "Submit limit order for SMALLCAP"
- Try a different chain if more liquidity exists elsewhere
Pipeline stopped. No trade executed.
```
### Step 4: User Confirmation
Before executing any trade, present a clear summary and ask for explicit confirmation:
```text
Trade Confirmation Required
Research: UNI — $85M liquidity, stable volume, no risk factors
Risk: APPROVED (LOW composite risk)
Swap Details:
Sell: 0.5 WETH (~$980)
Buy: ~28.5 UNI
Pool: WETH/UNI 0.3% (V3, Ethereum)
Impact: ~0.3%
Gas: ~$8 estimated
Proceed with this trade? (yes/no)
```
**Only proceed to Step 5 if the user explicitly confirms.**
### Step 5: Execute (trade-executor)
Delegate to `Task(subagent_type:trade-executor)` with the full pipeline context:
```
Execute this swap:
- Sell: {amount} {payWith}
- Buy: {token}
- Pool: {best pool address from Step 2}
- Chain: {chain}
- Slippage tolerance: {derived from risk assessment}
- Risk assessment: APPROVED, composite risk {level}
The token has been researched (liquidity: {X}, volume: {Y}) and risk-assessed
(slippage: {Z}, liquidity: {W}). Proceed with execution through the safety pipeline.
```
**Present final result:**
```text
Step 5/5: Trade Executed
Sold: 0.5 WETH ($980.00)
Received: 28.72 UNI ($985.50)
Pool: WETH/UNI 0.3% (V3, Ethereum)
Slippage: 0.28% (within tolerance)
Gas: $7.20
Tx: https://etherscan.io/tx/0x...
──────────────────────────────────────
Pipeline Summary
──────────────────────────────────────
Research: UNI — $85M liquidity, stable, no risk flags
Pool: WETH/UNI 0.3% — best depth for trade size
Risk: APPROVED (LOW)
Execution: Success — 28.72 UNI received
Total cost: $987.20 (trade + gas)
```
## Output Format
### Successful Pipeline (all 5 steps)
```text
Research and Trade Complete
Token: {symbol} ({name}) on {chain}
Research: {1-line summary from token-analyst}
Pool: {pool pair} {fee}% ({version}, {chain})
Risk: {decision} ({composite_risk})
Trade:
Sold: {amount} {payWith} (${usd_value})
Received: {amount} {token} (${usd_value})
Impact: {slippage}%
Gas: ${gas_cost}
Tx: {explorer_link}
Pipeline: Research -> Pool -> Risk -> Confirm -> Execute (all passed)
```
### Vetoed Pipeline (stopped at risk)
```text
Research and Trade -- Risk Vetoed
Token: {symbol} ({name}) on {chain}
Research: {1-line summary}
Pool: {best pool found}
Risk: VETOED — {reason}
Details:
{risk dimension scores}
Suggestions:
- {mitigation 1}
- {mitigation 2}
Pipeline: Research -> Pool -> Risk (VETOED) -- No trade executed.
```
## Important Notes
- **This skill always researches first.** It never skips to trading. If the user just wants a quick swap without research, redirect them to `execute-swap`.
- **Risk gating is non-negotiable for HARD_VETO.** If the risk-assessor issues a HARD_VETO (unverified token, pool TVL < $1K, price impact > 10%), the pipeline stops. The user cannot override this.
- **VETO is informational.** For a regular VETO, present the full research and explain why. The user can then choose to use `execute-swap` directly if they want to proceed at their own risk -- but this skill will not do it.
- **Compound context is the key differentiator.** The risk-assessor is dramatically more useful when it has the token-analyst's risk factors and the pool-researcher's depth analysis, compared to calling it standalone with just a swap request.
- **Progressive output keeps the user informed.** Don't wait until the end to show results. After each agent completes, show a brief summary so the user knows what's happening.
- **Amount is required.** Never assume a trade size. If the user says "research and buy UNI" without an amount, ask: "How much would you like to trade?"
## Error Handling
| Error | User-Facing Message | Suggested Action |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------- |
| Token not found | "Could not find token {X} on {chain}." | Check spelling or provide contract address|
| No pools found | "No Uniswap pools found for {token}/{payWith} on {chain}." | Try different pay token or chain |
| Token-analyst fails | "Token research failed: {reason}. Cannot proceed without due diligence." | Try again or use research-token directly |
| Pool-researcher fails | "Pool analysis failed. Research completed but cannot find optimal pool." | Try execute-swap with manual pool choice |
| Risk-assessor VETO | "Risk assessment vetoed this trade: {reason}." | Reduce amount, try different token/pool |
| Risk-assessor HARD_VETO | "Trade blocked: {reason}. This cannot be overridden." | The trade is unsafe at any size |
| Trade-executor fails | "Trade execution failed: {reason}. Research and risk data preserved." | Check wallet, balance, gas; retry |
| Safety check fails | "Safety limits exceeded. Check spending limits with check-safety." | Wait for limit reset or adjust limits |
| User declines confirmation | "Trade cancelled. Research and risk data are shown above for reference." | No action needed |
| Wallet not configured | "No wallet configured. Cannot execute trades." | Set up wallet with setup-agent-wallet |
| Insufficient balance | "Insufficient {payWith} balance: have {X}, need {Y}." | Reduce amount or acquire more tokens |
don't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.
by @clawhub