AI Research Agent

A CrewAI-based research pipeline that collects company intelligence and creates a personalized outreach sequence through a four-agent workflow.

The project is being upgraded from a notebook prototype into an evidence-grounded application. See UPGRADE.md for the roadmap.

Architecture

CLI input
  -> lead discovery
  -> email generation
  -> workflow review
  -> quality validation
  -> timestamped Markdown result

Application code lives in src/ai_research_agent. The original crew1.ipynb remains available as a reference and demonstration, but it no longer starts a live API run automatically.

Requirements

• Python 3.10 or newer
• A Groq API key and compatible Groq model name
• Optional Serper API key for search

Setup

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate
python -m pip install -e .
copy .env.example .env

Edit .env and provide GROQ_API_KEY and GROQ_MODEL. Never commit .env.

Usage

Validate configuration without making external calls:

research-agent doctor

Run the workflow:

research-agent run \
  --company "DeepLearning.AI" \
  --industry "Online education" \
  --decision-maker "Andrew Ng" \
  --position "Founder" \
  --milestone "a recent AI education initiative"

Use research-agent --help to see all options. Results are written to outputs/ unless --output specifies another path.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Purpose
GROQ_API_KEY	Yes	Authenticates model requests
GROQ_MODEL	Yes	Selects the model explicitly
SERPER_API_KEY	No	Enables Serper-backed search
RESEARCH_OUTPUT_DIR	No	Changes the output directory
RESEARCH_MAX_RPM	No	Controls request rate; defaults to 5
RESEARCH_VERBOSE	No	Enables verbose CrewAI output

Development

python -m compileall src
python -m ai_research_agent --help

The next milestone adds real lead scoring, structured evidence schemas, and comprehensive tests.

Responsible Use

Generated research can be incomplete or incorrect. Verify decision-maker information, claims, and outreach content before use. Respect privacy, applicable anti-spam law, and website terms.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.