Searchwave is a context agent for Claude Code that gets you (and Claude) up to speed on anything in about 60 seconds.
Think native Claude Code search, but better and more comprehensive. Think Deep Research, but more concise, useful, and right in your terminal and Claude Code workflow.
Searchwave works best when configured as a /command in Claude Code, to easily invoke the different modes.
/wave runs 3 parallel web searches, selects the best sources, fetches their content, and synthesizes a cited summary. The whole process takes about 60 seconds with no configuration or follow-up questions.
/deepwave adds depth control. Before running, it asks how deep (Quick / Standard / Max) and what angle matters most. All tiers use Opus for synthesis. Max mode dispatches 3 parallel research agents, evaluates source quality, and supports iterative follow-up.
Output is structured for terminals: inline citations, survey voice, hard-wrapped at 80 columns.
- Check how a framework or library works before adopting it
- Compare tools or approaches with real data
- Verify technical requirements or compatibility
- Get up to speed on an unfamiliar topic mid-task
- A general web search replacement
- A skill for other agents to use when additional context is necessary outside of pre-trained data
Register the marketplace:
/plugin marketplace add rowbradley/searchwave-marketplace
Install the plugin:
/plugin install searchwave@searchwave-marketplace
Restart Claude Code after installing. Commands will be available as /searchwave:wave and /searchwave:deepwave.
For /wave and /deepwave without the namespace prefix, copy the command files locally:
git clone https://github.com/rowbradley/searchwave.git
cp searchwave/commands/wave.md ~/.claude/commands/
cp searchwave/commands/deepwave.md ~/.claude/commands/Local commands take priority over plugin commands and give you the shorter names.
/help
You should see /wave and /deepwave in your available commands.
git clone https://github.com/rowbradley/searchwave.git
cp -r searchwave/skills/wave ~/.claude/skills/
cp -r searchwave/skills/deepwave ~/.claude/skills/| Command | Time | Use when |
|---|---|---|
/wave [topic] |
~60s | Quick context — get up to speed fast |
/deepwave [topic] |
70s–10min | Deep evaluation — make a decision with real data |
Start with /wave. If you need more depth, it'll be obvious.
3 parallel searches → 3 best sources fetched → Sonnet synthesis. No questions asked. You type, it runs.
What you get: 300–400 words, inline citations, survey voice. Hard-wrapped at 80 columns for terminal readability.
Asks two things before running: how deep, and what angle matters most.
| Tier | Time | Architecture |
|---|---|---|
| Quick | ~70s | 3 searches, Opus synthesis |
| Standard | ~90s | 6 searches, Opus synthesis |
| Max | ~5–10min | 3 parallel research agents → Opus evaluation → follow-up loop |
What you get: Survey-style report with inline citations, source quality notes, and confidence assessment. Max mode adds a "Go Deeper?" loop for iterative exploration.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ /deepwave "topic" → Max mode │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Wave 1: 3 parallel research agents │
│ ┌──────────┬──────────┬──────────┐ │
│ │ Agent A │ Agent B │ Agent C │ │
│ │ Facts │ How-to │ Why │ │
│ │ (what) │ (how) │ (why) │ │
│ └────┬─────┴────┬─────┴────┬─────┘ │
│ └──────────┼──────────┘ │
│ ▼ │
│ Opus Evaluation (quality signals) │
│ │ │
│ ├─ SUFFICIENT → Synthesize │
│ └─ NEEDS_MORE → Wave 2 → Synth │
│ │
│ Final: Opus synthesis with confidence │
│ assessment + "Go Deeper?" loop │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
- Survey voice — reports what was found, doesn't editorialize
- Inline citations — every claim attributed to its source
- Source quality awareness — vendor reports flagged, limitations noted
- No AI writing patterns — no hyperbole, no reframes, numbers first
- Terminal-native — hard-wrapped at 80 columns
- Claude Code with WebSearch access
- Works best with Sonnet 4 or Opus 4.5
searchwave-sonnet — Same search and fetch architecture, all synthesis uses Sonnet explicitly. Lower token cost.
/plugin install searchwave-sonnet@searchwave-marketplace
searchwave-x10 — 10-search variant of Standard mode. Opus synthesis.
/plugin install searchwave-x10@searchwave-marketplace
MIT