Arena Research

General-purpose agentic research over Are.na. Decompose any research question into targeted searches, explore channels, follow the connection graph to discover adjacent ideas, identify key curators, deep-dive linked content, and synthesize into a sourced briefing.

For API details (endpoints, auth, response format): read references/arena-api.md.

When to Use Arena vs Other Sources

Are.na — curated references, visual research, design thinking, cultural analysis, reading lists, how people organize ideas. High signal, human-curated, long-tail.
X/Twitter (x-research) — real-time reactions, dev discourse, product launches, breaking news, expert hot takes. Fast-moving, high volume.
Web search — factual answers, documentation, current events, specific URLs.

Are.na is a library, not a firehose. The value isn't just what people saved — it's how they organized it and what else they connected it to.

CLI Tool

All commands run from this skill directory:

cd ~/clawd/skills/arena-research
source ~/.config/env/global.env

Search

bun run arena-search.ts search "<query>" [options]

Options:

--type Channel|Block|Text|Image|Link|User|Group — filter result type (default: all)
--sort score|created|updated|connections|random — sort order (default: score)
--scope all|my|following — search scope (default: all, my/following require auth)
--per N — results per page (default: 24, max: 100)
--page N — page number
--quick — quick mode: 10 results, 1hr cache, channels only, sort by connections
--save — save to ~/clawd/drafts/arena-research-{slug}-{date}.md
--json — raw JSON output
--markdown — formatted markdown output

Examples:

bun run arena-search.ts search "tools for thought" --type Channel --sort connections
bun run arena-search.ts search "brutalist web design" --quick
bun run arena-search.ts search "cybernetics" --type Link --per 50
bun run arena-search.ts search "spatial computing" --scope my

Channel

bun run arena-search.ts channel <slug-or-id> [options]

Options:

--sort position|created|updated — content sort (default: position)
--type Text|Image|Link|Attachment|Embed|Channel — filter content type
--per N / --page N — pagination
--connections — show channels that share blocks with this one (graph traversal)
--save / --json / --markdown

Examples:

bun run arena-search.ts channel arena-influences
bun run arena-search.ts channel arena-influences --type Link --per 50
bun run arena-search.ts channel arena-influences --connections

Block

bun run arena-search.ts block <id> [options]

Options:

--connections — show which channels this block appears in (graph traversal)
--json

Examples:

bun run arena-search.ts block 3235876
bun run arena-search.ts block 3235876 --connections

User

bun run arena-search.ts user <slug-or-id> [options]

Options:

--per N / --page N
--json

Me

bun run arena-search.ts me

Shows authenticated user's profile and channels. Requires ARENA_ACCESS_TOKEN.

Cache

bun run arena-search.ts cache clear

Research Loop (Agentic)

When doing deep research (not just a quick search), follow this loop:

1. Decompose the Question into Search Strategies

Turn the research question into 3-5 search queries approaching the topic from different angles.

Think about the topic at multiple levels of abstraction:

Direct terms: The obvious keywords (spatial computing, brutalist web design)
Adjacent concepts: Related fields (haptic interfaces, concrete architecture)
Practitioner language: How Are.na users actually name things (tools for thought, digital gardens, vernacular web)
Broader category: The umbrella topic (interaction design, web aesthetics)
Specific references: Known works, people, or projects in the space

Start with channels sorted by connections to find the most-connected collections first:

bun run arena-search.ts search "tools for thought" --type Channel --sort connections --per 20

2. Search and Assess Channels

Run each query. After each search, assess:

Which channels have real depth? Look at item counts in results. Channels with 2-3 items are stubs. Channels with 50+ items are serious collections.
Who owns them? If the same user or group appears across multiple relevant channels, they're a key curator worth exploring directly.
Are there channels I should explore in full? Pick the top 3-5 by content count and relevance.

Also search for blocks directly to find specific linked content:

bun run arena-search.ts search "cybernetics" --type Link --sort connections --per 20

3. Explore Top Channels

For each promising channel, fetch its contents:

bun run arena-search.ts channel tools-for-thought --per 50

To see only external links (the most valuable for research deep-dives):

bun run arena-search.ts channel tools-for-thought --type Link --per 50

Look for:

Link blocks with source URLs — these are external references worth deep-diving
Text blocks with content — these are notes, annotations, and original writing
Image blocks — note titles and descriptions, deprioritize for text-based research
Nested channels (type: Channel) — sub-collections worth exploring

4. Follow the Connection Graph

This is what makes Are.na research uniquely powerful. Two strategies:

4a. Block connections — "Where else does this content live?"

For high-signal blocks (interesting links, well-described text), check which other channels they appear in:

bun run arena-search.ts block 3235876 --connections

A block in 28 channels means 28 different people thought it was worth saving. The channels it appears in show you how different people contextualize the same idea.

4b. Channel connections — "What's adjacent to this collection?"

For a channel you've identified as high-quality, find other channels that share content:

bun run arena-search.ts channel arena-influences --connections

This surfaces conceptual neighbors — channels that share blocks with the one you're exploring. A channel about "tools for thought" might connect to "cybernetics," "memory palaces," and "personal knowledge management."

Graph depth: One hop is the sweet spot. Block→connections→those channels is enough. Two hops gets exponential fast. Stop at one hop unless you have a specific reason to go deeper.

5. Identify Key Curators

As you explore, track which users appear repeatedly:

Same user owns multiple relevant channels
Same user connected blocks to several channels you've explored
Users with high follower counts in the space

Fetch their profile and channels:

bun run arena-search.ts user charles-broskoski

6. Deep-Dive Linked Content

When blocks are Link-type and have source URLs, use web_fetch to read the actual content. Prioritize links that:

Appear in many channels (high connection count from step 4a)
Come from channels with many items or followers
Point to essays, blog posts, GitHub repos, research papers, or documentation
Are directly relevant to the research question

Skip deep-diving:

Social media posts (use x-research)
Image galleries or portfolios
Paywalled content
Dead links (check the state field — available means it's live)

7. Search Your Own Collections

If looking for something you've personally saved:

bun run arena-search.ts search "query" --scope my

Or content from people you follow:

bun run arena-search.ts search "query" --scope following

8. Synthesize

Group findings by theme, not by search query. Each theme should capture a conceptual cluster of channels, blocks, and curators.

### [Theme/Finding Title]

[1-2 sentence summary of what curators are collecting and how they frame it]

**Key channels:**
- [Channel Title](https://www.are.na/owner/slug) by @username — N items
  [Brief description of scope and quality]
- [Channel Title](https://www.are.na/owner/slug) by @username — N items
  [Brief description]

**Notable content:**
- [Block title](source_url) — found in N channels
  [Why it's significant]

**Key curators:**
- [@username](https://www.are.na/slug) — N channels, N followers
  [What they focus on]

**Connected territory:**
- [Adjacent channel](https://www.are.na/owner/slug) — overlaps via shared blocks
  [What this connection reveals about the topic]

9. Save

Use --save flag or save manually to ~/clawd/drafts/arena-research-{topic-slug}-{YYYY-MM-DD}.md.

Include a metadata footer:

---
## Research Metadata
- **Query**: [original question]
- **Date**: YYYY-MM-DD
- **Source**: Are.na v3 API
- **API calls**: N search queries + N channel fetches + N block connection lookups + N deep-dives
- **Channels explored**: N
- **Blocks scanned**: ~N
- **Search terms used**: [list the actual search strings]
- **Limitations**: [any gaps]

Refinement Heuristics

Too many shallow channels? Filter for items > 10 in results
Too few results? Broaden keywords, try synonyms, drop --type filter
Want the most-saved content? Search blocks with --sort connections
Looking for specific link types? Use --type Link for external references, --type Text for notes
Channel too large to browse? Use --type and --sort on the channel command
Want to spider outward? Pick 3 blocks with most connections, fetch their connections, see what emerges
Stuck? Search for a known reference or thinker, find their channels, explore from there
Visual research? Use --type Image — Are.na is heavily used for mood boards and art direction

Content Types Quick Reference

| Block Type | Key Fields | Research Value | |-----------|-----------|---------------| | Link | source.url, source.title, description | External references — deep-dive with web_fetch | | Text | content (markdown) | Notes, annotations, original writing | | Image | image.src, title, description | Visual references — note title/description | | Attachment | attachment.url, title | PDFs, documents — may be valuable | | Embed | embed.url, title | Videos, audio — note but usually can't deep-dive | | Channel | nested channel in contents | Sub-collection — explore if relevant |

File Structure

skills/arena-research/
├── SKILL.md              (this file)
├── arena-search.ts       (CLI entry point)
├── lib/
│   ├── api.ts            (Are.na v3 API wrapper: search, channels, blocks, users)
│   ├── cache.ts          (file-based cache, 15min TTL)
│   └── format.ts         (terminal + markdown formatters)
├── data/
│   └── cache/            (auto-managed)
└── references/
    └── arena-api.md      (Are.na v3 API endpoint reference)