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Usage

Research a topic

Updated 6 Oct 2026

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For agents

Load this page when: you need to run a research task with your books

  • Start the librarian with the user's task. Let it choose the books and the depth.
  • Start one item reader per angle. Add no limit of your own.
  • Answer only from pages you read, and cite each claim as (Book Title, p. N).
  • When two books disagree, show both with citations, recommend one and ask.

You ask a question in plain words and get an answer from your books, with a page citation for each claim.

Before you start

  • Trove is installed (see Install) and your library has at least one relevant book. If it is empty, see Set up your library.
  • You plan to ask your agent explicitly to search your Trove library. This is the most reliable way today. Trove also has automatic checks (Auto mode, the default always), but do not rely on them when the answer matters. See Plan mode and Auto mode.

Steps

  1. Ask explicitly. Tell your agent to search your Trove library. For example: "Search my Trove library for how we handle retries." or "Search my Trove library for our rate limiting rules." This starts the librarian.
  2. Let the librarian choose. The librarian splits the task into angles. It picks books and page ranges for each angle from the tables of contents. It puts shelf books first. A narrow question gets one or two books. A broad question gets more. You do not set a limit.
  3. Read the offer, if there is one. When the library has no good book and the marketplace has one, the librarian shows an offer. Nothing is added until you say yes.
  4. Read the cited answer. The librarian starts the readers on its own, one for each angle. You do not start them yourself. Each claim has a citation, for example (Brand Book, p. 4).
  5. Settle any conflict. When two books disagree, or a book is out of date, the agent shows both, cites both, says which is newer or more specific, recommends one and asks you. It never picks one in silence.

Prompt to paste

text
Search my Trove library for our rate limiting rules. Read the pages, cite each claim, and tell me if two books disagree.

What you will see

The agent starts the librarian. The librarian then starts one item reader for each angle. The answer comes back with a citation after each claim. The agent names the books it used.

If no book covers the topic, the agent says so and does not invent a rule. If the marketplace has a fitting book, you see an offer.

text
Rate limits are set per API key, not per user (Platform Guide, p. 12).
The older Gateway Notes say per user (Gateway Notes, p. 3). The Platform Guide
is newer and more specific. I recommend it. Which one do you want to follow?

Why ask explicitly

Trove also runs automatic checks (see Plan mode and Auto mode). We are actively working on making the librarian start automatically and reliably. Today, do not rely on it. When the answer matters, ask your agent explicitly.

Want your agent to follow these practices? Ask it: "Read How to Use Trove in my Trove library and follow it."

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    Research a topic | Trove