deso-research

deso-research

Research and analyze content across decentralized social networks using deso-ag. deso-ag is a CLI tool that aggregates posts from Farcaster, Lens, Nostr, and Bluesky. It provides search, trending, term extraction, and channel browsing — with a compact output format designed specifically for AI agent consumption.

Check Installation

which deso-ag || echo "deso-ag not found — install with: npm install -g deso-ag" If deso-ag is missing, install it: npm install -g deso-ag

API Keys (Optional)

deso-ag works without any keys — Lens, Nostr, and Bluesky trending all function keyless. For full functionality, these environment variables unlock additional networks: VariableUnlocksHow to GetNEYNAR_API_KEYFarcaster search + trendingFree at neynar.comBLUESKY_IDENTIFIERBluesky searchYour handle (e.g. user.bsky.social)BLUESKY_APP_PASSWORDBluesky searchbsky.app/settings/app-passwords Without a key, that network is silently skipped. Everything else works normally. Check which networks are available before running commands: echo "Neynar: ${NEYNAR_API_KEY:+set}" echo "Bluesky ID: ${BLUESKY_IDENTIFIER:+set}" echo "Bluesky PW: ${BLUESKY_APP_PASSWORD:+set}" Inform the user which networks will be included based on available keys.

1. Search for Content

Use search to find posts about a topic. Always use --format compact for agent consumption. # Basic search across all available networks deso-ag search "ethereum" --format compact --limit 20 # Multi-word AND search (all terms must match) deso-ag search "AI crypto" --format compact --limit 15 # Network-specific search deso-ag search "NFT" --sources farcaster --format compact # Channel-specific (Farcaster only) deso-ag search --channel dev --sources farcaster --format compact # Sort by recency for latest discussions deso-ag search "base chain" --sort recent --format compact --limit 10

2. Get Trending Content

Use trending to see what's popular right now. # Trending across all networks deso-ag trending --format compact --limit 20 # Trending on specific networks deso-ag trending --sources farcaster,lens --format compact # Trending over the past week deso-ag trending --timeframe week --format compact

3. Extract Discussion Terms

Use terms to discover the most-discussed topics, weighted by engagement. # Top 3 terms per platform, last 24h deso-ag terms --format json # Top 5 terms from Farcaster this week deso-ag terms --top 5 --sources farcaster --timeframe week --format json # Terms across specific networks deso-ag terms --top 5 --sources farcaster,nostr --format json

4. Browse Farcaster Channels

deso-ag channels --limit 20

Output Handling

Always use --format compact for search and trending commands. The compact format returns a single JSON object optimized for agent analysis: { "meta": { "query": "...", "totalPosts": 42, "sources": [{"name": "farcaster", "count": 15}, ...], "timeframe": "24h", "fetchedAt": "2025-01-01T00:00:00.000Z" }, "posts": [ { "id": "...", "source": "farcaster", "author": "username", "content": "full untruncated content...", "timestamp": "2025-01-01T00:00:00.000Z", "url": "https://...", "score": 523, "engagement": {"likes": 400, "reposts": 50, "replies": 23}, "tags": [] } ] } The score field is pre-computed: likes + reposts×2 + replies. Use it for ranking. For terms, use --format json which returns structured term frequency data.

Analysis Guidelines

After gathering data, synthesize findings into insights. Never just dump raw JSON to the user. Summarize the landscape: How many posts found, across which networks, what timeframe Highlight top content: Surface the highest-engagement posts with author, source, and brief summary Identify themes: Group related posts and extract common threads Provide engagement context: What content resonates most and why Link to originals: Include post URLs so the user can engage directly Only compare activity across networks if the user specifically asks for a cross-network comparison.

Example Analysis Output

• Pulled 42 posts about "AI agents" from Farcaster (15), Lens (12), and Nostr (15) over the last 24h.
• **The dominant conversation** is around autonomous agents that can transact onchain
• without human approval. @dwr's post (score: 523) kicked this off by demoing an agent
• that autonomously allocated funds across DeFi protocols based on real-time yield data.
• The replies are split — builders are excited about composability (agents calling other
• agents via onchain messages), while others are raising concerns about liability when
• an agent makes a bad trade. @jessepollak responded pointing to Base's account
• abstraction work as a potential guardrail layer.
• **A second thread** is forming around agent-to-agent communication standards. Several
• posts reference a draft spec for a messaging protocol between onchain agents. @stani
• on Lens (score: 312) argued that without a shared standard, we'll end up with walled
• agent ecosystems that can't interoperate — drawing a parallel to early social media
• APIs. There's skepticism in the replies about whether standardization is premature
• given how fast the space is moving.
• **Smaller but notable:** 3-4 posts on Nostr are discussing privacy-preserving agents
• that use zk proofs to verify actions without revealing the agent's strategy or
• holdings. Early stage but worth watching.
• **Key voices to follow on this topic:**
• @dwr (Farcaster) — actively building and demoing agent infra
• @jessepollak (Farcaster) — connecting this to Base ecosystem work
• @stani (Lens) — framing the standards/interop conversation
• **Source posts:**
• [dwr's agent demo](https://...) — score: 523
• [stani on agent standards](https://...) — score: 312
• [jessepollak on account abstraction](https://...) — score: 287

Quick Command Reference

CommandPurposeDefault SortDefault Formatsearch [query]Find posts about a topicrelevancemarkdowntrendingPopular content right nowengagementsummarytermsTop discussion terms——channelsBrowse Farcaster channels——

Common Options

OptionShortValuesDefault--sources-sfarcaster,lens,nostr,blueskyall--timeframe-t24h, 48h, week24h--format-fjson, markdown, summary, compactvaries--limit-lany positive integer25--sort-oengagement, recent, relevancevaries--channel-cchannel ID (Farcaster only)none--top-nany positive integer (terms only)3 For the full command reference with output schemas and library usage, see references/command-reference.md.

Error Handling

If deso-ag is not found, install it: npm install -g deso-ag If no results return for a network, that network's API key is likely missing — inform the user Nostr can be slow or inconsistent — retry once if it times out If you hit rate limit errors, let the user know and suggest they run their own infrastructure for heavy usage