x-research

X/Twitter research agent for Claude Code and OpenClaw. Search, filter, monitor — all from the terminal.

What it does

Wraps the X API into a fast CLI so your AI agent (or you) can search tweets, pull threads, monitor accounts, and get sourced research without writing curl commands.

• Search with engagement sorting, time filtering, noise removal
• Quick mode for cheap, targeted lookups
• Watchlists for monitoring accounts
• Cache to avoid repeat API charges
• Cost transparency — every search shows what it cost

Install

Claude Code

# From your project
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cd .claude/skills
git clone https://github.com/rohunvora/x-research-skill.git x-research

OpenClaw

# From your workspace
mkdir -p skills
cd skills
git clone https://github.com/rohunvora/x-research-skill.git x-research

Setup

1. X API Bearer Token — Get one from the X Developer Portal
2. Set the env var:

   export X_BEARER_TOKEN="your-token-here"

   Or save it to ~/.config/env/global.env:

   X_BEARER_TOKEN=your-token-here
   

3. Install Bun (for CLI tooling): https://bun.sh

Usage

Natural language (just talk to Claude)

• "What are people saying about Opus 4.6?"
• "Search X for OpenClaw skills"
• "What's CT saying about BNKR today?"
• "Check what @frankdegods posted recently"

CLI commands

cd skills/x-research

# Search (sorted by likes, auto-filters retweets)
bun run x-search.ts search "your query" --sort likes --limit 10

# Profile — recent tweets from a user
bun run x-search.ts profile username

# Thread — full conversation
bun run x-search.ts thread TWEET_ID

# Single tweet
bun run x-search.ts tweet TWEET_ID

# Watchlist
bun run x-search.ts watchlist add username "optional note"
bun run x-search.ts watchlist check

# Save research to file
bun run x-search.ts search "query" --save --markdown

Search options

--sort likes|impressions|retweets|recent   (default: likes)
--since 1h|3h|12h|1d|7d     Time filter (default: last 7 days)
--min-likes N              Filter minimum likes
--min-impressions N        Filter minimum impressions
--pages N                  Pages to fetch, 1-5 (default: 1, 100 tweets/page)
--limit N                  Results to display (default: 15)
--quick                    Quick mode (see below)
--from <username>          Shorthand for from:username in query
--quality                  Pre-filter low-engagement tweets (min_faves:10)
--no-replies               Exclude replies
--save                     Save to ~/clawd/drafts/
--json                     Raw JSON output
--markdown                 Markdown research doc

Quick Mode

--quick is designed for fast, cheap lookups when you just need a pulse check on a topic.

What it does:

• Forces single page (max 10 results) — reduces API reads
• Auto-appends -is:retweet -is:reply noise filters (unless you explicitly used those operators)
• Uses 1-hour cache TTL instead of the default 15 minutes
• Shows cost summary after results

Examples:

# Quick pulse check on a topic
bun run x-search.ts search "BNKR" --quick

# Quick check what someone is saying
bun run x-search.ts search "BNKR" --from voidcider --quick

# Quick quality-only results
bun run x-search.ts search "AI agents" --quality --quick

Why it's cheaper:

• Prevents multi-page fetches (biggest cost saver)
• 1hr cache means repeat searches are free
• Noise filters mean fewer junk results in your 100-tweet page
• You see cost after every search — no surprises

--from Shorthand

Adds from:username to your query without having to type the full operator syntax.

# These are equivalent:
bun run x-search.ts search "BNKR from:voidcider"
bun run x-search.ts search "BNKR" --from voidcider

# Works with --quick and other flags
bun run x-search.ts search "AI" --from frankdegods --quick --quality

If your query already contains from:, the flag won't double-add it.

--quality Flag

Filters out low-engagement tweets (≥10 likes required). Applied post-fetch since min_faves isn't available as an X API search operator.

bun run x-search.ts search "crypto AI" --quality

Cost

As of February 2026, the X API uses pay-per-use pricing with prepaid credits. No subscriptions, no monthly caps. You buy credits in the Developer Console and they're deducted per request.

Per-resource costs:

Resource	Cost
Post read	$0.005
User lookup	$0.010
Post create	$0.010

Search cost: Each search page returns up to 100 posts = ~$0.50/page.

Operation	Est. cost
Quick search (1 page, ≤100 posts)	~$0.50
Standard search (1 page)	~$0.50
Deep research (3 pages)	~$1.50
Profile check (user + posts)	~$0.51
Watchlist check (5 accounts)	~$2.55
Cached repeat (any)	free

24-hour deduplication: If you request the same post twice in a UTC day, you're only charged once. This means repeat searches on the same topic within a day cost less than the estimate above.

Spending controls: Set auto-recharge thresholds and spending limits per billing cycle in the Developer Console. Failed requests are never billed.

xAI credit bonus: Spend $200+/cycle on X API → earn 10-20% back as xAI/Grok API credits. See pricing docs.

How x-search saves money:

• Cache (15min default, 1hr in quick mode) — repeat queries are free
• 24-hour dedup means re-running the same search costs $0 at API level too
• Quick mode prevents accidental multi-page fetches
• Cost displayed after every search so you know what you're spending
• --from targets specific users instead of broad searches
• Monitor your usage programmatically: GET /2/usage/tweets

File structure

x-research/
├── SKILL.md              # Agent instructions (Claude reads this)
├── x-search.ts           # CLI entry point
├── lib/
│   ├── api.ts            # X API wrapper
│   ├── cache.ts          # File-based cache
│   └── format.ts         # Telegram + markdown formatters
└── data/
    ├── watchlist.json    # Accounts to monitor
    └── cache/            # Auto-managed

Security

Bearer token handling: x-search reads your token from the X_BEARER_TOKEN env var or ~/.config/env/global.env. The token is never printed to stdout, but be aware:

• AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, etc.) may log tool calls — including HTTP headers — in session transcripts. If you're running x-search inside an agent session, your bearer token could appear in those logs.
• Recommendations:
  • Set X_BEARER_TOKEN as a system env var (not inline in commands)
  • Review your agent's session log settings
  • Use a token with minimal permissions (read-only)
  • Rotate your token if you suspect exposure

Limitations

• Search covers last 7 days only (uses /2/tweets/search/recent — the full-archive /2/tweets/search/all endpoint is available on the same pay-per-use plan but not yet implemented in this skill)
• Read-only — never posts or interacts
• Requires X API access with prepaid credits (sign up)
• min_likes / min_retweets search operators unavailable (filtered post-hoc instead)
• Full-archive search (beyond 7 days) is available on pay-per-use (same credits). See X API search docs. This skill currently only uses recent search — full-archive support coming soon.

Star History

License

MIT