# meld402 Deep Research

> meld402 Deep Research is a paid API for AI agents from meld402.vercel.app, paid per call via x402, $1/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-15).

Performs multi-source deep research on any topic, returning structured sections, citations, key findings, and an executive summary aggregated from web, news, and academic sources.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://meld402.vercel.app/api/research/deep
- Price: $1/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-15
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/meld402-deep-research-7f3bee21
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_TEpRGCZ34nl3GZC3dxdHB

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability meld402-deep-research-7f3bee21 -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Can you do a deep research report on zero-knowledge proofs in blockchain — depth level 4, include citations, and give me the output in markdown format?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a synthesized, multi-source research report rather than a simple search or news lookup. It is especially valuable when you want structured output with citations from web, news, and academic sources combined in a single call. Prefer it over a standalone search API when you need an executive summary, sectioned findings, and cited references in one stable response. Best for topics requiring depth and synthesis rather than real-time data (e.g. crypto prices or weather).

## Known failure modes

- Topic string too long (>500 chars) — validation error
- Depth out of range (must be 1-5) — schema validation failure
- Upstream source degradation (Tavily, Firecrawl, or OpenAI unavailable) — degraded array populated, partial results returned
- Payment failure over x402/Base — 402 response before research begins
- Long processing times (up to ~45s) may cause client timeout for depth 5 requests

## How this service works

14 paid data endpoints for autonomous agents and developers. Covers crypto intelligence (token, chain, Solana, gas), markets (FX, market pulse), location (weather), and research (news, brief). Each route aggregates multiple public sources into one stable schema with a single USDC payment over x402 on Base.

## Output

Returns a structured JSON object containing an executive summary, multiple titled research sections each with inline sources, a list of key findings, full citations with URLs and access timestamps, estimated cost, and processing time. Meta field includes the underlying data sources used (e.g. Tavily, Firecrawl, OpenAI) and any degraded services.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "depth": {
   "type": "integer",
   "default": 3,
   "maximum": 5,
   "minimum": 1,
   "description": "Research depth: 1=quick, 5=comprehensive"
  },
  "topic": {
   "type": "string",
   "maxLength": 500,
   "minLength": 1,
   "description": "Research topic"
  },
  "format": {
   "enum": [
    "markdown",
    "json"
   ],
   "type": "string",
   "default": "markdown",
   "description": "Output format"
  },
  "sources": {
   "type": "array",
   "items": {
    "type": "string"
   },
   "description": "Specific sources to include (default: web, news, academic)"
  },
  "citations": {
   "type": "boolean",
   "default": true,
   "description": "Include citations in output"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "data": {
   "topic": "zero-knowledge proofs in blockchain",
   "sections": [
    {
     "title": "ZKP Fundamentals",
     "content": "Zero-knowledge proofs allow a prover to convince a verifier of a statement's truth without revealing the secret...",
     "sources": [
      {
       "url": "https://example.com/zkp-overview",
       "type": "web",
       "title": "ZKP Overview"
      }
     ]
    },
    {
     "title": "Blockchain Applications",
     "content": "ZK-rollups use ZKPs to batch transactions off-chain...",
     "sources": [
      {
       "url": "https://example.com/zk-rollups",
       "type": "web",
       "title": "ZK-Rollups Explained"
      }
     ]
    }
   ],
   "citations": [
    {
     "url": "https://example.com/zkp-survey",
     "type": "academic",
     "title": "ZKP Survey",
     "accessed_at": "2026-08-24T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
     "url": "https://example.com/zk-rollup-bench",
     "type": "web",
     "title": "ZK-Rollup Benchmarks",
     "accessed_at": "2026-08-24T00:00:00.000Z"
    }
   ],
   "key_findings": [
    "ZKPs enable 100x throughput improvement",
    "Privacy-preserving transactions achievable",
    "Hardware acceleration critical for adoption"
   ],
   "executive_summary": "Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) are cryptographic protocols enabling one party to prove knowledge of a secret without revealing it. This report examines ZKP applications in blockchain scaling, privacy, and identity.",
   "estimated_cost_usd": 0.15,
   "processing_time_ms": 45000
  },
  "meta": {
   "as_of": "2026-08-24T00:00:00.000Z",
   "sources": [
    "tavily",
    "firecrawl",
    "openai"
   ],
   "degraded": [],
   "attribution": [
    "Search data by Tavily (tavily.com)",
    "Web scraping by Firecrawl (firecrawl.dev)",
    "AI generation by OpenAI (openai.com)"
   ]
  }
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/meld402-deep-research-7f3bee21/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from meld402.vercel.app](https://www.zero.xyz/host/meld402.vercel.app/llms.txt)