Using Account Research safely

This guide explains how to use the official Account Research skill from Anthropic knowledge-work-plugins safely. It is intended for teams that want to combine public information with approved internal context before sales outreach.

Narrow the research request

Provide the official domain, account, target person or role, and the purpose of the research whenever possible. State whether you are preparing an initial message, a meeting, a follow-up, or a competitive question. A clear request helps avoid similarly named companies, unrelated profiles, and unnecessary search paths.

Check sources and permissions

Web search is the documented foundation of the skill. Connected enrichment or CRM tools should be used only when the organization has approved them. Review roles, access scope, data minimization, and retention. Never place passwords, tokens, or other secrets in a research request. Missing sources must remain visible as a limitation and must not be replaced with guesses.

Evaluate findings against sources

Read important claims in their original context and check date, authority, freshness, and whether the source clearly refers to the intended account. A company’s official site is often more authoritative for its own positioning than an unverified profile. Open roles can indicate hiring activity, but they do not prove buying intent. Separate observed facts, plausible signals, and questions that still need to be asked.

Protect contacts and CRM data

Treat personal contact details and CRM notes as confidential. Share the summary only with authorized people and do not automatically write findings back into the CRM. Before outreach, check whether the information is still accurate and whether its use is legally and organizationally permitted. The skill does not grant permission to contact anyone.

Frequently asked questions

### Does Account Research work without a CRM?

Yes. According to the provider, the skill can work with web search alone. A CRM or enrichment tool only adds context when it is connected and approved.

### Are search results automatically verified?

No. Freshness, source quality, and identity matching require review. Important claims should be checked against the original source.

### Can the skill change CRM records itself?

The skill describes research and synthesis. Any write action requires an explicitly approved integration and human review before execution.