Safe Handoff

Shortlist three suppliers for something your business needs

Handoff 1 Read-only research Reviewed 14 Oct 2026 Set-up: 10 minutes

Who it's for
Owners buying something new: packaging, a software tool, a service
Outcome
A comparison table of three credible suppliers with prices, terms and links.
Why Handoff 1
Pure research. The agent reads public pages and reports back.

Steps

  1. Describe what you need, your budget, quantity and where you are based.
  2. Ask for three suppliers with a link to the page each fact came from.
  3. Ask it to flag anything it could not confirm.
  4. Check each supplier's own site, and look for an independent review.
  5. Contact the supplier yourself.

Copy-paste prompt

Works with any agent. Replace the [square brackets] with your details.

Find three suppliers of [product or service] for a small business in [country/region]. Budget: [amount]. Quantity: [amount].

For each supplier give: name, website, price or price range, minimum order, delivery time, contract or cancellation terms, and the URL where you found each fact.

If you cannot confirm a fact, write 'not confirmed'. Do not contact any supplier, fill in any form or sign up for anything.

Notes for each agent

Only features we found in each provider's official documentation on 14 Oct 2026 are stated as product facts, with the source linked. Product features change; check before relying on them.

Claude Suggested

Claude (Cowork) can run this as a multi-step task. It can only read files in folders you have connected, so connect just the folders this job needs and ask for links to every source.

From official docs Official source

ChatGPT Suggested

In ChatGPT Work, the cloud browser asks before visiting a new website by default. Keep that setting on 'Always ask' while you learn how it researches.

From official docs Official source

Gemini Suggested

Gemini Deep Research shows a research plan you can edit before it starts and uses Google Search by default. Reports usually take 5-10 minutes.

From official docs Official source

Microsoft Copilot Suggested

With a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan, the Researcher agent writes a source-cited report and may ask clarifying questions first. At work it can also draw on your files and email, so say 'web only' if that is what you want.

From official docs Official source

Open agents & automations Suggested

A self-hosted agent (for example OpenClaw or Hermes Agent) or an n8n workflow can do this, but you choose its tools. For a read-only job, give it web search only: no email-sending, file-writing or payment tools.

General guidance, not a verified product claim

Common failure, and how to catch it

What goes wrong
Out-of-date prices, or a supplier that does not deliver to your area.
How to catch it
Require a source link per fact and confirm on the supplier's own site.

Time and cost

Time to set up
10 minutes
Cost
Works in a standard chat on most plans; no extra tools needed.

Sources

Reviewed 14 Oct 2026 against the sources above. This playbook has not been tested on every agent listed; it is written to be agent-agnostic.

More research playbooks