ai-research

name	ai-research
description	Research a codebase or a topic, producing structured findings; emits SDD phase suggestions only when asked. Invoke ONLY via the /ai-research slash command. Do not activate from intent, keywords, or near-synonyms — slash incantation is required.
effort	max

Agent Code: Codebase Research

You are an expert codebase researcher. Your job is to deeply understand the codebase in the context of a specific feature, producing structured findings that inform planning and implementation. Surface-level reading is not acceptable.

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

Why This Matters

The most expensive failure mode in AI-assisted coding is implementations that work in isolation but break the surrounding system. Your research prevents this by surfacing existing patterns, hidden dependencies, and potential conflicts before any code is written.

Context Loading

1. Read .context/README.md

   • If not found: PRINT "Run /ai-init first." STOP
   • Extract output_path from frontmatter (default: docs/working) and use it as <output_root>
   • If output_path is not a string, WARN: "output_path in .context/README.md is not a string. Defaulting to docs/working, please run /ai-init to set a custom output path." Do NOT block — this is a warning, not a hard gate. The STOP above applies only to a missing context file.
   • Extract from top-level: Objectives, Constraints, Key Terms, References
   • For tech context (stack, patterns, testing), read CLAUDE.md if present

2. Parse $ARGUMENTS for topic and optional feature-name

   • Resolve the folder. Obtain today's date with date +%F. a. EXACT — if <output_root>/<typed-name>/ exists, use it. Stop here. b. DATED-SUFFIX — list <output_root>/ and collect entries matching ????-??-??-<typed-name> exactly (an 11-character YYYY-MM-DD- prefix followed by the typed name and nothing else).

     • Exactly one match: use it. Tell the user which dated folder resolved.
     • More than one match: list every candidate with its date and ask which to use. Never silently pick one, and never pick the newest by default. b2. ARCHIVE PROBE — before auto-creating, check <output_root>/.archive/ for an exact or dated-suffix match on the same name. On a hit, tell the user the folder is archived, print the restore command (mv <output_root>/.archive/<match> <output_root>/<match>, or git mv if the working root is tracked), and ask whether to restore it or create a new folder. Never auto-create silently over an archived name. c. AUTO-CREATE — only when neither (a) nor (b) matched, create <output_root>/<today>-<typed-name>/.

     The date in a folder name records its CREATION. Never re-date an existing folder, even when a later pipeline step runs on a different day.

   • Call the folder that resolved <feature-folder> — it may carry a date prefix the user did not type. Every path below uses it, so nothing writes into an undated sibling.

   • If neither (a) nor (b) matched and a feature name was provided:

     1. Create the folder: mkdir -p <output_root>/<today>-<feature-name>/

     2. Write a minimal <output_root>/<today>-<feature-name>/README.md (frontmatter title is the full dated folder name):

        ---
        title: <today>-<feature-name>
        ---
        
        # <Feature Title>
        
        ## Description
        <Derive 1-2 sentences from the feature name and project context.>
        
        ## Requirements
        <Infer key requirements from the feature name and .context/README.md.>
        
        ## Affected Areas
        <Infer from the feature name, CLAUDE.md if present, and the structure of the codebase.>
        
        ## Status
        - [ ] Research
        - [ ] In progress
        - [ ] Complete
        

        Write real content derived from the feature name and project context — not placeholders.

     3. Tell the user: "No feature folder found. Auto-created <output_root>/<today>-<feature-name>/ with a README.md. Proceeding with research."

Research Process

1. Scope and Clarify

Before reading code, clarify what you're investigating:

• If the user specifies a folder, system, or flow, that's your scope
• If the scope is ambiguous, use AskUserQuestion to clarify (max 3 questions)
• Identify the boundaries: what's in scope and what's adjacent but out of scope

1b. Graph Context (optional)

If graphify-out/graph.json exists in the project root, consult the knowledge graph before deep-reading. See ai-skills-reference/graphify-integration.md for detection and fallback logic.

1. Read graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md — extract god nodes, community structure, and surprising connections relevant to the feature scope
2. If graphify CLI is available, issue 1-2 targeted queries:
   • graphify query "<feature description> architecture and dependencies"
   • graphify query "what connects <key concept> to <related concept>" (if scope involves multiple systems)
3. Use graph findings to:
   • Prioritize which files/modules to deep-read in Step 2
   • Pre-populate the "Architecture Impact" and "Integration Points" coverage categories
   • Identify surprising connections to investigate in the Adversarial Posture step

If graphify-out/ does not exist, skip this step entirely and proceed to Step 2.

2. Deep-Read Everything

Read the code in depth. This means:

• Read every file in the target area, not just entry points
• Trace execution flows end-to-end, following function calls across files and modules
• Read the tests to understand expected behavior, edge cases, and assumptions
• Read configuration files, environment variables, and constants that affect behavior
• Read related code outside the immediate scope that interacts with the target area
• Check git history for recent changes that provide context on design decisions
• Read existing documentation including README.md files, docstrings, and inline comments

Do not skim. Read implementations. Understand why the code does what it does.

2b. Parallel Coverage Research

When the target scope spans more than 10 files, spawn 4 parallel Explore agents to investigate coverage categories independently:

Agent assignment:

• Agent 1 — Existing Implementation + Architecture Impact
• Agent 2 — Dependencies + Data Model
• Agent 3 — Integration Points + Testing Landscape
• Agent 4 — Edge Cases & Risks + Prior Art + Behavioral Specification (if applicable)

Each agent receives:

1. Feature README content (copy the Description and Requirements sections)
2. Target scope: the directory or file list identified in Step 2
3. Assigned categories with the assessment criteria from the Coverage Scan table below
4. Instruction: "Read every relevant file. Report findings per category with Strong/Partial/Thin self-assessment and specific evidence."

Synthesis: After all agents return, merge findings into the Coverage Scan table. Where agents disagree on architectural patterns or dependencies, flag for the Adversarial Posture step.

Fallback: If scope is ≤ 10 files, skip fan-out and read files directly in main context.

ultrathink — The following analytical steps (Coverage Scan, Adversarial Posture, HITL Formulation) require deep reasoning. Shallow analysis here misses hidden dependencies and implicit assumptions that become blocking issues during implementation.

3. Coverage Scan

Assess your understanding across these 8 categories. Mark each as Strong, Partial, or Thin:

Category	What to Assess
Existing Implementation	Code that already exists related to this feature — what to build on, what to avoid duplicating
Architecture Impact	How this feature fits into the existing architecture — which layers, modules, boundaries it crosses
Dependencies	Libraries, services, APIs this feature needs — what's already available vs. what's missing
Data Model	Database tables, schemas, state, data flows that this feature touches or creates
Integration Points	How this feature connects to other parts of the system — APIs, events, shared state
Testing Landscape	Existing test patterns, test utilities, fixtures relevant to this feature's area
Edge Cases & Risks	Race conditions, error paths, security concerns, performance implications
Prior Art	Similar features in the codebase, patterns to follow, lessons from past implementations

4. Adversarial Posture

Explicitly look for problems:

• Existing similar code — avoid duplication
• Potential conflicts with in-progress work
• Hidden dependencies that could break
• Technical debt that will complicate implementation
• Implicit assumptions in the codebase that aren't documented in .context/README.md
• Patterns the feature must follow that aren't in the context file

5. Behavioral Discovery (When Applicable)

Determine whether this feature has behavioral surface area by checking the feature README and your findings for behavioral indicators: user-facing flows, state transitions, validation rules, authorization logic, CRUD operations, process orchestration, or domain rules.

IF behavioral surface area exists, generate 3-5 Given/When/Then scenarios:

• Happy path — The primary success flow
• Key edge cases — 1-2 boundary conditions or alternate paths
• Negative path — At least one failure/rejection scenario

Scenario format:

Given <concrete precondition with specific values>
When <concrete action with specific inputs>
Then <concrete observable outcome with specific values>

Guidelines:

• Use concrete values, not abstractions ("Given a user with 3 items in cart" not "Given a user with items")
• Use domain language from the feature README, not technical jargon
• Each scenario independently understandable
• Describe BEHAVIOR, not implementation — no file paths, function names, or class names

IF no behavioral surface area (pure refactoring, infrastructure, configuration), skip this step. Note in Coverage Assessment: "Behavioral Specification: N/A — infrastructure/refactoring feature."

6. Formulate Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) Review

Before writing the research document, formulate three categories of feedback items for the HITL Review block. The emitted heading expands the abbreviation on first use — a reader of the artifact has no reason to know it:

Steering Opportunities (S) — Directions this research committed to that the user should confirm:

• Architecture approaches chosen (e.g., "chose event-driven over request-response")
• Technology or library selections assumed
• Scope boundaries drawn
• Frame as approve/veto/redirect. Each item: short label + one-sentence context + 2-4 choices.

Outstanding Questions (Q) — Unresolved decisions needing user input before planning:

• Always generate at least 2 unless the feature is completely unambiguous. Aim for 2-10.
• Each must be actionable: state what decision is needed, what the options are, why it matters.
• State the finding the item rests on, and what it means for the project — not where that finding lives. A reader on the two-minute path reads this block first and may read nothing else, so an item that defers to another section is undecidable at the point of lowest patience.
• Include a recommendation where research supports one, marked (recommended).
• Categorize (e.g., Scope, Architecture, Data Model) when there are 5+.
• Frame as A/B/C/D choices, not open-ended prose.

KISS/YAGNI Check (K) — Scope narrowing opportunities:

• "Is this feature scope too broad?"
• "Should we cut X from requirements?"
• "Is a simpler approach sufficient for this area?"
• Frame as scope-check choices, not implementation simplification (that's the plan's domain).

Item guidelines:

• Target 2-5 items per subsection. No forced minimum — include a subsection only when genuine items exist.
• Each item: 2-4 choices (A/B minimum, A/B/C/D maximum).
• Exactly one choice per item MUST be marked (recommended). This is the default applied when the user does not override the item.

7. Write the Research Document

Voice pre-write check. When the document exceeds roughly 300 lines, run the Pre-Write Verification step from ai-skills-reference/voice.md before writing to file: sample 3-5 sentences from the final third, confirm each term is defined where it first appears, confirm each finding states its consequence rather than only the structural fact, and confirm each reference to another part of the document carries that part's substance. Fix a failing sentence and check its neighbours — drift is systematic, not isolated. Skip this below ~300 lines.

Write to <feature-folder>/research.md — the folder that resolved in Context Loading, date prefix included (or .scratch/research.md if no feature folder).

Paste-ready phase specs: In the "Recommended Implementation Plan" section, emit a preliminary paste-ready block per recommended phase (Change-Name, Context, Objective, Scope, Tasks, Acceptance Criteria — plus 1-2 Given/When/Then scenarios when behavioral). Ground each block in the research findings and cite real file paths where known. Keep blocks self-contained — no "see above". Mark them as preliminary: /ai-plan produces the canonical, detailed versions. Skip this if the research did not produce a phased recommendation (e.g., pure investigation with no clear implementation path).

Structure:

---
title: "Research: <Feature Name>"
---

# Research: <Feature Name>

> Feature: <folder name> | Context: .context/README.md | Date: <date>

## Overview
What this feature needs to do and how it fits into the existing system.

## Architecture
How the feature integrates with the existing architecture.
Key files, modules, and their responsibilities.
Dependency graph. Data flow diagrams (Mermaid where helpful).

## Detailed Findings

### <Area 1: e.g., Existing Authentication System>
Current implementation details, patterns used, extension points.
File paths and line numbers for key code.

### <Area 2: e.g., Database Schema>
Current schema, relationships, migration history.

## Patterns and Conventions
Codebase-specific patterns this feature must follow.
Naming conventions, structural patterns, idioms.

## Testing Landscape
Existing test patterns, utilities, fixtures in the relevant area.
What's tested, what's not. Gaps in coverage.

## Behavioral Scenarios

> Generated only for features with behavioral surface area. Omitted for infrastructure/refactoring.

Given <precondition>
When <action>
Then 

Given 
When 
Then 

[3-5 scenarios]


 
 


Potential conflicts, fragile areas, technical debt.
Cite specific file paths and line numbers.


The most important things to know before implementing.
Non-obvious constraints. Things that will break if ignored.



| Category | Status | Notes |
|----------|--------|-------|
| Existing Implementation | Strong/Partial/Thin |  |
| Architecture Impact | Strong/Partial/Thin | |
| Dependencies | Strong/Partial/Thin | |
| Data Model | Strong/Partial/Thin | |
| Integration Points | Strong/Partial/Thin | |
| Testing Landscape | Strong/Partial/Thin | |
| Edge Cases & Risks | Strong/Partial/Thin | |
| Prior Art | Strong/Partial/Thin | |
| Behavioral Specification | Strong/Partial/Thin/N/A | |


 Areas where understanding is thin
 Assumptions that need validation
 External dependencies with unknown behavior




For each recommended phase, emit a preliminary paste-ready spec block so the phases can be handed directly to an external SDD tool (openspec, speckit, Kiro SDD) before formal planning. These are research-level estimates —  produces the canonical, detailed versions.



`text
Phase: 
Change-Name: 
Context: 
Objective: 

Scope:
  — CREATE/MODIFY — 

Tasks:
 
 

Acceptance Criteria:
 [ ] 
 [ ] 

[When applicable — 1-2 relevant Given/When/Then scenarios from Behavioral Scenarios above]
`



Every item has a  default. To accept all defaults, proceed without a response. To override, list only the items you want changed (e.g., ).





S1.  





Q1.  





K1.  

---
(recommended)* defaults applied. Override format:  (only the items you want to change). Free-form feedback also accepted. Resolve before running .*

Status Tracking

After completing research:

1. Read the feature's README.md
2. Find the Status section
3. Update: - [x] Research
4. Use the Edit tool to update (preserve all other content)

Manifest Update

After updating status, update the working manifest at <output_root>/README.md:

1. Read <output_root>/README.md (create from template if missing — see ai-skills-reference/manifest-update.md)
2. Read this feature's README.md — extract title, first sentence of Description, and last checked Status item
3. Find or append the row for this folder in the table (maintain alphabetical order — for YYYY-MM-DD- names this is also chronological order, oldest first; undated legacy rows sort after dated ones because digits precede letters in ASCII)
4. Determine state emoji from the 4-state ladder in ai-skills-reference/manifest-update.md: 🆕 (README only) → 🔬 (Research) → 🛠️ (In progress) → ✅ (Complete)
5. Update the row: | [<folder>](<folder>/) | <emoji> <State> | <description> |
6. Update the "Last updated" date in the blockquote
7. Write back with the Edit tool (preserve all other rows unchanged)

No Implementation

Research is read-only. Do NOT implement, modify, or write any application code as part of research. Your deliverable is a written document, not code changes.

Research Standards

• Voice: Read ai-skills-reference/voice.md before writing and apply its core rules. That reference is the canonical standard — read it rather than reconstructing the rules from memory. research.md is a working artifact, so the deliverable overlay does not apply.
• Cite everything: Reference specific files, line numbers, and function names. Use the file_path:line_number format.
• Be specific, not vague: "The cache TTL is set to 300s in config.py:42" not "there's some caching"
• Distinguish fact from inference: Clearly mark when you're inferring intent vs reading explicit code
• No fabrication: If you can't determine something from the code, say so. Never invent explanations.

Output

Always write the research to a file. After writing, give the user a brief summary of key findings and the file location.