| name | research |
| version | 1.0.1 |
| description | Deep online research on any topic. Produces structured reports with citations and confidence scores. Three depth modes — quick scan, standard investigation, or deep dive. |
| trigger | manual |
| depends-on | [] |
| references | ["research-report-template.md","depth-profiles.md"] |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| user-invocable | true |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Glob, Grep, Bash, Agent, WebSearch, WebFetch |
| argument-hint | <topic-or-question> |
research
Skill metrics: Emit a start event to the activity log:
echo "{\"type\":\"skill\",\"event\":\"start\",\"skill\":\"research\",\"ts\":\"$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)\"}" >> docs/sessions/.activity-log.jsonl
Researching: $ARGUMENTS
Phase 1: Clarification Gate
Before starting research, assess whether the query is specific enough:
If the query is vague (single word, no clear question, ambiguous scope):
- Ask 1–2 focused clarifying questions using AskUserQuestion
- Ask about scope: "What specific aspect of [topic] are you interested in?"
- Ask about context: "Is this for a specific project/technology, or a general investigation?"
If the query is specific enough — proceed directly.
Ask about depth if not obvious from the query:
- Use AskUserQuestion with options: "Quick scan (2-3 searches, fast answer)", "Standard (parallel research, 2-3 min)", "Deep dive (comprehensive, 5-10 min)"
- If the query clearly implies depth (e.g., "comprehensive analysis of..." → deep), skip asking
Phase 2: Check Prior Research
Before doing new research, check if this topic has been investigated before:
- Search
docs/research/ for matching topics (Grep on title/tags in frontmatter)
- Search
docs/solutions/ for related findings
- Search
docs/brainstorms/ for related design explorations
If prior research exists:
- Load it and assess: is it still current? Does it answer the query?
- If it's recent and relevant: present it to the user, ask if they want fresh research or if prior findings suffice
- If it's outdated or partially relevant: note it as context for the new research
Phase 3: Plan Research
Compose the deep-research methodology (.claude/prompts/deep-research.md):
- Classify depth — Auto-classify using depth profile heuristics, or use the user's explicit choice
- Decompose query — Break into sub-questions per Phase 1 of deep-research methodology
- Present plan to user — Show the sub-questions and depth before executing
Present the research plan:
Do NOT dispatch research agents until the user approves the research plan. The user may want to adjust sub-questions, change depth, or add specific areas to investigate.
