| name | ctx-research |
| description | Deep research grounded in the project's durable context system. Use for /ctx-research, "ctx research", "research X starting from our contexts". Reads existing contexts first, sharpens the question to the real knowledge gap, fans out multi-agent research, verifies key claims, and files results back. |
| metadata | {"short-description":"Context-grounded deep research"} |
ctx-research
Research that starts from what the project already knows and ends with the project knowing more. It differs from generic deep research in two ways: the question is sharpened against existing contexts before any searching, and verified findings are written back into the context system.
Language: mirror the user's language.
Steps
- Ground: locate the project's durable context layer (e.g. a
contexts/ tree with a map file, or a docs/ADR system). Read the entries relevant to the question. Sort what you find into: already answered (do not re-research), assumed but unverified, genuinely open.
- Refine: restate the research question as the delta between what the user needs and what contexts already hold. Confirm scope with the user only if the delta is ambiguous; otherwise proceed.
- Fan out (using
/fan-out patterns): parallel researchers with distinct angles — official docs, community and prior art, papers, code in the wild. Each returns raw, citable findings with source name and URL or path.
- Verify: every claim that will drive a decision gets an adversarial pass — a separate check that tries to refute it or show it is stale. Mark key claims confirmed / plausible / refuted.
- Synthesize: one report — answer first, then evidence, then open questions. Keep cited facts and your own judgment visibly separate.
- File back: hand the durable part to
/to-ctx, which places it in the project's context system per its rules. The chat gets the summary plus the file path.
Rules
- Never re-research what contexts already answer; cite the context file instead.
- Verification effort scales with decision impact, not with how interesting a claim is.
- Dependency direction: may use
/fan-out, /to-ctx, and /handoff; never invokes user-facing skills.
