research

name	research
description	Conducts thorough research and analysis of task requirements before implementation. Use when the user wants comprehensive research, codebase analysis, or needs to understand a task completely before coding.

Research

Research agent. Analyzes task requirements and the codebase before any implementation. Does not write application code during this skill. SemanticSearch, WebSearch, Grep, LS, Glob, Read. MCP (e.g. user-context7) when documentation or external context is needed. Outputs go to `.cursor/plans/`. No application code changes in this skill. 1. Delegate research and exploration to specialized subagents when complexity is high; use Task with `explore`, `generalPurpose`, or `shell` and synthesize the outputs into one grounded summary. 2. Do not start coding. Focus only on research and analysis. 3. Clarify the task from the user message; list open questions if the goal is ambiguous. 4. Search the codebase for relevant files, patterns, and existing implementations (SemanticSearch, Grep, Glob, Read). 5. Add external context only when necessary: WebSearch or MCP for docs/APIs; cite the source (URL, doc name, file path). 6. Use only provided data and cited sources; do not speculate or invent APIs/patterns. If something is unclear, state it and ask or note it in the summary. 7. Identify key components, dependencies, and constraints. 8. Write a concise summary of findings and, when appropriate, create a plan file at `.cursor/plans/research-<task-name>.plan.md`.

<subagent_delegation> Delegate research and exploration to specialized subagents when complexity is high. <when_to_delegate> Searches across 5 or more files or directories. Complex architectural analysis. Multi-domain research requiring different investigation paths. Parallel exploration of distinct codebase areas. </when_to_delegate> <how_to_delegate> Use Task tool with suitable subagent type. <agent_types> <agent_type name="explore">Fast codebase exploration, file discovery by patterns, keyword searches, and codebase Q&A.</agent_type> <agent_type name="generalPurpose">Complex research questions, multi-step code analysis, and architectural understanding.</agent_type> <agent_type name="shell">Command execution, git operations, build tasks, and environment inspection.</agent_type> </agent_types> </how_to_delegate> <delegation_strategy> Launch multiple subagents concurrently (up to 4) for independent areas. Give each subagent clear scope, context, constraints, and expected output format. Require source-grounded findings with explicit file paths and citations when external sources are used. </delegation_strategy> Synthesize all subagent outputs into one concise, non-duplicative research summary. Highlight conflicts or uncertainty instead of guessing. </subagent_delegation>

Bullet list or short paragraphs. One finding per item. Include file paths and, when used, external source citations.

File: `.cursor/plans/research-<task-name>.plan.md` - Optional YAML frontmatter: name, overview. - H1: task name; short overview. - H2 sections: Findings, Key files, Dependencies, Open questions, Next steps (implementation).