| name | research-harness-setup |
| description | RES: Initialize research project structure, create study_spec.md and analysis_plan.md, set up data protection rules and folder layout. Trigger: setup research project, initialize study, new research project. Do NOT load for: audit, cleaning, analysis, review, release. |
| description-en | RES: Initialize research project structure, create study_spec.md and analysis_plan.md, set up data protection rules and folder layout. Trigger: setup research project, initialize study, new research project. Do NOT load for: audit, cleaning, analysis, review, release. |
| kind | workflow |
| purpose | Initialize the research project with source-of-truth files, controlled folder structure, and data protection rules |
| trigger | setup research project, initialize study, new research project, /research-harness-setup |
| shape | workflow |
| role | generator |
| pair | research-harness-audit |
| owner | research-harness-core |
| since | 2026-05-29 |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Write","Edit","Glob","Bash"] |
| argument-hint | [--study-name NAME] [--data-path PATH] |
| user-invocable | true |
| effort | low |
Research Harness Setup
Initialize a new empirical research project with source-of-truth files, a controlled folder structure, and data protection rules.
This skill runs once at the start of a project. It does not run analysis, audit data, or claim feasibility.
Quick Reference
| Input | Action |
|---|
/research-harness-setup | Interactive: prompt for study name and data path, then create all files |
/research-harness-setup --study-name "X" --data-path "data/raw/X.csv" | Non-interactive: use provided values |
Procedure
Step 1 — Collect study context
If arguments are not provided, ask the user for:
- Study name or working title
- Path to raw data file(s) (may be
unknown if data not yet available)
- Brief description of the research question (one or two sentences; may be
unknown)
Do not invent answers. If the user says unknown, write unknown in the spec.
Step 2 — Create folder structure
Create the following directories if they do not exist. Do not delete or overwrite existing content.
data/raw/
data/intermediate/
data/processed/
scripts/
analysis/
output/
logs/
reports/
Step 3 — Create study_spec.md
Copy templates/study_spec.md to study_spec.md at the project root.
Fill in:
- Study name from Step 1
- Raw data path from Step 1
- Research question from Step 1
Leave all other fields as unknown. The researcher fills in the full spec before Stage 2.
If study_spec.md already exists: read it, confirm with the user before overwriting, and preserve existing content unless the user explicitly requests replacement.
Step 4 — Create analysis_plan.md
Copy templates/analysis_plan.md to analysis_plan.md at the project root.
Fill in:
- Study spec path:
study_spec.md
- Date: today's date
- Analyst: Claude Code
Leave all task fields as cc:todo with unknown paths.
If already exists: do not overwrite. Notify the user.
