competitor-research

name	competitor-research
description	Create or refresh one competitor record in the comparison canon.
trigger	auto

Create or refresh one competitor record in the comparison canon.

Use this skill when the task is to research, validate, migrate, or update a specific competitor.

Load First

• Read comparison/COMPETITOR_GUIDE.md.
• Read comparison/TRACKING.md.
• Read comparison/_template/index.md.

Then inspect any existing material for the target competitor:

• canonical folder in comparison/<slug>/
• legacy file in comparison/_legacy/

Core Rule

An existing competitor record is a baseline, not truth.

When updating or migrating a competitor:

• read the stored record first
• treat all stored claims as provisional
• re-check high-impact claims against current primary sources
• update structured data before prose

Research Workflow

1. Identify the current state:
   • missing
   • legacy-flat
   • canon-draft
   • canon-reviewed
   • stale
2. Gather current primary sources first.
3. Revalidate the highest-impact claims:
   • identity and links
   • pricing
   • deployment and provider model
   • core comparison axes
4. Update or create the canonical folder-based record.
5. Fill structured frontmatter first:
   • facts
   • comparison axes
   • sources
   • tags and relevance
6. Write or revise the markdown body second.
7. Update the tracker status if the record moved forward.

Writing Rules

• keep facts, evaluations, and editorial opinion separate
• use yes, partial, no, or unknown for axis verdicts
• lower confidence or use unknown when evidence is weak
• do not quietly preserve stale conclusions from the legacy record
• only refresh last_checked after revalidation is complete

Migration Rules

When migrating from comparison/_legacy/:

• keep the legacy file as input until the canonical record is complete
• avoid creating split truth between the new folder and the old file
• if schema pressure appears, update the guide/template before mass migration