external-context

name	external-context
description	External documentation and web research via parallel document-specialist agents
tags	["research","documentation"]

When to Use

• Need to look up external documentation, API references, or official docs
• User says "external context", "look up docs", "what does the API say"
• Need version compatibility info or migration guides
• Comparing library options or evaluating packages

When NOT to Use

• Codebase-internal search → use @omg:explore
• Root cause analysis → use trace skill
• Full investigation → use deep-dive skill

Workflow

1. Parse the Research Need

Identify: what specific information? Which library/API/framework? What version?

2. Research via Document Specialists

Research the topic using web_fetch or by delegating to @omg:document-specialist agents. For broad research, run multiple searches in parallel. For comparative research (e.g., "Redis vs Memcached"), investigate each option separately and compare.

3. Synthesize

Combine findings:

• Merge sources, resolve conflicts
• Flag version-specific information
• Note outdated docs (>2 years old)

4. Persist

Save to .omg/research/external-{topic}.md for future reference. Index via store_memory key omg:research-{topic}.

Output Format

## Research: {topic}

### Answer
{direct answer with source URL}

### Code Example
{working code example if applicable}

### Version Notes
{compatibility information}

### Sources
- [Title](URL) — {brief description}

Rules

• Always cite sources with URLs
• Prefer official documentation over blog posts
• Flag information older than 2 years
• Note version compatibility explicitly

Checklist

• Sources cited with URLs
• Official docs preferred
• Version compatibility noted
• Research saved to .omg/research/

Trigger Keywords

external context, look up docs, what does API say

Example

copilot -i "external-context: vitest snapshot testing API"

Quality Contract

• Sources cited with URLs, official docs preferred