| name | vault-driven-research |
| description | Vault-structured research methodology: identifies all relevant pillars, researches each in parallel, writes each pillar to disk, then synthesizes into a final summary document. Use when researching a topic, technology, market, or system before making decisions. |
STARTER_CHARACTER = 🔬
Research [TOPIC] using the Vault methodology: structure first, research in parallel, write each pillar to disk, then synthesize into a final document.
Vault Directory Structure
All output is written to disk under vault/[topic-slug]/:
vault/[topic-slug]/
summary.md ← final synthesis (written last)
pillars/
[pillar-name].md ← one file per pillar (written after research)
Use a kebab-case slug for the topic (e.g., balder-forsikring, react-query, norwegian-insurance-market).
Step 1: Identify Pillars
Determine every dimension of the topic that matters. Adapt to the subject — common pillars include:
- Users and stakeholders
- Market and competitors
- Technology and constraints
- Risks and unknowns
- Economics and trade-offs
- Legal/regulatory (if relevant)
Write a prioritized pillar list. Drop pillars that don't apply.
Step 2: Research Each Pillar in Parallel
For each pillar, gather:
- Sources and links
- Raw notes and extracts
- What each source supports or contradicts
Run across all pillars concurrently, not sequentially.
Step 3: Write Each Pillar to Disk
After research, write one file per pillar to vault/[topic-slug]/pillars/[pillar-name].md.
Each pillar file must contain:
# Pillar: [Name]
## What matters
[Key facts and signals — bullets only]
## What's uncertain
[Gaps, conflicting sources, unknowns]
## Sources
[URLs with brief labels]
Write all pillar files before proceeding to synthesis.
Step 4: Cross-Synthesize
Do one pass across all pillar files:
- Resolve conflicts between pillars
- Identify cross-cutting themes
- Surface the open questions that most affect the decision
Step 5: Write the Summary to Disk
Write vault/[topic-slug]/summary.md. Target: 2 pages. Hard limit: 5 pages.
Structure:
# [Topic] — Research Summary
_Researched: [date]_
## Executive Summary
[One paragraph — the essential conclusion]
## Key Findings
[Per pillar, bullets only, no padding]
## Cross-Cutting Insights
[What emerged from connecting the pillars — numbered list]
## Open Questions
[Uncertainties that still matter — bullets]
## Conclusion
[What to do or decide, grounded in the findings]
## Pillar Files
[Links to each pillar file]
Anti-patterns
- Writing the summary before finishing synthesis
- Exceeding 5 pages (more text is not more insight — cut ruthlessly)
- Listing per-pillar findings without the cross-synthesis step
- Treating source volume as a proxy for confidence
- Leaving output only in the chat — always write to disk
