research

name	research
description	Research technical topics, compare solutions, and produce structured reports. Triggers on "research this", "compare options for", "what's the best approach for", "evaluate frameworks", "find best practices". NOT for codebase exploration — use scouting.
allowed-tools	Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, WebSearch, WebFetch

When to Use

• Evaluating frameworks, libraries, or tools
• Investigating best practices for a technical approach
• Comparing multiple solutions with trade-offs
• Answering "how do others solve X?" questions
• Gathering context before planning

When NOT to Use

• Exploring the local codebase structure — use scouting
• Creating an implementation plan — use plan
• Writing code — use implementation

Instructions

1. Define Scope

Clarify the research question. Break broad questions into specific sub-questions. Identify:

• Decision criteria (performance, ease of use, community support, cost)
• Constraints (language, framework, budget, timeline)
• What "done" looks like for this research

2. Gather from Local Sources

Use Read to check existing project docs (README.md, docs/, ARCHITECTURE.md). Use Grep to find how the project currently handles related concerns. Check package.json, go.mod, requirements.txt for existing dependencies.

3. Search External Sources

Use WebSearch to find:

• Official documentation for candidate solutions
• Comparison articles and benchmarks
• GitHub repository stats (stars, recent commits, open issues)
• Stack Overflow discussions on common pitfalls

Use WebFetch to read specific pages for deeper detail. Prioritize official docs and recent sources (within last 2 years).

4. Evaluate Options

Score each option against the defined criteria. Note:

• Maturity and stability (version number, release frequency)
• Community size and activity
• Integration effort with existing stack
• Long-term maintenance burden
• License compatibility

5. Synthesize Findings

Output

## Research: [topic]

### Question
[Specific research question]

### Options Evaluated

#### Option 1: [Name]
- **Pros:** [list]
- **Cons:** [list]
- **Fit:** [how well it matches criteria]

#### Option 2: [Name]
- **Pros:** [list]
- **Cons:** [list]
- **Fit:** [how well it matches criteria]

### Recommendation
[Recommended option with rationale, tied to criteria]

### Risks
[Known risks or unknowns with the recommendation]

### Sources
[Links to key references used]

Apply YAGNI, KISS, DRY to all recommendations. Prefer stable, proven solutions over cutting-edge experiments unless the project specifically requires them.