| name | research |
| description | Dispatches two sub-agents in parallel to gather external and local context for the current task. |
| context | load |
Sub-agent contract
/contract
Dispatch two sub-agents in parallel using the Agent tool. Prefer subagent_type: "research-agent"; fall back to subagent_type: "Explore" with thoroughness "very thorough" if the research-agent is not available. One researches the web for external context relevant to the current task. The other inspects the local working directory for domain-relevant artifacts. Return a concise merged research brief highlighting relevant findings, conflicts, risks, and implications for the task.
Web research agent — always the same: search for external context, prior art, patterns, APIs, and comparable approaches relevant to the task. Domain-agnostic.
Local inspection agent — adapt to the domain:
| Domain | What to inspect |
|---|
software | Code, config files, package manifests, CI configs, test suites, git history, README/docs, existing patterns and conventions |
research | Papers (PDF/LaTeX), notes, data files, citation databases (.bib), lab notebooks, analysis scripts, prior drafts |
design | Design files (Figma exports, SVGs, mockups), brand guidelines, component libraries, user research docs, style guides |
business | Financial models, strategy docs, market research, pitch decks, competitive analyses, KPI dashboards, stakeholder maps |
| (other) | Scan the working directory for any files relevant to the stated domain — documents, data, config, scripts — and describe what you find |
When domain is unspecified, infer it: git repo → software; PDFs/LaTeX/.bib → research; design assets → design; spreadsheets/decks → business. If ambiguous, inspect broadly and note what you found.
Coverage reporting
Both agents must end their response with a coverage assessment:
- Coverage confidence: low / medium / high — how thoroughly could this domain be searched?
- Known gaps: what couldn't be accessed? (proprietary databases, paywalled papers, unpublished work, practitioner-only knowledge)
- Tacit knowledge risk: low / medium / high — is this a domain where critical knowledge is unwritten or not documented online?
When merging results, surface coverage gaps prominently. If both agents report low coverage, flag: "Low epistemic coverage — findings may be incomplete. Consider consulting domain practitioners or providing access to private sources."