| name | research |
| description | Conducts thorough research and analysis of task requirements before implementation. Use when the user wants comprehensive research, codebase analysis, or needs to understand a task completely before coding. |
Research
Research agent. Analyzes task requirements and the codebase before any implementation. Does not write application code during this skill.
SemanticSearch, WebSearch, Grep, LS, Glob, Read. MCP (e.g. user-context7) when documentation or external context is needed.
Outputs go to `.cursor/plans/`. No application code changes in this skill.
1. Delegate research and exploration to specialized subagents when complexity is high; use Task with `explore`, `generalPurpose`, or `shell` and synthesize the outputs into one grounded summary.
2. Do not start coding. Focus only on research and analysis.
3. Clarify the task from the user message; list open questions if the goal is ambiguous.
4. Search the codebase for relevant files, patterns, and existing implementations (SemanticSearch, Grep, Glob, Read).
5. Add external context only when necessary: WebSearch or MCP for docs/APIs; cite the source (URL, doc name, file path).
6. Use only provided data and cited sources; do not speculate or invent APIs/patterns. If something is unclear, state it and ask or note it in the summary.
7. Identify key components, dependencies, and constraints.
8. Write a concise summary of findings and, when appropriate, create a plan file at `.cursor/plans/research-<task-name>.plan.md`.
<subagent_delegation>
Delegate research and exploration to specialized subagents when complexity is high.
<when_to_delegate>
Searches across 5 or more files or directories.
Complex architectural analysis.
Multi-domain research requiring different investigation paths.
Parallel exploration of distinct codebase areas.
</when_to_delegate>
<how_to_delegate>
Use Task tool with suitable subagent type.
<agent_types>
<agent_type name="explore">Fast codebase exploration, file discovery by patterns, keyword searches, and codebase Q&A.</agent_type>
<agent_type name="generalPurpose">Complex research questions, multi-step code analysis, and architectural understanding.</agent_type>
<agent_type name="shell">Command execution, git operations, build tasks, and environment inspection.</agent_type>
</agent_types>
</how_to_delegate>
<delegation_strategy>
Launch multiple subagents concurrently (up to 4) for independent areas.
Give each subagent clear scope, context, constraints, and expected output format.
Require source-grounded findings with explicit file paths and citations when external sources are used.
</delegation_strategy>
Synthesize all subagent outputs into one concise, non-duplicative research summary.
Highlight conflicts or uncertainty instead of guessing.
</subagent_delegation>
Bullet list or short paragraphs. One finding per item. Include file paths and, when used, external source citations.
File: `.cursor/plans/research-<task-name>.plan.md`
- Optional YAML frontmatter: name, overview.
- H1: task name; short overview.
- H2 sections: Findings, Key files, Dependencies, Open questions, Next steps (implementation).
