investigation

name	investigation
description	Use when investigating a specific entity (person, organization, event) across Pyrite knowledge bases. Enforces source chain tracking, relationship mapping, and confidence-rated findings. Every claim must link to a source.

Investigation Skill

Entity-focused investigation methodology for Pyrite knowledge bases. Produces a sourced entity profile with mapped relationships and confidence-rated findings.

Announce at start: "I'm using the investigation skill."

Methodology: Identify → Collect → Map → Track → Assess

The non-negotiable rule: Every factual claim in the output must link to a source entry via [[wikilink]]. No exceptions. If there's no source entry, create one first.

---

Phase 1: Identify Target

Define exactly what entity you're investigating.

TARGET DEFINITION:
- Entity name:
- Entity type: person / organization / event / topic
- What specifically do we want to know?
- What KBs are likely relevant?
- Known aliases or alternate names:

Check if the entity already has an entry:

pyrite search "<entity name>" --limit 20
pyrite search "<entity name>" --mode=semantic --limit 10

If an entry exists, read it fully: pyrite get <entry-id>

Create a task list with TaskCreate to track investigation progress.

---

Phase 2: Collect Mentions

Systematically find every reference to this entity across all KBs.

# Direct name search
pyrite search "<entity name>" --limit 50

# Search aliases and alternate spellings
pyrite search "<alias>" --limit 20

# Search by role/title if a person
pyrite search "<role or title>" --type=person --limit 20

# Search related organizations
pyrite search "<org name>" --limit 20

# Timeline search for events involving this entity
pyrite timeline --from=<start> --to=<end>

# Backlinks from known entries
pyrite backlinks <entity-entry-id> --kb=<name>

# Tag-based discovery
pyrite search "<entity>" --tag=<relevant-tag>

For each mention found:

1. Read the full entry
2. Extract: what does this entry claim about the entity?
3. Note the source tier (see entity-profile-template.md)
4. Record the entry ID for the source chain

If the entity has no entry yet, create one:

# Person
pyrite create --kb=<name> --type=person --title="<Full Name>" \
  --body="<initial summary>" --tags="<relevant-tags>" \
  --field role="<primary role>"

# Organization
pyrite create --kb=<name> --type=organization --title="<Org Name>" \
  --body="<initial summary>" --tags="<relevant-tags>"

Collection completeness check:

- [ ] Searched all relevant KBs
- [ ] Searched name + known aliases
- [ ] Searched related entities (employers, associates, counterparts)
- [ ] Checked backlinks from entity's own entry
- [ ] Checked timeline for temporal context
- [ ] Created entries for important sources not yet in the KB

---

Phase 3: Map Relationships

Document how this entity connects to others.

For each relationship discovered:

From	Relationship	To	Source	Confidence
[[entity]]	employs / funds / opposes / etc.	[[other-entity]]	[[source]]	High/Med/Low

# Find connections through shared tags
pyrite tags --kb=<name>

# Find connections through shared events
pyrite search "<entity>" --type=event

# Trace through backlinks
pyrite backlinks <entity-id> --kb=<name>
pyrite backlinks <related-entity-id> --kb=<name>

See relationship-mapping.md for relationship type vocabulary and mapping techniques.

Mapping checklist:

- [ ] Direct relationships documented (employer, colleague, opponent, etc.)
- [ ] Indirect relationships noted (shared events, shared organizations)
- [ ] Temporal relationships mapped (preceded by, succeeded by, concurrent with)
- [ ] Each relationship has a source entry
- [ ] Relationship strength/confidence noted

---

Phase 4: Track Source Chain

Every claim needs a traceable path back to evidence. This is what separates investigation from speculation.

Source chain format:

Claim: "<factual statement>"
Source: [[entry-id]] (Tier 1/2/3/4)
Corroboration: [[other-entry-id]] or "none"

Tier definitions:

Tier	Type	Example
1	Primary / direct evidence	Official documents, court filings, public records
2	Established reporting	Bylined journalism, government reports, academic papers
3	Secondary analysis	Commentary, think tank reports, expert blog posts
4	Unverified	Anonymous sources, social media, unattributed claims

Source chain rules:

• A claim with only Tier 4 sources must be flagged as "unverified"
• A claim with contradicting sources must note the contradiction
• "Common knowledge" is not a source — find the entry or create one
• If you can't find a source, say "no source found" — don't omit the claim silently

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Phase 5: Assess and Produce Profile

Create the entity profile entry using the template from entity-profile-template.md.

pyrite update <entity-id> --kb=<name> --body="<updated profile>"

Or if creating a new investigation summary:

pyrite create --kb=<name> --type=note --title="Investigation: <entity>" \
  --body="<profile content>" --tags="investigation,<entity-tags>"

Assessment checklist:

- [ ] Every factual claim links to a source via [[wikilink]]
- [ ] Confidence level assigned to each major finding
- [ ] Contradictions between sources explicitly noted
- [ ] Gaps in knowledge explicitly stated
- [ ] Relationships mapped with sources
- [ ] Timeline of key events constructed
- [ ] Unverified claims flagged clearly

---

Anti-Patterns

Trap	Fix
Writing claims without source links	Every claim gets a [[source]]. No exceptions.
Treating all mentions as equal weight	Apply tier system. A Tier 4 mention ≠ a Tier 1 document.
Ignoring absence of evidence	"No entries found about X's role in Y" is a finding. Document gaps.
Circular investigation	If Entry A cites Entry B which cites Entry A, you have one source, not two.
Scope creep	Stay focused on the target entity. Note related entities for follow-up, don't investigate them now.
Unsourced relationship claims	"X is connected to Y" needs a source entry showing the connection.