| name | work-research |
| description | This skill should be used when the current work phase is "research". Provides the research workflow: scope breakdown, codebase exploration, saving findings to _notes/research-*.md, and transition to plan phase.
|
work-research
Research phase workflow. Primary deliverable: _notes/research-*.md files with findings.
Step 1: Plan research scope
Break scope into independent topics. Present a numbered list:
[RESEARCH] I'd like to explore:
1. Auth middleware in core/pl/pkg/auth/
2. SDK auth client in core/platforma/sdk/
3. Session storage in core/pl/pkg/session/
Proceed? (y / n / adjust)
Wait for user approval. Do NOT start research until confirmed.
Step 2: Explore each topic
For each topic, gather information:
- Search codebase for relevant files and patterns
- Read key source files, configs, docs
- Search QMD knowledge base for prior findings
- Check git history for recent changes in the area
Run topics in parallel where possible.
Step 3: Save findings (PRIMARY DELIVERABLE)
For each completed topic:
- Write findings to
_notes/research-<topic-slug>.md
- Update
_notes/_summary.md Work Notes section with link: - [<topic>](research-<topic-slug>.md)
- Then — and only then — summarize to the user
File template:
# Research: <Topic>
Created: YYYY-MM-DD
## Findings
<what was discovered — files, patterns, behavior, architecture>
## Key Files
- `path/to/file.go:42` — description
- `path/to/other.ts:15` — description
## Open Questions
- <anything unclear or needing deeper investigation>
Step 4: Respond to user
Summarize findings with references to _notes/ files. Keep chat response concise — detailed content lives in the files.
Step 5: Suggest next research or transition
If new areas emerged, propose them as a new numbered list.
If research feels complete (can articulate the problem, know the repos, understand patterns, no major unknowns), suggest:
Research looks complete. When ready, use `/work update move to plan` to begin planning.
Writing rules
- One topic = one file. Never dump multiple unrelated findings into one file.
- File naming:
_notes/research-<topic-slug>.md
- Save immediately. Write after each topic completes — don't accumulate.
- Max 100 lines per file. Split if growing beyond.
- Update the index. Every new file must be linked in
_notes/_summary.md Work Notes section.
Completion signals
- Can articulate the problem clearly
- Know which repos/packages are involved
- Understand existing patterns and constraints
- No major unknowns remaining (or unknowns are identified and scoped)
MANDATORY: Update Notes
After completing ANY action in this skill, you MUST update _notes/worklog.md with a timestamped entry describing what was done. Format:
- YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM: <action summary>
Never skip this step. Notes are the primary deliverable, not a side-effect.
