name	search-first
description	Research-before-coding workflow. Search for existing tools, libraries, and patterns before writing custom code. Systematizes the "search for existing solutions before implementing" approach. Use when starting new features or adding functionality.
metadata	{"origin":"ECC"}

/search-first — Research Before You Code

Systematizes the "search for existing solutions before implementing" workflow.

Trigger

Use this skill when:

Starting a new feature that likely has existing solutions
Adding a dependency or integration
The user asks "add X functionality" and you're about to write code
Before creating a new utility, helper, or abstraction

Scope and Approval Rules

Default to read-only research: inspect the repo, package metadata, docs, and public examples before recommending a dependency or integration. Do not install packages, configure MCP servers, publish artifacts, open PRs, or make external write actions from this skill unless the user has explicitly approved that action in the current task.

When a candidate requires credentials, paid services, network writes, or project-wide config changes, return a recommendation and approval checkpoint instead of applying it directly.

Workflow

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. NEED ANALYSIS                           │
│     Define what functionality is needed      │
│     Identify language/framework constraints  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  2. PARALLEL SEARCH (researcher agent)      │
│     ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐  │
│     │  npm /   │ │  MCP /   │ │  GitHub / │  │
│     │  PyPI    │ │  Skills  │ │  Web      │  │
│     └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  3. EVALUATE                                │
│     Score candidates (functionality, maint, │
│     community, docs, license, deps)         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  4. DECIDE                                  │
│     ┌─────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌─────────┐  │
│     │  Adopt  │  │  Extend  │  │  Build   │  │
│     │ as-is   │  │  /Wrap   │  │  Custom  │  │
│     └─────────┘  └──────────┘  └─────────┘  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  5. APPROVAL CHECKPOINT / IMPLEMENT         │
│     Recommend package / MCP / custom code   │
│     Apply only after explicit approval      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Decision Matrix

Signal	Action
Exact match, well-maintained, MIT/Apache	Adopt — recommend the package and request approval before install or config changes
Partial match, good foundation	Extend — recommend the package plus a thin wrapper, then wait for approval before applying
Multiple weak matches	Compose — propose 2-3 small packages and the integration plan before installing anything
Nothing suitable found	Build — explain why custom code is warranted, then implement only within the approved task scope

How to Use

Quick Mode (inline)

Before writing a utility or adding functionality, mentally run through:

Does this already exist in the repo? → Search through relevant modules/tests first
Is this a common problem? → Search npm/PyPI
Is there an MCP for this? → Check MCP configuration and search
Is there a skill for this? → Check available skills
Is there a GitHub implementation/template? → Run GitHub code search for maintained OSS before writing net-new code

Full Mode (subagent)

For non-trivial functionality, delegate to a research-focused subagent:

Invoke subagent with prompt:
  "Research existing tools for: [DESCRIPTION]
   Language/framework: [LANG]
   Constraints: [ANY]

   Search: npm/PyPI, MCP servers, skills, GitHub
   Return: Structured comparison with recommendation"

Search Shortcuts by Category

Development Tooling

Linting → eslint, ruff, textlint, markdownlint
Formatting → prettier, black, gofmt
Testing → jest, pytest, go test
Pre-commit → husky, lint-staged, pre-commit

AI/LLM Integration

Claude SDK → Check for latest docs
Prompt management → Check MCP servers
Document processing → unstructured, pdfplumber, mammoth

Data & APIs

HTTP clients → httpx (Python), ky/got (Node)
Validation → zod (TS), pydantic (Python)
Database → Check for MCP servers first

Content & Publishing

Markdown processing → remark, unified, markdown-it
Image optimization → sharp, imagemin

Integration Points

With planner agent

The planner should invoke researcher before Phase 1 (Architecture Review):

Researcher identifies available tools
Planner incorporates them into the implementation plan
Avoids "reinventing the wheel" in the plan

With architect agent

The architect should consult researcher for:

Technology stack decisions
Integration pattern discovery
Existing reference architectures

With iterative-retrieval skill

Combine for progressive discovery:

Cycle 1: Broad search (npm, PyPI, MCP)
Cycle 2: Evaluate top candidates in detail
Cycle 3: Test compatibility with project constraints

Examples

Example 1: "Add dead link checking"

Need: Check markdown files for broken links
Search: npm "markdown dead link checker"
Found: textlint-rule-no-dead-link (score: 9/10)
Action: ADOPT — recommend `textlint-rule-no-dead-link` and ask before installing it
Result: Zero custom code if approved, battle-tested solution

Example 2: "Add HTTP client wrapper"

Need: Resilient HTTP client with retries and timeout handling
Search: npm "http client retry", PyPI "httpx retry"
Found: got (Node) with retry plugin, httpx (Python) with built-in retry
Action: ADOPT — recommend `got`/`httpx` directly with retry config and ask before changing dependencies
Result: Zero custom code if approved, production-proven libraries

Example 3: "Add config file linter"

Need: Validate project config files against a schema
Search: npm "config linter schema", "json schema validator cli"
Found: ajv-cli (score: 8/10)
Action: ADOPT + EXTEND — recommend `ajv-cli` plus a project-specific schema, then wait for approval before install/write
Result: 1 package + 1 schema file if approved, no custom validation logic

Anti-Patterns

Jumping to code: Writing a utility without checking if one exists
Ignoring MCP: Not checking if an MCP server already provides the capability
Over-customizing: Wrapping a library so heavily it loses its benefits
Dependency bloat: Installing a massive package for one small feature

When to Use This Skill

Starting new features
Adding dependencies or integrations
Before writing utilities or helpers
When evaluating technology choices
Planning architecture decisions

name	search-first
description	Research-before-coding workflow. Search for existing tools, libraries, and patterns before writing custom code. Systematizes the "search for existing solutions before implementing" approach. Use when starting new features or adding functionality.
metadata	{"origin":"ECC"}