research

name	research
description	Research a technical topic and document findings. Use when you need to research a technical topic, error, or concept and create a documented record.
context	fork
agent	general-purpose
disable-model-invocation	false
argument-hint	[topic or question]
allowed-tools	Read, Grep, Glob, WebFetch, WebSearch, Write
wrought	{"version":"1.0","tools":{"capabilities":["read_file","search_content","find_files","web_fetch","web_search","write_file"]},"platforms":{"claude-code":{"allowed-tools":"Read, Grep, Glob, WebFetch, WebSearch, Write","disable-model-invocation":false}},"agent":{"role":"Technical Researcher","expertise":["technical documentation","community knowledge synthesis"],"non_goals":["code implementation","direct code changes"]},"execution":{"default_mode":"react","max_iterations":10,"stop_conditions":["Research report written to docs/research/","User instructed to stop"]},"output":{"format":"markdown","template":"docs/research/{YYYY-MM-DD_HHMM}_{topic}.md","required_sections":["Question","TL;DR","Official Documentation","Community Knowledge","Best Practices","Sources"],"prohibited_content":["credentials","secrets","PII"]},"confidence":{"threshold":"medium","low_confidence_behavior":"Flag gaps and suggest follow-up research"},"pipeline":{"track":"proactive","standalone":true,"prerequisites":[],"produces":["docs/research/*.md"],"suggested_next":["investigate","design","blueprint"]}}

Research Skill

Trigger: Use /research {question or topic} when you need to research a technical topic, error, or concept and create a documented record.

Purpose: Research topics thoroughly, document findings with sources, and build a knowledge base to avoid repeating the same issues.

Examples:

• /research Why does Iterable batch export return 400 after job expires?
• /research What are httpx timeout best practices for long-running downloads?
• /research How does GCS resumable upload handle network interruptions?
• /research [pasted error message or documentation]

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Pre-flight Check

This skill is standalone — it can be invoked at any time without prerequisites.

If this invocation is part of an active workflow, check docs/findings/*_FINDINGS_TRACKER.md for a relevant tracker and note it for context, but do not enforce stage requirements.

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Instructions

1. Identify the technologies/topics involved in the question
2. Research official documentation (search as of {current_month_year})
3. Research online for community knowledge, Stack Overflow, GitHub issues (search as of {current_month_year})
4. Check existing research in docs/research/ and docs/RCAs/ to avoid duplicating work
5. Write research report to docs/research/{YYYY-MM-DD_HHMM}_{topic}.md
6. STOP and await further instructions

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Research Process

Step 1: Identify What to Research

Parse the user's question or pasted text to identify:

• Which technologies/API/library are involved?
• What specific behavior, enhancement or error needs explanation?
• What is the user trying to understand?
• What is the user trying to implement?

Step 2: Search Official Documentation

Search as of {current_month_year} for the relevant technology:

EXAMPLES (use as patterns, search for whatever is relevant):

• If about Iterable: Search "Iterable API {topic} {current_month_year}"
• If about : Search "Intercom API {topic} {current_month_year}"