research-guide

name	research-guide
description	Research best practices, guides, and libraries. Use when needing documentation, recommendations, implementation guidance, or library comparisons.
version	1.0.0

Research Guide

Overview

Research and document best practices, guides, and library recommendations for any development topic. Leverages /sc:research for deep web research and synthesizes findings into detailed reports tailored to the project context.

Instructions

Step 1: Analyze Context

Before researching, understand the project context:

• Check package.json, Cargo.toml, go.mod, etc. for existing dependencies
• Review project structure to understand tech stack
• Identify constraints (language, framework, existing patterns)

Step 2: Formulate Research Query

Build a focused research query based on:

• The specific topic or problem
• Project's tech stack and constraints
• Current year for up-to-date results

Step 3: Execute Research

Use the /sc:research slash command:

/sc:research "[topic] best practices [tech-stack] [current-year]" --depth standard

For complex topics, use deeper research:

/sc:research "[topic]" --depth deep

Step 4: Synthesize Report

Create a detailed report with structure:

# Research Report: [Topic]

## Summary
Brief overview of findings (2-3 sentences)

## Recommended Libraries

| Library | Purpose | Stars | Last Update | Notes |
|---------|---------|-------|-------------|-------|
| lib-name | description | ~10k | 2024 | recommendation |

## Best Practices

### Practice 1: [Name]
- What: Description
- Why: Rationale
- How: Implementation guidance

### Practice 2: [Name]
...

## Implementation Guide

Step-by-step guidance for the specific project context.

## References
- [Source 1](url)
- [Source 2](url)

## Compatibility Notes
Project-specific considerations based on existing stack.

Step 5: Save Report

Save to claudedocs/research_[topic]_[timestamp].md

Examples

Example: Research Authentication

Input: "Research best practices for authentication in our TypeScript backend"

Process:

1. Check project: TypeScript, Bun, Hono framework
2. Query: /sc:research "authentication best practices TypeScript Hono 2025" --depth standard
3. Synthesize findings into report

Output: Detailed report covering:

• JWT vs session comparison
• Recommended libraries (jose, arctic, lucia)
• Implementation patterns for Hono
• Security best practices

Example: Research State Management

Input: "What's the best state management for React in 2025?"

Process:

1. Check project: React 18, TypeScript
2. Query: /sc:research "React state management comparison 2025" --depth deep
3. Compare options in project context

Output: Report with:

• Zustand vs Jotai vs Redux Toolkit comparison
• Bundle size analysis
• Recommended choice for project scale
• Migration guide if switching

Example: Research Testing Strategy

Input: "Research testing best practices for our API"

Process:

1. Check project: Bun runtime, REST API
2. Query: /sc:research "API testing best practices Bun TypeScript 2025"
3. Tailor to existing test setup

Output: Report covering:

• Unit vs integration vs e2e strategy
• Recommended test runners (bun:test, vitest)
• Mocking strategies
• CI/CD integration

Guidelines

• Always check project context before researching
• Include current year in queries for fresh results
• Prioritize libraries actively maintained (updated within 6 months)
• Consider bundle size and dependency count
• Note breaking changes between major versions
• Provide migration paths when recommending changes
• Save all reports to claudedocs/ directory

Report Quality Checklist

Before finalizing a report:

• Summary is concise and actionable
• Libraries include maintenance status
• Best practices have clear rationale
• Implementation guide matches project stack
• All sources are cited
• Compatibility with existing deps checked