research

name	research
description	Gather information about users from materials, profile config, GitHub, and web search to inform portfolio content and design decisions.

Skill: Research

Gather information about the user to inform portfolio content and design.

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Sources (in priority order)

1. Materials Folder

Check /materials first:

• materials/documents/ - Resume, cover letter, bio text
• materials/images/ - Headshot, project screenshots

2. Profile Config

Read profile.yaml for:

• Name, contact info, social links
• Design preferences (sliders, archetype, inspirations)
• Content preferences (tone, focus, length)
• Personal notes (most valuable - user's own words)

3. GitHub

If username provided or discoverable:

• Pinned repositories
• README files for major projects
• Languages and contribution patterns
• Stars, forks (real metrics)

4. Web Search

Search for:

• "[name] software engineer [location]"
• "[name] github"
• "[name] projects"
• Company mentions, blog posts, talks

5. LinkedIn

Warning: Often blocked (error 999). If blocked:

• Skip entirely, don't retry
• Use web search for "[name] linkedin [company]" instead
• Check company About pages, press releases

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Research Depth

Based on ai.research_depth in profile.yaml:

Level	Approach
1-3	GitHub only, 1-2 search queries
4-6	GitHub + web search + personal site (5-10 queries)
7-8	Deep search, find hidden gems (15-20 queries)
9-10	Exhaustive, find everything published (30+ queries)

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What to Extract

Factual (verify these)

• Current/past roles and companies
• Project names and tech stacks
• Education
• Public metrics (GitHub stars, npm downloads)

Contextual (ask if unclear)

• Impact and outcomes of work
• Specific responsibilities
• Scale (users, transactions, team size)
• Why they made certain choices

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Asking Clarifying Questions

Use the AskUserQuestion tool for:

Experience gaps:

• "What did you work on at [Company]?"
• "What was the impact of [Project]?"

Project details:

• "What problem were you solving with [Project]?"
• "How many people use it?"

Direction:

• "What kind of role are you targeting?"
• "What do you want to emphasize?"

Question Guidelines

• Ask 3-5 questions at a time in logical groups
• Be specific, not generic ("What did you do at Uber?" not "Tell me about yourself")
• Don't ask about things clearly documented (dates, public GitHub stats)

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Output

After research, you should know:

• Who this person is and what they do
• 3-5 key projects or achievements to highlight
• Their career trajectory and goals
• Their voice/tone from notes or writing samples
• What makes them unique (the hook)

If you can't answer these, ask more questions before proceeding.