create-microsoft-research-plan

name	create-microsoft-research-plan
description	**WORKFLOW SKILL** — Generate a structured research plan for a Microsoft technology topic, defining scope, research areas, search terms, and output section mapping based on purpose (guide/presentation/lab/demo). WHEN: "create research plan", "plan Microsoft research", "research plan for", "plan technical research", "scope research topic", "define research areas". INVOKES: editFiles. FOR SINGLE OPERATIONS: Create plan.md manually.
metadata	{"author":"PlagueHO","version":"1.0","reference":"https://github.com/PlagueHO/plagueho.skills"}
compatibility	["GitHub Copilot","GitHub Copilot CLI","VS Code"]
argument-hint	Provide the Microsoft technology topic and purpose (deep-guide, presentation, lab, or demo). E.g., "Azure Container Apps dynamic sessions for a deep technical guide".
user-invocable	true

Create Microsoft Research Plan

Generate a structured research plan for deep technical research on a Microsoft technology feature, architecture, or solution. The plan defines scope, research areas to investigate, search terms per area, and maps output sections based on the research purpose.

Prerequisites

• A clear technology topic (e.g., "Azure Container Apps dynamic sessions")
• A defined purpose: deep-guide, presentation, lab, or demo

Process

Step 1 — Confirm Topic and Purpose

If the user has not specified both a topic and purpose, ask:

1. Topic: Which Microsoft technology, feature, architecture, or solution?
2. Purpose: What is the research for?
   • deep-guide — comprehensive technical reference
   • presentation — tech talk or demo deck
   • lab — hands-on workshop exercises
   • demo — sample solution or proof-of-concept

Derive a kebab-case topic slug for the folder name (e.g., azure-container-apps-dynamic-sessions).

Step 2 — Load Taxonomy and Purpose Mapping

Read taxonomy.md to understand all available research dimensions.

Read purpose-mapping.yaml to determine which dimensions and output sections apply for the chosen purpose.

Step 3 — Generate Search Terms

For each research area enabled by the purpose mapping, generate specific search terms based on the topic:

Area	Search Term Pattern
docs	"<topic> overview", "<topic> documentation", "<topic> concepts"
tech	"<topic> SDK", "<topic> API reference", "<topic> configuration"
blogs	"<topic> announcement", "<topic> what's new", "<topic> preview"
arch	"<topic> architecture", "<topic> best practices", "<topic> patterns"
samples	"<topic> sample", "<topic> quickstart", "<topic> tutorial"
solutions	"<topic> solution accelerator", "<topic> reference implementation"
other	"<topic> community", "<topic> comparison", "<topic> real-world"

Use service-specific terminology.

Step 4 — Write plan.md

Write the plan to .research/<topic-slug>/plan.md using the template at plan-template.md.

Fill in all sections:

• Topic and boundaries
• Purpose and target audience
• Research areas enabled (with search terms per area)
• Expected output sections (from purpose mapping)
• Estimated source count targets per area

Step 5 — Present Plan for Confirmation

Show the user:

1. Topic slug and folder path
2. Purpose and enabled dimensions
3. Research areas with search terms
4. Expected output sections

Ask: "Does this plan look correct? Adjust scope, research areas, or search terms if needed."

Output

The plan at .research/<topic-slug>/plan.md is the contract for the orchestrator and all subagents.