ak-research-prompt

name	ak:research-prompt
description	Draft a self-contained research brief for a human or AI researcher. Use when users ask for a research prompt, research brief, or a deep-research task to hand off.
user-invocable	true
when_to_use	Invoke to write the research assignment, not to perform the research.
category	utilities
keywords	["research","brief","prompt","sources","evidence"]
license	MIT
argument-hint	<research topic | decision>
metadata	{"author":"agentkit","version":"1.0.0","upstream":"Pinned MIT source archive: research-prompt@ce70edaa26247b84c2b9491a0cdb4964f65cf3a5"}

Research Prompt

Write one self-contained paragraph that gives a researcher enough context to produce decision-ready, source-backed findings without a follow-up exchange. This skill writes the brief; it does not perform the research.

Workflow

1. Gather the decision, audience, deadline, known facts, constraints, and intended use from the conversation and relevant project files.
2. State the project and situation for a reader with no prior context.
3. Define one research question and the decision it will inform.
4. Add three to six inline numbered sub-questions that fully cover the decision. Do not combine unrelated missions.
5. Specify include and avoid constraints, source hierarchy, contradiction handling, a completion bar, and the per-finding output format.
6. Return exactly one paragraph. Do not add headings, a preface, or a second deliverable.

Required Brief Content

The paragraph must:

• lead with plain-English project context, the research goal, and the decision;
• prefer primary sources such as official documentation, repositories, papers, filings, and changelogs;
• treat forums and social posts as weak signals, never as factual proof;
• separate confirmed facts, inference, and unresolved uncertainty when sources conflict;
• require a gap round that revisits contradictions and single-source claims;
• require a source URL, specific claim, and one-line decision relevance for every finding; and
• require a single detailed Markdown result.

Boundaries

• Do not manufacture facts or include secrets, private URLs, credentials, or personal data in a brief.
• Use ak-research, available in the engineer kit, or another research runner to execute the completed brief.
• Keep the final paragraph focused on evidence and a decision, not marketing copy or a speculative solution.