search-first

name	search-first
description	Research-before-coding workflow. Search for existing tools, libraries, and patterns before writing custom code.
origin	ECC

search-first — Research Before You Code

Trigger

Use when:

• Starting a new feature that likely has existing solutions
• Adding a dependency or integration
• About to write a utility, helper, or abstraction

Workflow

1. NEED ANALYSIS — Define what's needed, identify constraints
2. PARALLEL SEARCH — npm/PyPI, MCP servers, GitHub, web
3. EVALUATE — Score candidates (functionality, maintenance, community, docs, license)
4. DECIDE — Adopt / Extend / Compose / Build
5. IMPLEMENT — Install package / Configure MCP / Write minimal custom code

Decision Matrix

Signal	Action
Exact match, well-maintained, MIT/Apache	Adopt
Partial match, good foundation	Extend
Multiple weak matches	Compose
Nothing suitable found	Build

Anti-Patterns

• Jumping to code without searching
• Ignoring MCP servers as a capability source
• Over-customizing (wrapping a library until it loses value)
• Dependency bloat (huge package for one small feature)