crypto-research

name	crypto_research
description	Use online research surgically when a narrow unknown blocks a real branch, then convert that research into evidence-bound workflow changes.
metadata	{"short-description":"Perform targeted online research without letting it dominate the workflow"}

Purpose

This skill is for narrow, blocking unknowns that are not well served by local retrieval. It should be used sparingly and only when it can materially change a real branch.

Inputs

• specific blocked question from a hypothesis or validation plan
• current evidence state showing why research is needed

Required outputs

• research notes under artifacts/out/research/
• updated research seed, hypotheses, or validation plans when warranted
• explicit note in findings about what changed because of research

Operating rules

1. Search for the uncertainty itself, not for a magical full solution.
2. Keep the question narrow enough that the answer could change a concrete validator.
3. Translate findings into local tests or explicit rejection reasons.
4. Avoid repeated broad searches that merely restate well-known attack families.

Edge cases

• ambiguous nomenclature for niche primitives
• writeups that describe adjacent but different oracle conditions
• online examples with silent assumptions about padding, key sizes, or transcript semantics
• stale online sources that conflict with better local evidence

Good online research targets

Search for:

• current terminology for a niche primitive
• exact preconditions of a suspected attack family
• complexity bounds for a mathematically specific route
• protocol or format quirks that explain observed evidence

Avoid searching with the implicit hope that a full solve writeup will substitute for local validation.

Validation gate

Pass only if the research produced a concrete, evidence-bound adjustment or a justified no-op decision.