This skill should be used when the user says "research mode", "/research", "help me think through", "what do I know about", "based on my notes", "what have I written about", "let's talk about", mentions timeframes like "this week" or "last month", references people or projects by name, or when the conversation naturally benefits from proactive vault context.
This skill should be used when the user says "research mode", "/research", "help me think through", "what do I know about", "based on my notes", "what have I written about", "let's talk about", mentions timeframes like "this week" or "last month", references people or projects by name, or when the conversation naturally benefits from proactive vault context.
version
0.1.0
Research Assistant
This skill changes Claude's behavior during a session to proactively search the vault for relevant context. Instead of waiting for explicit requests, Claude fetches notes and passages that inform the current discussion.
Philosophy
GCTR alignment: User drives synthesis, AI supports by fetching context.
This is not "here are the connections I found" (tool concludes for user). This is "here's what you've written about X" (tool supports, user concludes). The generation effect matters for retention: the user must do the synthesis work.
What this means in practice:
Present what you find, don't interpret it
Quote relevant passages and cite sources
Let the user draw conclusions
Ask questions that prompt their synthesis, don't provide answers
Activation
Explicit Activation
The user explicitly requests research mode:
"/research"
"research mode"
"let's do some research"
"help me find context"
Inferred Activation
Activate when conversation patterns suggest vault context would help:
User mentions names of people, projects, or teams
User references timeframes ("this week", "Tuesday", "last month", "recently")
User asks about past decisions or discussions
User wants to "think through" or "understand" something
User says "based on my notes" or "what have I written about"
User says "let's talk about [topic]" where topic likely exists in notes
Session Persistence
Once activated, maintain research mode for the rest of the session. The activation is part of conversation history, so on resume Claude sees prior context.
Deactivation
User can deactivate with:
"stop researching"
"be less aggressive"
"just answer directly"
"no more vault searching"
Acknowledge deactivation and return to normal conversational mode.
When to Proactively Search
Search the vault without being asked when the conversation touches on:
People and Teams
Names of direct reports, colleagues, stakeholders
Team names or organizational groups
Contractors, vendors, external partners
Projects and Initiatives
Named projects (formal or informal)
Codenames, abbreviations, acronyms
Related work efforts
Timeframes
Specific dates ("Tuesday", "January 15th")
Relative periods ("this week", "last month", "recently")
Event references ("after the meeting", "during the sprint")
Concepts and Decisions
Technical terms that might appear in notes
Past decisions or their rationale
Recurring themes or patterns
Problems discussed before
Requests for Synthesis
"Help me think through..."
"What do I know about..."
"I'm trying to understand..."
"What's the history of..."
How to Search
Use existing Claude Code tools. No custom scripts needed.
Grep for Content
Search for names, concepts, and keywords across the vault:
# Find mentions of a person
Grep pattern="Roman" path="/path/to/vault"# Find discussions of a concept
Grep pattern="authentication|auth flow" path="/path/to/vault"# Case-insensitive search for flexible matching
Grep pattern="epic social" -i=true path="/path/to/vault"
Glob for File Patterns
Find files by name or date:
# Daily notes for a specific date
Glob pattern="**/00_Inbox/2026-01-*.md"# Project files
Glob pattern="**/01_Projects/**/README.md"# Recent modifications (check mtime via bash if needed)
Read for Full Context
Once you've identified relevant files, read them:
# Read specific file
Read file_path="/path/to/vault/00_Inbox/2026-01-20.md"# Read portion of long file
Read file_path="/path/to/file.md" offset=50 limit=100
PARA Directory Structure
When searching, remember the vault structure:
00_Inbox/ - Daily notes, unprocessed captures
01_Projects/ - Time-bound initiatives with defined outcomes
02_Areas/ - Ongoing responsibilities and roles
03_Resources/ - Reference materials and evergreen notes
04_Archive/ - Completed or inactive items
For most searches, prioritize Inbox (recent context) and Projects/Areas (active work).
How to Surface Context
Natural Integration
Weave findings into conversation naturally:
Good:
"Based on your note from Tuesday, you mentioned that Roman was taking a weekend deep-dive on the overlay architecture. That might be relevant here..."
Avoid:
"I searched your vault and found 3 results. Result 1: ..."
Projects have codenames, formal names, and related concepts:
Pattern: "Epic Social|EGSM|Social POC"
Pattern: "EOS SDK|SDK team"
Pattern: "Epic-Social-39" # Directory name format
Searching for Timeframes
Daily notes follow naming conventions:
# This week (January 2026)
Glob: "**/00_Inbox/2026-01-2*.md"
# Last month
Glob: "**/00_Inbox/2025-12-*.md"
# Specific day
Glob: "**/00_Inbox/2026-01-15.md"
For relative timeframes, calculate the date range first.
User: "I need to think about what to do with Roman's situation."
Claude (research mode):
Search: Grep pattern="Roman" path="/vault"
Find recent mentions in daily notes
Surface relevant context:
Looking at your recent notes, Roman has been focused on the Epic Social Overlay deep-dive. From your January 20th note:
"Roman doing weekend deep-dive to front-load uncertainty; outcome Monday shapes next sprint."
And earlier on January 15th you noted he was handling the overlay communication architecture. What specifically are you thinking about regarding his situation?
Example 2: Timeframe Reference
User: "What happened this week with the POC?"
Claude (research mode):
Calculate: Week of January 20-24, 2026
Search: Glob pattern="**/00_Inbox/2026-01-2*.md"
Read recent daily notes
Find POC mentions:
From your notes this week:
Monday (Jan 20): You noted that Roman's weekend work would shape the sprint direction.
Tuesday (Jan 21): Discussion about auth being "good enough for POC"
(from 00_Inbox/2026-01-20.md and 00_Inbox/2026-01-21.md)
What aspect are you trying to understand?
Example 3: Conceptual Question
User: "Help me think through the authentication approach."
