ringpre-dev-research

name	ring:pre-dev-research
description	Gate 0 research phase for pre-dev workflow. Dispatches 3 parallel research agents to gather codebase patterns, external best practices, and framework documentation BEFORE creating PRD/TRD. Outputs research.md with file:line references.
license	MIT
compatibility	opencode
metadata	{"trigger":"- Before any pre-dev workflow (Gate 0)\n- When planning new features or modifications\n- Invoked by /ring:pre-dev-full and /ring:pre-dev-feature\n","skip_when":"- Trivial changes that don't need planning\n- Research already completed (research.md exists and is recent)\n"}
sequence	{"before":["ring:pre-dev-prd-creation","ring:pre-dev-feature-map"]}
related	{"complementary":["ring:pre-dev-prd-creation","ring:pre-dev-trd-creation"]}
research_modes	{"greenfield":{"description":"New feature with no existing patterns to follow","primary_agents":["ring:best-practices-researcher","ring:framework-docs-researcher"],"focus":"External best practices and framework patterns"},"modification":{"description":"Changing or extending existing functionality","primary_agents":["ring:repo-research-analyst"],"focus":"Existing codebase patterns and conventions"},"integration":{"description":"Connecting systems or adding external dependencies","primary_agents":["ring:framework-docs-researcher","ring:best-practices-researcher","ring:repo-research-analyst"],"focus":"API documentation and integration patterns"}}

Pre-Dev Research Skill (Gate 0)

Purpose: Gather comprehensive research BEFORE writing planning documents, ensuring PRDs and TRDs are grounded in codebase reality and industry best practices.

The Research-First Principle

Traditional:  Request → PRD → Discover problems during implementation
Research-First:  Request → Research → Informed PRD → Smoother implementation

Research prevents: Reinventing existing patterns, ignoring conventions, missing framework constraints, repeating solved problems

Step 1: Determine Research Mode

BLOCKING GATE: Before dispatching agents, determine the research mode.

Mode	When to Use	Example
greenfield	No existing patterns	"Add GraphQL API" (when project has none)
modification	Extending existing functionality	"Add pagination to user list API"
integration	Connecting external systems	"Integrate Stripe payments"

If unclear, ask:

Before starting research: Is this (1) Greenfield - new capability, (2) Modification - extends existing, or (3) Integration - connects external systems?

Mode affects agent priority:

• Greenfield → Web research primary (best-practices, framework-docs)
• Modification → Codebase research primary (repo-research)
• Integration → All agents equally weighted

Step 2: Dispatch Research Agents

Run 4 agents in PARALLEL (single message, 4 Task calls):

Agent	Prompt Focus	Mode
ring:repo-research-analyst	Codebase patterns for [feature]. Search docs/solutions/ knowledge base. Return file:line references.	PRIMARY in modification
ring:best-practices-researcher	External best practices for [feature]. Use Context7 + WebSearch. Return URLs.	PRIMARY in greenfield
ring:framework-docs-researcher	Tech stack docs for [feature]. Detect versions from manifests. Use Context7. Return version constraints.