genius-research

name	genius-research
description	Research and populate the `genius` (U.S. GENIUS Act compliance) field for a tracked stablecoin. Use when adding or auditing GENIUS status, pathway, or disclosures in `shared/data/stablecoins/coins/*.json`.

GENIUS Research

Research a stablecoin's standing under the U.S. GENIUS Act (Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act) and write a sourced genius object into the coin's per-coin JSON entry when the evidence supports it.

Read First

• Read docs/genius-tracker.md — the source of truth for the genius schema, applicability/status criteria, Zod cross-field rules, sourcing, and legal framing. Defer to it for classification; this skill is the workflow only. docs/compliance-page.md covers the page contract.
• Read the coin's entry in shared/data/stablecoins/coins/*.json (or coins.generated.json for a runtime view; the re-export is import-only). genius edits belong in the per-coin JSON and must match shared/lib/stablecoins/schema.ts.
• Treat jurisdiction / peg / collateral as a starting hypothesis for applicability, not truth.

Schema

genius (.strict()). Required: applicability, authorizationStatus, issuerPathway, reviewer, reviewedAt (YYYY-MM-DD). Optional dimensions: applicabilityBasis, issuerEntity/issuerDomicile/licensingRegulator, primaryFederalRegulator, stateRegulator, foreignExceptionStatus/foreignExceptionEvidence, enforcementStatus, daspOfferSaleStatus, reserveDisclosurePresent/reserveDisclosureUrl, redemptionPolicyPresent, monthlyAttestationPresent, latestReportDate, notes, references, negativeEvidenceReview. Enum values: see docs/genius-tracker.md. Unlike mica.references ({ label, url }), every genius reference is { label, url, sourceKind } — sourceKind is required (enum in docs/genius-tracker.md) and the cross-field rules below key off it.

Zod cross-field rules (check:stablecoin-data fails otherwise): (1) ppsi-approved/state-qualified/official-application-pending need a federal/state regulator or Federal Register reference; (2) issuer-announced-intent needs an issuer/regulator/filing reference; (3) no-public-authorization-found needs a negativeEvidenceReview; (4) reserveDisclosurePresent:true needs reserveDisclosureUrl; (5) registered-exception needs foreignExceptionEvidence with a federal reference; (6) enforcement action statuses need a regulator reference.

Workflow

1. Read current state; decide if the asset is a GENIUS-scope payment stablecoin at all (DeFi CDPs, yield/savings wrappers, governance units, tokenized funds are usually out of scope — leave genius undefined unless prominent and confusable).
2. Research with WebSearch / WebFetch (browser fallback on 403 — claude-in-chrome/Playwright in Claude Code, agent-browser in Codex), in descending authority: Federal Register → federal regulators (OCC/Fed/FDIC/NCUA/FinCEN/OFAC/Treasury) → state regulators → issuer filings/disclosures → auditor reports → news (never alone for an official status).
3. Map token → legal issuer entity → public posture; confirm it is this token's issuer, not a same-name affiliate.
4. Assign applicability first, then authorizationStatus, issuerPathway, qualifying fields, and the disclosure flags per docs/genius-tracker.md. Tie → more conservative status; explain in notes. During rulemaking, genuine ppsi-approved/state-qualified are exceedingly rare.
5. Present the proposed genius object with sources, access dates, confidence. If research-only, stop. After approval, edit the per-coin JSON — placing genius immediately after jurisdiction (before mica if both present) — set reviewer: "Pharos compliance research" and today's reviewedAt, then regenerate and validate:

export PATH="$PWD/node_modules/.bin:$PATH"
tsx scripts/maintenance/generate-stablecoin-per-coin-asset.ts
node scripts/build-data/build-client-registry.mjs
npm run check:stablecoin-data

Guardrails

• Never fabricate an approval; official statuses require a regulator-grade reference naming this token's issuer.
• no-public-authorization-found is a dated negative conclusion — populate negativeEvidenceReview.sourcesChecked.
• Leave genius undefined for the DeFi/wrapper/fund long tail; explicit exclusions are sparing and reserved for prominent confusable tokens.
• Regime is not effective during rulemaking; do not imply it is. Informational, sourced, not legal advice.

Batch / audit mode

Process coins one at a time, 3-5 per approval round (mirror mica-research). For a broad MiCA + GENIUS pass across many coins, use the saved compliance-research workflow which orchestrates research → adversarial verify → reconcile at scale.