| name | Gap Analysis |
| description | This skill should be used when the user asks to "analyze research gaps", "find research gaps", "generate research ideas", "discover research opportunities", "analyze papers for gaps", or runs /ra:gap-analysis. It reads a collection of papers, identifies research gaps, and proposes novel research ideas. |
Research Gap Analysis
1. Prerequisite Check
Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/.local.md. Check if cv_profile_analyzed is true and the ## CV Profile section is populated.
If cv_profile_analyzed is not true or the ## CV Profile section is empty, output:
未检测到 CV 画像。 请先运行 /ra:cv-analyze 分析你的 CV,其他功能依赖 CV 画像数据。
Output this message and stop immediately.
2. Personalization Mode
Ask the user: "是否需要个性化定制?会问你 4-5 个问题来生成更贴合你需求的结果。"
If the user declines personalization
Use defaults based on the user's cv_profile and the papers provided. Skip to step 3.
If the user accepts personalization
Ask the following 4-5 questions using AskUserQuestion:
- Specific research direction: "你想聚焦在哪个具体的研究方向?"
- Technical capability scope: "你的技术能力范围是什么?" (pre-fill suggested from cv_profile technical skills)
- Contribution type preference: "你更偏好理论贡献还是应用贡献?" (theoretical / applied / both)
- Existing ideas: "你已经有任何想法或假设吗?"
- Target publication venue: "你的目标发表场所是哪里?" (e.g., CHI, SIGGRAPH, NeurIPS, CVPR, UIST, CSCW)
3. Paper Source Selection
First, ask the user whether they want to use Zotero:
"是否使用 Zotero 获取论文?(需要安装 Zotero 桌面端并配置 MCP 插件)"
If the user chooses NOT to use Zotero
Only offer the folder path option:
Ask the user to provide a folder path containing PDF files. Then:
- Use Glob to find all PDF files in the directory:
**/*.pdf
- List the found files and confirm with the user
- Use each file path as input to the paper-reader agent
If the user chooses to use Zotero
Offer both options:
Ask: "请提供论文来源:1. 文件夹路径(包含 PDF 文件的目录)2. Zotero 集合名称"
Option A: Folder Path — same as above
Option B: Zotero Collection
- Use
zotero_get_collections to find the collection key
- Use
zotero_get_collection_items with the collection key to list papers
- Display the list and confirm with the user
- Use each item key as input to the paper-reader agent
4. Parallel Paper Processing
Launch paper-reader Agent for each paper (up to 5 in parallel). Send a single message with multiple Agent tool calls, one per paper.
For each paper, pass:
- The paper identifier (file path or Zotero item key)
- Instruction to return the structured summary
Each paper-reader agent returns:
### [Paper Title]
**Authors**: [author list]
**Venue**: [conference/journal], **Year**: [year]
**Core Theoretical Contributions**:
- [contribution 1]
- [contribution 2]
**Core Experimental Contributions**:
- [experiment 1]
- [experiment 2]
**Methodology Significance**:
[Why is their approach important or novel?]
**Limitations**:
- [limitation 1]
- [limitation 2]
Processing Strategy
- If there are more than 5 papers, process them in batches of 5
- Wait for each batch to complete before launching the next
- Collect all summaries before proceeding to cross-comparison
5. Cross-Comparison and Gap Identification
After collecting all paper summaries, perform a systematic cross-comparison to identify research gaps in four categories:
5.1 Methodological Gaps
- Approaches or methods not yet explored in this research area
- Combinations of existing methods that have not been tried
- New methodologies that could address limitations of current approaches
- Techniques from adjacent fields that could be transferred
5.2 Application Gaps
- Domains or contexts not yet covered by existing research
- Populations or user groups not studied
- Real-world scenarios not addressed
- Cross-cultural or cross-domain applications
5.3 Theoretical Limitations
- Unresolved questions or contradictions in the literature
- Assumptions that remain untested
- Theoretical frameworks that need extension or revision
- Foundational gaps in understanding
5.4 Technical Improvements
- Scalability limitations of current approaches
- Efficiency improvements (speed, resource usage)
- Accuracy or performance enhancements
- Robustness and generalizability improvements
- Integration or interoperability opportunities
6. Generate Research Ideas
Based on the identified gaps and the user's cv_profile, generate 3-5 research ideas. For each idea, provide:
Idea Format
### Idea [N]: [Short Title]
**Research Question**:
[Clear, specific, and answerable research question]
**Proposed Methodology**:
[Step-by-step description of the approach, methods, and techniques to be used]
**Novelty Justification**:
[How this differs from existing work — reference specific papers and explain what gap this fills]
**Feasibility Assessment**:
- Based on your technical skills: [skill match assessment]
- Required resources: [datasets, equipment, participants, compute]
- Estimated timeline: [rough time estimate]
- Feasibility score: [High / Medium / Low]
**Potential Publication Venues**:
- Primary: [venue 1]
- Secondary: [venue 2]
Feasibility Assessment Logic
Compare the required technical skills for each idea against the user's cv_profile:
- High feasibility: User has 80%+ of required skills
- Medium feasibility: User has 50-80% of required skills (identifiable skill gaps to fill)
- Low feasibility: User has <50% of required skills (significant preparation needed)
7. Present and Iterate
Initial Presentation
- Present the gap analysis summary (organized by the four gap categories)
- Present all 3-5 research ideas with full details
- Ask the user which ideas they find most interesting
Iterative Refinement
Based on user feedback:
- Refine selected ideas with more detail
- Address concerns about feasibility
- Suggest modifications or combinations of ideas
- Help prioritize ideas based on user's goals and timeline
Final Output
Provide a prioritized list with:
- Recommended primary research direction
- Backup options
- Immediate next steps (literature to read, skills to develop, experiments to pilot)