| name | research |
| description | Research technical topics, compare solutions, and produce structured reports. Triggers on "research this", "compare options for", "what's the best approach for", "evaluate frameworks", "find best practices". NOT for codebase exploration — use scouting. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, WebSearch, WebFetch |
When to Use
- Evaluating frameworks, libraries, or tools
- Investigating best practices for a technical approach
- Comparing multiple solutions with trade-offs
- Answering "how do others solve X?" questions
- Gathering context before planning
When NOT to Use
- Exploring the local codebase structure — use
scouting
- Creating an implementation plan — use
plan
- Writing code — use
implementation
Instructions
1. Define Scope
Clarify the research question. Break broad questions into specific sub-questions. Identify:
- Decision criteria (performance, ease of use, community support, cost)
- Constraints (language, framework, budget, timeline)
- What "done" looks like for this research
2. Gather from Local Sources
Use Read to check existing project docs (README.md, docs/, ARCHITECTURE.md). Use Grep to find how the project currently handles related concerns. Check package.json, go.mod, requirements.txt for existing dependencies.
3. Search External Sources
Use WebSearch to find:
- Official documentation for candidate solutions
- Comparison articles and benchmarks
- GitHub repository stats (stars, recent commits, open issues)
- Stack Overflow discussions on common pitfalls
Use WebFetch to read specific pages for deeper detail. Prioritize official docs and recent sources (within last 2 years).
4. Evaluate Options
Score each option against the defined criteria. Note:
- Maturity and stability (version number, release frequency)
- Community size and activity
- Integration effort with existing stack
- Long-term maintenance burden
- License compatibility
5. Synthesize Findings
Output
## Research: [topic]
### Question
[Specific research question]
### Options Evaluated
#### Option 1: [Name]
- **Pros:** [list]
- **Cons:** [list]
- **Fit:** [how well it matches criteria]
#### Option 2: [Name]
- **Pros:** [list]
- **Cons:** [list]
- **Fit:** [how well it matches criteria]
### Recommendation
[Recommended option with rationale, tied to criteria]
### Risks
[Known risks or unknowns with the recommendation]
### Sources
[Links to key references used]
Apply YAGNI, KISS, DRY to all recommendations. Prefer stable, proven solutions over cutting-edge experiments unless the project specifically requires them.
