| name | research |
| description | Research task workflow — @researcher agent for technology evaluation, best practices lookup, documentation discovery, with timeout limits and memory guidelines |
Research Workflow
Command
"Research: [topic]"
Workflow
@researcher → report with sources
When to Use @researcher
| Scenario | Use @researcher? |
|---|
| New library/framework needed | YES |
| Best practices for unfamiliar domain | YES |
| Security advisory check | YES |
| API documentation lookup | YES |
| Well-known patterns (REST, MVC) | NO |
| Bug fix in existing code | NO |
| Refactoring known code | NO |
@researcher Configuration
- Model: haiku (fast & cost-effective)
- Tools: WebSearch, WebFetch, Read, Glob, memory MCP
- Timeout: 30 seconds MAX per task
Phase Timeouts
| Phase | Timeout | Action on Timeout |
|---|
| WebSearch | 10s | Use cached/partial results |
| WebFetch | 8s | Skip this source |
| Analysis | 12s | Report with available data |
| Total | 30s | Produce partial report |
Report Format
# Research Report: [Topic]
## Summary
[1-2 sentence overview of findings]
## Findings
1. [Finding with source]
2. [Finding with source]
3. [Finding with source]
## Recommendation
[Clear recommendation with rationale]
## Sources
- [Source 1](URL) — [brief description]
- [Source 2](URL) — [brief description]
## Confidence
[HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW] — [reason]
Save to: reports/vX.X.X/00-researcher-report.md
Graceful Degradation
If research fails or times out:
- Full Report — All sources found, all analysis complete
- Partial Report — Some sources found, partial analysis
- Failure Report — Research failed, structured error output
Partial report format includes completion_percentage and sources_status (FULL/PARTIAL/PENDING).
Memory Usage
After completing research:
- STORE in memory: Key decisions, no-go technologies, verified sources
- STORE when: High-confidence findings, deprecated tech discoveries
- QUERY first: Check memory before starting new research (avoid duplicates)
Integration with Other Workflows
@researcher is OPTIONAL in Feature and API Change workflows:
Feature: (@researcher) → @architect → @builder → gates → @scribe
API Change: (@researcher) → @architect → @api-guardian → @builder → gates → @scribe
Use when the task involves unfamiliar technology. Skip when working with known patterns.
