agentic-research

name	agentic-research
description	Local-first research workflow for selecting the right evidence source before using official docs or external research.
type	domain
enforcement	suggest
priority	high

ABOUTME: Local-first research skill for repo inspection, official docs lookup, and safe external research. ABOUTME: Read the linked resources before escalating beyond the repository.

Agentic Research

Purpose

Select the safest and most authoritative evidence source for the task. Start with this repository, escalate to official docs only when needed, and use external research sparingly and safely.

When This Skill Activates

• Keywords: official docs, breaking change, migration, upgrade, nuget, package behavior, RFC, standard, security advisory, CVE
• File patterns: **/*.csproj, **/Directory.Packages.props, **/global.json, **/*.props, **/*.targets

Non-Inferable Rules (Must Follow)

• Inspect the local repository first: code, tests, configuration, docs, and existing .Codex guidance outrank everything else for repo behavior.
• Use official documentation tooling for framework, library, runtime, package, or migration uncertainty.
• Use external research only when the answer is not in the repo or official docs, or when you need standards, advisories, or ecosystem comparison.
• Protect sensitive data: never paste secrets, tokens, connection strings, private tenant data, PII, or unnecessary proprietary code into external tools.
• Summarize findings into a repo-relevant conclusion; do not dump raw search output into docs or answers.
• Validate relevance before continuing. If the source does not directly answer the repo question, keep searching or stop and state uncertainty.
• Do not guess APIs, package defaults, or breaking-change details when the repo or official docs can prove them.

Activation Guidance

• Unfamiliar .NET / NuGet / framework API: inspect local usage first, then use official docs.
• Migration or upgrade uncertainty: compare repo config with official release notes and migration docs.
• Standards / RFC / advisory work: use external research after local context is understood.
• Security or breaking change investigation: verify against official docs and high-authority sources before proposing changes.
• Architecture comparison: anchor the comparison in current repo constraints before looking outward.

Resources (Read Before Applying)

• source-selection.md - source hierarchy and escalation rules.
• security-boundaries.md - safe external-tool usage and data minimization.
• verification-matrix.md - proportional verification by change type.

Related Skills

• clean-architecture-rules
• auth-patterns

Related Documentation

• AGENTS.md - repo operating rules and tool hierarchy.
• docs/GOVERNANCE.md - agentic engineering governance.