competitor-research

name	competitor-research
version	2.8
last_updated	"2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z"
author	marketing-team
description	Performs deep 13-dimension competitor analysis with quantitative scoring rubric. Produces a competitor dossier containing executive summary, dimension-by-dimension breakdown, comparison matrix, aggregate insights, and threat level classification (PRIMARY through DEFUNCT). Supports --refresh flag to update existing dossiers as living documents. Triggers: "competitor analysis", "competitive research", competitor name mentions, "battlecard prep", or "competitive positioning". Upstream: recommended company-context. Downstream: feeds positioning, battlecards, product-messaging, and sales-enablement. NOT for ICP research (use /icp-research) or general company background (use /company-context).
goal	Performs deep 13-dimension competitor analysis with quantitative scoring rubric.
outcome	Performs deep 13-dimension competitor analysis with quantitative scoring rubric. Produces a competitor dossier containing executive summary, dimension-by-dimension breakdown, comparison matrix, aggregate insights, and threat level classification (PRIMARY through DEFUNCT). Supports --refresh...
primitive	research
ontology_type	competitor-intel
review_gate	1
inputs	{"required":[],"recommended":["company-context"]}
outputs	[{"type":"competitor-profile","feeds_into":["positioning","sales-enablement","product-messaging"]},{"type":"comparison-matrix","feeds_into":["positioning","sales-enablement"]},{"type":"aggregate-insights","feeds_into":["positioning","product-messaging","sales-enablement"]}]
depends_on	[]
feeds_into	["positioning","product-messaging","sales-enablement"]
owned_by_agent	researcher
mcps_used	["exa","gdrive","notion"]
push_targets	["gdrive","notion"]
triggers	{"slash_commands":["/competitor-research"],"natural_language":[]}
status	draft
locked_by	null
locked_date	null
lock_version	null
sources_count	0
context	fork
effort	max
paths	marketing/**

Competitor research

Run a 13-dimension dossier on a B2B SaaS competitor. Output ships with explicit confidence levels, inline source citations, a consolidated Sources & data quality table, and a data-gaps section with follow-up actions. Knowledge type: competitor-intel (per .claude/rules/ontology.md); maturity: emergent → validated after client review.

Research substrate

Default substrate: Exa (per .claude/rules/exa-protocol.md, auto-loaded). Primary tools: find_similar_links_exa (structural competitor discovery from a client URL), web_search_exa (news, voice, gap discovery), web_fetch_exa (clean comparison-page extraction). Migration window: prefer the plugin namespace mcp__plugin_exa_exa__* once installed; legacy mcp__exa__* still mounted as fallback. Worked examples + tool catalog: .claude/skills/meta-skills/exa/.

When to run

Invoke when the user asks for: competitor analysis for X, battlecard research for X, competitive landscape for [market], compare X vs Y, what's [competitor] doing?. Do NOT invoke for: company qualification (use /company-context), product messaging only (use /product-messaging), researching the user's own company (use /company-context), or single-feature questions (answer directly).

Three run modes — pick by cadence and depth needed:

• First run (~90 min) — /competitor-research [competitor]. New competitor, no existing dossier. Phases 1–3 (or 1–4 for aggregate).
• Quick scan (~30 min, weekly) — /competitor-research --quick [competitor] or /loop 1w. Refreshes fast-moving data only (news, Clay, G2, internal sources). Updates "Recent changes" header — sections without changes stay untouched.
• Deep refresh (~90 min, monthly) — /competitor-research --refresh [competitor] or /loop 1M. Full 13-dimension cycle with TrustPilot monitor and Phase 4 aggregate (if 2+ competitors refreshed this cycle).

Full cadence + refresh discipline → references/refresh-protocol.md. Visual phase map → references/process-flowchart.md.

The Iron Law: no data point without source. Every claim cites a URL + access date or is marked [Not available]. Estimates need explicit confidence + reasoning. "Fast + wrong = useless."

Inputs

Required:

• competitor name — exact company/product name (e.g., Linear, Lovable).
• website URL — competitor's site (e.g., linear.app).

Recommended (improve quality):

• market category — disambiguates ambiguous names (e.g., Bolt could be ride-share, fintech, or bolt.new). See references/steps/phase-1-confirmation-setup.md for the disambiguation reference.
• client context — current positioning sharpens the comparative angle.
• specific questions — focus areas (e.g., "deep dive on their pricing model and outbound motion").
• research mode — single deep dive (default) or comparison matrix (3–6 competitors).

If competitor name is ambiguous (e.g., "Cursor", "Base", "Linear"), confirm with the user before starting. If website URL is missing, ask — don't guess.

Steps

1. Confirm scope and disambiguate → references/steps/phase-1-confirmation-setup.md. Verify name + URL, select run mode, lock disambiguation.
2. Pre-flight optional MCPs → check Clay, Granola, Google Drive, CRM, Notion availability per references/refresh-protocol.md ("Optional internal intel sources"). For each available, queue the corresponding queries; for each missing, skip silently.
3. Research 13 dimensions → references/steps/phase-2-dimension-research.md. Order: Company → Product → ICP → Pricing → Reviews → Content → Launches → SEO/AEO → Technographics → Openings → GTM → LinkedIn/Social → Paid advertising. Each dimension has tool fallbacks (Ahrefs → Serper → manual; Apify → Firecrawl → manual). Frameworks + scoring → references/competitor-data-schema.md ("Core frameworks").
4. TrustPilot customer monitor (deep refresh only, customer-facing competitors only) → run inside Step 2.5 per the Phase 2 file. Score top 10–15 customers 🟢/🟡/🔴.
5. Synthesize and assign confidence → references/steps/phase-3-synthesis-gaps.md. Assign [VERIFIED]/[INFERRED]/[ESTIMATED]/[UNAVAILABLE] per claim, write 2–3-paragraph executive summary, document data gaps with follow-up actions.
6. Aggregate analysis (only if 2+ competitors researched for same client) → references/steps/phase-4-aggregate-analysis.md. Build threat matrix, feature parity table, credibility audit, 3–5 strategic recommendations. Save as MMYY-aggregate-insights.md in client's competitors folder.
7. Apply attribution standard — inline (Source: X) per claim (not the verbose [VERIFIED: url, date] block); consolidate full URLs + access dates + confidence in the Sources & data quality table at the end of the document. Quality threshold: ≥50% Verified, ≤20% Estimated.
8. Write to client folder per output template → references/output-template.md ("Inline canonical, v2.7" — 13 dimensions, TrustPilot sub-section, Recent changes header, Sources & data quality table). For matrix mode → references/matrix-template.md ("Compact alternative"). Search query patterns per dimension → references/search-patterns.md. Common source URL patterns → references/source-urls.md.
9. Self-evaluate against quality gates → references/quality-gates.md. Run completeness, evidence-quality, and guardrail checks before declaring "done".
10. Push to Notion (Competitor Research Database) and Google Docs (client_folder/context/competitor-research/) per the push targets in frontmatter. For refresh mode, update the existing Notion page rather than creating a duplicate.
11. Offer iteration prompts post-delivery → references/iteration-prompts.md. If user signals approval ("great research", quick approval), offer to save the output as a reference example under references/examples/{date}-{competitor-slug}.md.

What good looks like

References

• Output template (single competitor, canonical) → references/output-template.md — full structure including Recent changes header, Confidence summary, 13 dimension sections, TrustPilot customer monitor, Sources & data quality table, Iteration prompts. Two formats included: detailed v2.0 and current canonical v2.7.
• Comparison matrix template → references/matrix-template.md — multi-competitor matrix (3–6 competitors, 5 core dimensions). Detailed and compact alternatives both included.
• Frameworks + scoring rubric → references/competitor-data-schema.md — centralized YAML schema for competitor data, plus the 13 dimensions table, 3-level confidence scoring, and single-competitor vs matrix mode definitions.
• Living-dossier refresh protocol → references/refresh-protocol.md — quick scan vs deep refresh cadences, "Recent changes" rolling log discipline, optional internal intel MCPs (Clay, Granola, Drive, CRM, Notion).
• Per-phase walkthroughs → references/steps/phase-1-confirmation-setup.md, phase-2-dimension-research.md, phase-3-synthesis-gaps.md, phase-4-aggregate-analysis.md — full step-by-step for each phase, including disambiguation, dimension-by-dimension search queries, MCP fallbacks, and aggregate analysis triggers.
• Process flowchart (visual) → references/process-flowchart.md — ASCII flowchart of the full execution path (input validation → 13 dimensions → synthesis → aggregate → self-eval → review gate → chain suggestions).
• Search query patterns per dimension → references/search-patterns.md.
• Common source URL patterns → references/source-urls.md (Crunchbase, G2, Vendr, Reddit, ad libraries, etc.).
• Quality gates → references/quality-gates.md — Iron Law, Red Flags, Anti-hallucination guardrails (9 rules), Missing-data labels, Pre-delivery checklist, Self-evaluation protocol with self-roast questions, Anti-examples.
• Iteration prompts + skill auto-update → references/iteration-prompts.md — post-delivery offers (refinement / expansion / quality), feedback-signal table, reference-example capture format, pattern-detection rules.
• Gotchas + changelog + MCP integration table → references/gotchas-changelog.md — fabrication risks, "company doesn't exist" trap, threat-level enforcement, full version history, MCP data integration table for Level 0 (heavy pulls) with D13 URL patterns.

Examples

• Linear (single competitor, deep) → references/examples/0226-linear.md — issue-tracking platform, $1.25B+ valuation, $52M raised. Full 13-dimension dossier; demonstrates confidence-level discipline and Sacra revenue estimate handling.
• Lovable (single competitor, deep) → references/examples/0226-lovable.md — AI app builder. Demonstrates fast-moving company tracking and launch cadence analysis.

Evaluations (binary pass/fail before declaring "done")

• ≥3 sources per major claim (revenue, funding, team size, pricing).
• ≥50% [VERIFIED] confidence; ≤20% [ESTIMATED].
• Threat level set on every competitor: PRIMARY / ENTERPRISE TIER / DIRECT ICP / STEALTH WATCH / LOW / DEFUNCT.
• Inline (Source: X) on every key data point (no verbose [VERIFIED: url, date] blocks inline).
• Sources & data quality table at end-of-document with URLs + access dates + confidence per dimension.
• Data-gaps section non-empty if any dimension is incomplete or [UNAVAILABLE].
• All 13 dimensions present (or marked [Not available] / [Requires premium tool] explicitly).
• Recent-changes header present in --quick and --refresh modes; "Last refreshed" date updated.
• Output title is # Competitor research: [Name] exactly — no aliases like "competitive intelligence analysis" or "Competitive Intelligence Report".
• Premium-tool limitations noted explicitly (Ahrefs absent → Serper or manual, BuiltWith absent → "Not available", JS-walled ad libraries → manual check noted).

Push

• Notion → Competitor Research Database (per-client). Refresh runs UPDATE the existing page (use mcp__claude_ai_Notion__notion-update-page) — don't duplicate.

Integration with other skills

Direction	Skill	What flows
Feeds into	/positioning	Competitive alternatives, market context → alternative mapping, differentiation angles
Feeds into	/product-messaging	Competitor weaknesses, positioning gaps → sharpens client messaging, contrast points
Feeds into	/sales-enablement (/battlecards, /sales-deck)	Full competitor profiles, weaknesses → battlecard content, objection handling
Receives from	/company-context	Client context, market position → comparison baseline

Recommended chains:

• Comprehensive competitive analysis: company-context → competitor-research → positioning.
• Battlecard creation: competitor-research → sales-enablement.
• Full PMM stack: icp-behavioural + competitor-research → positioning → product-messaging → sales-enablement.

Scheduling (recurring runs)

/loop 1w /competitor-research --quick [competitor-name]            # weekly quick scan, set-and-forget
/loop 1M /competitor-research --refresh [competitor-name]          # monthly deep refresh, review-and-approve

/schedule create --name "competitor-[name]-weekly"  --cron "0 9 * * 1" --prompt "/competitor-research --quick [name]"
/schedule create --name "competitor-[name]-monthly" --cron "0 9 1 * *" --prompt "/competitor-research --refresh [name]"

For multiple competitors in parallel: /competitor-research --refresh --all spawns one subagent per competitor in references/competitors.json.

Pre-slim original

Pre-slim SKILL.md (1609 lines, v2.7) archived at .claude/skills/_archive/competitor-research/SKILL-pre-slim-20260429.md. See references/gotchas-changelog.md for the v2.8 changelog entry documenting the slim.