research

name	research
description	Explore and write findings.
practices	["wiki-knowledge-surface","pragmatic-programmer","ddd-bounded-context"]
hexagonal_role	driving-adapter
consumes	["inject","repo-context"]
produces	[".agents/research/*.md","result.json"]
context_rel	[]
skill_api_version	1
allowed-tools	Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, Write
metadata	{"tier":"execution","dependencies":["inject"]}
context	{"window":"fork","intent":{"mode":"questions"},"sections":{"exclude":["HISTORY","TASK"]},"intel_scope":"topic"}
output_contract	skills/research/schemas/findings.json

Research Skill

Quick Ref: Deep codebase exploration with multi-angle analysis. Output: .agents/research/*.md

YOU MUST EXECUTE THIS WORKFLOW. Do not just describe it.

CLI dependencies: ao (knowledge injection — optional). If ao is unavailable, skip prior knowledge search and proceed with direct codebase exploration.

Flags

Flag	Default	Description
--auto	off	Skip human approval gate. Used by /rpi --auto for fully autonomous lifecycle.

Execution Steps

Given /research <topic> [--auto]:

Step 1: Create Output Directory

mkdir -p .agents/research

Step 2: Check Prior Art

First, search and inject existing knowledge (if ao available):

# Pull relevant prior knowledge for this topic
ao lookup --query "<topic>" --limit 5 2>/dev/null || \
  ao search "<topic>" 2>/dev/null || \
  echo "ao not available, skipping knowledge search"

Apply retrieved knowledge (mandatory when results returned):

If ao returns relevant learnings or patterns, do NOT just load them as passive context. For each returned item:

1. Check: does this learning apply to the current research topic? (answer yes/no)
2. If yes: note how it shapes your research direction — what questions does it answer? what areas does it warn about?
3. Cross-reference prior findings against new discoveries in your research output
4. Cite applicable learnings by filename in the research document's Findings section

After applying, record each citation:

ao metrics cite "<learning-path>" --type applied 2>/dev/null || true

Also look for:

• Prior research on this topic or related topics
• Known patterns or anti-patterns