obstacle-analysis

name	obstacle-analysis
description	Identify what blocks the user from pursuing their chosen direction, assess severity, propose mitigations with search-validated evidence, and get user acceptance. Use after direction-narrowing has identified a specific direction.
dependencies	{"sops":["ask-obstacle-acceptance","assess-obstacle-severity","identify-obstacles","propose-mitigations"]}

Obstacle Analysis

Identify barriers, assess severity, propose mitigations, get acceptance.

Available SOPs

SOP	Purpose	Execution
identify-obstacles	Identify obstacles from ActorProfile + chosen direction	subagent (search optional)
assess-obstacle-severity	Rate severity of each obstacle	subagent (search optional)
propose-mitigations	Propose evidence-backed mitigations	subagent (search required)
ask-obstacle-acceptance	Present obstacles + mitigations, get user decision	dialogue (search optional)

Search Tools Available (for all SOPs)

• web-search (web-browsing): Quick web scanning, snippets
• web-research (web-browsing): Full page reading + analysis
• literature-overview (literature-engine): Paper landscape scan
• literature-search (literature-engine): Medium-depth paper search (AI summaries)
• literature-research (literature-engine): Deep paper reading (raw full text + PDF queries)

Methodology Guidance

• SOPs can iterate within this tactic (re-assess after new information)
• You decide whether additional search is needed to evaluate obstacles

Hard Constraint

• Maximum 2 rounds of the full identify → assess → propose → ask cycle
• After 2 rounds of ask-obstacle-acceptance with unresolved obstacles: return to present-candidates (direction-narrowing tactic)

Output (Tactic-Level Aggregation)

ObstacleReport { obstacles[], mitigations[], accepted: bool }

Available SOPs

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

SOP	When to use
ask-obstacle-acceptance	Present obstacles with their severity assessments and proposed mitigations to the user. Ask whether they can accept these obstacles. If unacceptable after 2 rounds, return to present-candidates.
assess-obstacle-severity	Rate each identified obstacle's difficulty — overcomability, time cost, workaround existence. May optionally use search tools to validate assessments.
identify-obstacles	Enumerate barriers to pursuing the chosen research direction — knowledge barriers, resource barriers, capability barriers, competition barriers. May optionally use search tools to discover obstacles the user hasn't mentioned.
propose-mitigations	Propose concrete mitigation strategies for severe obstacles. MUST use search tools to validate that proposed mitigations are realistic — no armchair theorizing. Each mitigation must have evidence of feasibility.