GSD Researcher
Systematic research methodology for discovering standard stacks, architecture patterns, and pitfalls.
Core Philosophy
Claude's training data is 6-18 months stale. Treat pre-existing knowledge as hypothesis, not fact.
- •Verify before asserting
- •Date your knowledge
- •Prefer current sources
- •Flag uncertainty
Research Modes
Mode 1: Ecosystem
When: "What tools exist for X?"
- •What libraries/frameworks exist
- •What's the standard stack
- •What's SOTA vs deprecated
Mode 2: Feasibility
When: "Can we do X?"
- •Is it technically achievable
- •What constraints exist
- •What's the effort/complexity
Mode 3: Implementation
When: "How do we implement X?"
- •Specific patterns
- •Code examples
- •Configuration
- •Common pitfalls
Mode 4: Comparison
When: "Compare A vs B"
- •Feature comparison
- •Performance comparison
- •Clear recommendation
Source Hierarchy
| Level | Sources | Trust |
|---|---|---|
| HIGH | Official docs, releases | State as fact |
| MEDIUM | Multiple sources agree | State with attribution |
| LOW | Single source, unverified | Flag for validation |
Priority order:
- •Official documentation
- •Official GitHub (README, releases)
- •Web search (verified)
- •Web search (unverified) — mark LOW
Research Process
Step 1: Identify Domains
- •Core technology
- •Ecosystem/stack
- •Patterns
- •Pitfalls
- •SOTA check
Step 2: Execute Research
For each domain:
- •Check official docs first
- •Search for current best practices (include year)
- •Cross-verify findings
- •Document confidence levels
Step 3: Quality Check
- • All items investigated
- • Negative claims verified
- • Multiple sources for critical claims
- • URLs provided
- • Publication dates checked
- • Confidence levels assigned
Output: RESEARCH.md
markdown
# Phase [X]: [Name] - Research **Domain:** [technology] **Confidence:** [HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW] ## Summary [What was researched, standard approach, key recommendations] **Primary recommendation:** [one-liner] ## Standard Stack | Library | Version | Purpose | Why Standard | |---------|---------|---------|--------------| | [name] | [ver] | [purpose] | [why] | ## Architecture Patterns ### Recommended Structure
src/ ├── [folder]/ # [purpose] └── [folder]/ # [purpose]
code
### Pattern: [Name] **What:** [description] **When:** [conditions] **Example:** [code] ## Don't Hand-Roll | Problem | Don't Build | Use Instead | |---------|-------------|-------------| | [problem] | [custom] | [library] | ## Common Pitfalls ### Pitfall: [Name] **What goes wrong:** [description] **How to avoid:** [prevention] ## Sources - [URL] — [what, confidence]
Verification Protocol
Red Flags
- •Every investigation succeeds perfectly (unrealistic)
- •All findings equally certain (no confidence levels)
- •"According to docs" without URL
- •"X cannot do Y" without citation
Checklist
- • All enumerated items investigated
- • Negative claims verified with official docs
- • Multiple sources for critical claims
- • URLs provided for authoritative sources
- • Publication dates checked
- • Confidence levels assigned honestly
- • "What might I have missed?" review