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.

Execution Steps

Given /research <topic>:

Step 1: Create Output Directory

bash

mkdir -p .agents/research

Step 2: Check Prior Art

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

bash

# Search knowledge base for relevant learnings, patterns, and prior research
ao search "<topic>" 2>/dev/null || echo "ao not available, skipping knowledge search"

# Inject relevant context into this session
ao inject "<topic>" 2>/dev/null || echo "ao not available, skipping knowledge injection"

Review ao search results: If ao returns relevant learnings or patterns, incorporate them into your research strategy. Look for:

•Prior research on this topic or related topics
•Known patterns or anti-patterns
•Lessons learned from similar investigations

Search local research artifacts:

bash

ls -la .agents/research/ 2>/dev/null | grep -i "<topic>" || echo "No prior research found"

Also use Grep to search .agents/ for related content. Check TEMPERED learnings:

bash

ls -la .agents/learnings/ .agents/patterns/ 2>/dev/null | head -10

Step 3: Launch Explore Agent

YOU MUST USE THE TASK TOOL NOW. Call it with these exact parameters:

code

Tool: Task
Parameters:
  subagent_type: "Explore"
  description: "Research: <topic>"
  prompt: |
    Thoroughly investigate: <topic>

    Search strategy:
    1. Glob for relevant files (*.md, *.py, *.ts, *.go, etc.)
    2. Grep for keywords related to <topic>
    3. Read key files and understand the architecture
    4. Check docs/ and .agents/ for existing documentation

    Return a detailed report with:
    - Key files found (with paths)
    - How the system works
    - Important patterns or conventions
    - Any issues or concerns

    Cite specific file:line references for all claims.

Step 4: Validate Research Quality (Optional)

For thorough research, perform quality validation:

4a. Coverage Validation

Check: Did we look everywhere we should? Any unexplored areas?

•List directories/files explored
•Identify gaps in coverage
•Note areas that need deeper investigation

4b. Depth Validation

Check: Do we UNDERSTAND the critical parts? HOW and WHY, not just WHAT?

•Rate depth (0-4) for each critical area
•Flag areas with shallow understanding
•Identify what needs more investigation

4c. Gap Identification

Check: What DON'T we know that we SHOULD know?

•List critical gaps
•Prioritize what must be filled before proceeding
•Note what can be deferred

4d. Assumption Challenge

Check: What assumptions are we building on? Are they verified?

•List assumptions made
•Flag high-risk unverified assumptions
•Note what needs verification

Step 5: Synthesize Findings

After the Explore agent and validation swarm return, write findings to: .agents/research/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic-slug>.md

Use this format:

markdown

# Research: <Topic>

**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Scope:** <what was investigated>

## Summary
<2-3 sentence overview>

## Key Files
| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| path/to/file.py | Description |

## Findings
<detailed findings with file:line citations>

## Recommendations
<next steps or actions>

Step 6: Request Human Approval (Gate 1)

USE AskUserQuestion tool:

code

Tool: AskUserQuestion
Parameters:
  questions:
    - question: "Research complete. Approve to proceed to planning?"
      header: "Gate 1"
      options:
        - label: "Approve"
          description: "Research is sufficient, proceed to /plan"
        - label: "Revise"
          description: "Need deeper research on specific areas"
        - label: "Abandon"
          description: "Stop this line of investigation"
      multiSelect: false

Wait for approval before reporting completion.

Step 7: Report to User

Tell the user:

•What you found
•Where the research doc is saved
•Gate 1 approval status
•Next step: /plan to create implementation plan

Key Rules

•Actually dispatch the Explore agent - don't just describe doing it
•Scope searches - use the topic to narrow file patterns
•Cite evidence - every claim needs file:line
•Write output - research must produce a .agents/research/ artifact

Thoroughness Levels

Include in your Explore agent prompt:

•"quick" - for simple questions
•"medium" - for feature exploration
•"very thorough" - for architecture/cross-cutting concerns