Research SOP Skill

Standard Operating Procedure for conducting research using Claude Code and Perplexity.

Core Principle: "Unknown is Better Than Bullshit"

NEVER fill in data you haven't verified. Mark unverified fields as "Unknown" rather than guessing or assuming.

•❌ Bad: "Audio Transcription: No" (assumed because research didn't mention it)
•✅ Good: "Audio Transcription: Unknown" (honest - we didn't verify)

Reasoning: False data causes bad decisions. "Unknown" signals a gap that can be filled later with actual research.

Tool Comparison: Claude Code vs Perplexity

Claude Code - Best For:

Strength	Use Case
Codebase analysis	Extracting current technical capabilities from YOUR repos
Context retention	Multi-step tasks where context builds over time
File operations	Reading, writing, organizing research outputs
Data processing	Parsing research results, populating spreadsheets
Tool orchestration	Combining multiple tools (rclone, bash, APIs)
Verification	Cross-checking claims against actual code/docs

Limitations:

•Knowledge cutoff (can't access real-time web data reliably)
•WebFetch/WebSearch are limited compared to dedicated search
•Can hallucinate if asked to "research" without actual sources

Perplexity - Best For:

Strength	Use Case
Deep web research	Finding current info about competitors, markets, trends
Citation tracking	Provides sources for claims (verify them!)
Real-time data	Pricing, funding rounds, recent announcements
Broad exploration	"Who else does X?" type queries
Multi-source synthesis	Combining info from many websites

Limitations:

•No access to YOUR codebase or private data
•Can still hallucinate or misinterpret sources
•Citations need verification - not always accurate
•Lacks context about your specific product/situation

Research Workflow SOP

Phase 1: Define What You Know (Claude Code)

Before external research, scan your own repos to establish ground truth:

code

Scan [your repos] to extract current technical state:
- What's implemented vs planned
- Actual capabilities (not marketing claims)
- Architecture and technical decisions

This prevents drift from reality and gives Perplexity accurate context.

Phase 2: External Research (Perplexity)

Craft prompts that:

•Provide your context - What you're building, your capabilities
•Ask specific questions - Not "tell me about X" but "does X have feature Y?"
•Demand sources - "Cite documentation or say 'Not documented'"
•List exclusions - What's NOT relevant to avoid noise

Prompt template:

code

Research [topic] for [your context].

## My Current State
[Paste output from Phase 1]

## Specific Questions
For each [entity], verify:
1. [Specific capability] - cite source
2. [Specific capability] - cite source

## Rules
- If not explicitly documented, say "Not documented"
- Do not assume or infer
- Provide URLs for all claims

Phase 3: Verify & Populate (Claude Code)

Take Perplexity output and:

•Cross-check claims against cited sources if critical
•Mark unverified as "Unknown" - don't propagate assumptions
•Populate structured storage (spreadsheet, database, etc.)
•Note sources for future verification

Red Flags: When Research is Going Wrong

Red Flag	Problem	Fix
All cells filled, no "Unknown"	Likely assumptions	Audit each cell for evidence
Same value for all rows	Copy-paste without verification	Check each entity individually
No sources cited	Claims are unverified	Ask for citations or mark Unknown
Research contradicts your code	Either research is wrong or code changed	Verify against actual implementation
"Seems like" / "Probably"	Speculation not fact	Mark as Unknown

Data Quality Tiers

When populating research data, categorize confidence:

Tier	Meaning	Action
Verified	Confirmed from official docs/code	Use as fact
Reported	From credible source (press, reviews)	Note source, use cautiously
Inferred	Reasonable assumption, no direct evidence	Mark as "Unknown" or note assumption
Unknown	No evidence either way	Leave blank or mark "Unknown"

Reusable Research Artifacts

After research, save:

•Raw Perplexity outputs - For future reference
•Structured data - Spreadsheet/database with sources
•Research prompts - So you can re-run with fresh data
•Assumptions log - What you assumed and why (to verify later)

Location convention:

•Project-specific: [project]/docs/research/
•Competitor research prompts: [project]/docs/competitor-research-prompt.md

Quick Reference

Use Claude Code when:

•Analyzing your own code/repos
•Processing and organizing research outputs
•Need multi-step workflows with context
•Populating spreadsheets/databases

Use Perplexity when:

•Researching external entities (competitors, markets)
•Need current/real-time information
•Want cited sources
•Broad exploration of a topic

Always:

•Mark unverified data as "Unknown"
•Note sources for claims
•Re-verify before major decisions
•Update research periodically (quarterly minimum for competitors)