competitor-research

Create or refresh one competitor record in the comparison canon.

Use this skill when the task is to research, validate, migrate, or update a specific competitor.

Load First

• Read comparison/COMPETITOR_GUIDE.md.
• Read comparison/TRACKING.md.
• Read comparison/_template/index.md.

Then inspect any existing material for the target competitor:

• canonical folder in comparison/<slug>/
• legacy file in comparison/_legacy/

Core Rule

An existing competitor record is a baseline, not truth.

When updating or migrating a competitor:

• read the stored record first
• treat all stored claims as provisional
• re-check high-impact claims against current primary sources
• update structured data before prose

Research Workflow

1. Identify the current state:
   • missing
   • legacy-flat
   • canon-draft
   • canon-reviewed
   • stale
2. Gather current primary sources first.
3. Revalidate the highest-impact claims:
   • identity and links
   • pricing
   • deployment and provider model
   • core comparison axes
4. Update or create the canonical folder-based record.
5. Fill structured frontmatter first:
   • facts
   • comparison axes
   • sources
   • tags and relevance
6. Write or revise the markdown body second.
7. Update the tracker status if the record moved forward.

Writing Rules

• keep facts, evaluations, and editorial opinion separate
• use yes, partial, no, or unknown for axis verdicts
• lower confidence or use unknown when evidence is weak
• do not quietly preserve stale conclusions from the legacy record
• only refresh last_checked after revalidation is complete

Migration Rules

When migrating from comparison/_legacy/:

• keep the legacy file as input until the canonical record is complete
• avoid creating split truth between the new folder and the old file
• if schema pressure appears, update the guide/template before mass migration