Research Workflow

Command

"Research: [topic]"

Workflow

@researcher → report with sources

When to Use @researcher

Scenario	Use @researcher?
New library/framework needed	YES
Best practices for unfamiliar domain	YES
Security advisory check	YES
API documentation lookup	YES
Well-known patterns (REST, MVC)	NO
Bug fix in existing code	NO
Refactoring known code	NO

@researcher Configuration

• Model: haiku (fast & cost-effective)
• Tools: WebSearch, WebFetch, Read, Glob, memory MCP
• Timeout: 30 seconds MAX per task

Phase Timeouts

Phase	Timeout	Action on Timeout
WebSearch	10s	Use cached/partial results
WebFetch	8s	Skip this source
Analysis	12s	Report with available data
Total	30s	Produce partial report

Report Format

# Research Report: [Topic]

## Summary
[1-2 sentence overview of findings]

## Findings
1. [Finding with source]
2. [Finding with source]
3. [Finding with source]

## Recommendation
[Clear recommendation with rationale]

## Sources
- [Source 1](URL) — [brief description]
- [Source 2](URL) — [brief description]

## Confidence
[HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW] — [reason]

Save to: reports/vX.X.X/00-researcher-report.md

Graceful Degradation

If research fails or times out:

1. Full Report — All sources found, all analysis complete
2. Partial Report — Some sources found, partial analysis
3. Failure Report — Research failed, structured error output

Partial report format includes completion_percentage and sources_status (FULL/PARTIAL/PENDING).

Memory Usage

After completing research:

• STORE in memory: Key decisions, no-go technologies, verified sources
• STORE when: High-confidence findings, deprecated tech discoveries
• QUERY first: Check memory before starting new research (avoid duplicates)

Integration with Other Workflows

@researcher is OPTIONAL in Feature and API Change workflows:

Feature:    (@researcher) → @architect → @builder → gates → @scribe
API Change: (@researcher) → @architect → @api-guardian → @builder → gates → @scribe

Use when the task involves unfamiliar technology. Skip when working with known patterns.