Pre-Dev Research Skill (Gate 0)

Purpose: Gather comprehensive research BEFORE writing planning documents, ensuring PRDs and TRDs are grounded in codebase reality and industry best practices.

The Research-First Principle

Traditional:  Request → PRD → Discover problems during implementation
Research-First:  Request → Research → Informed PRD → Smoother implementation

Research prevents: Reinventing existing patterns, ignoring conventions, missing framework constraints, repeating solved problems

Step 1: Determine Research Mode

BLOCKING GATE: Before dispatching agents, determine the research mode.

Mode	When to Use	Example
greenfield	No existing patterns	"Add GraphQL API" (when project has none)
modification	Extending existing functionality	"Add pagination to user list API"
integration	Connecting external systems	"Integrate Stripe payments"

If unclear, ask:

Before starting research: Is this (1) Greenfield - new capability, (2) Modification - extends existing, or (3) Integration - connects external systems?

Mode affects agent priority:

• Greenfield → Web research primary (best-practices, framework-docs)
• Modification → Codebase research primary (repo-research)
• Integration → All agents equally weighted

Step 2: Dispatch Research Agents

Run 4 agents in PARALLEL (single message, 4 Task calls):

Agent	Prompt Focus	Mode
ring:repo-research-analyst	Codebase patterns for [feature]. Search docs/solutions/ knowledge base. Return file:line references.	PRIMARY in modification
ring:best-practices-researcher	External best practices for [feature]. Use Context7 + WebSearch. Return URLs.	PRIMARY in greenfield
ring:framework-docs-researcher	Tech stack docs for [feature]. Detect versions from manifests. Use Context7. Return version constraints.	PRIMARY in integration
ring:product-designer	User problem validation, personas, competitive UX analysis, design constraints for [feature]. Mode: ux-research.	PRIMARY in greenfield, SECONDARY in others

Task invocation for product-designer:

Task(
  subagent_type="ring:product-designer",
  prompt="Analyze user needs for [feature]. Mode: ux-research. Return: problem validation, preliminary personas, competitive analysis, design constraints."
)

Step 2.5: Handle Topology Configuration

If TopologyConfig is provided (from command's topology discovery):

1. Persist in research.md frontmatter:

---
feature: {feature-name}
gate: 0
date: {YYYY-MM-DD}
research_mode: greenfield | modification | integration
agents_dispatched: 4
topology:
  scope: fullstack | backend-only | frontend-only
  structure: single-repo | monorepo | multi-repo
  modules:  # Only if monorepo or multi-repo
    backend:
      path: {path}
      language: golang | typescript
    frontend:
      path: {path}
      framework: nextjs | react | vue
  doc_organization: unified | per-module
  api_pattern: direct | bff | other  # Only if scope=fullstack
---

Document Placement (based on topology.structure):

Structure	research.md Location
single-repo	docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}/research.md
monorepo	docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}/research.md (root)
multi-repo	Write to BOTH: {backend.path}/docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}/research.md AND {frontend.path}/docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}/research.md

Multi-repo directory creation:

# Create directories in both repos
mkdir -p "{backend.path}/docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}"
mkdir -p "{frontend.path}/docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}"

Multi-repo sync note: Add this footer to research.md for multi-repo:

---
**Sync Status:** This document is maintained in both repositories.
- Primary: {backend.path}/docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}/research.md
- Mirror: {frontend.path}/docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}/research.md

2. Adjust agent dispatch for multi-module projects:

If topology.structure is monorepo or multi-repo:

• ring:repo-research-analyst: Run ONCE per module path
  • Backend: Search {topology.modules.backend.path} for patterns
  • Frontend: Search {topology.modules.frontend.path} for patterns
• Combine findings in single research.md with module sections:

  ### Codebase Research
  
  #### Backend Module ({path})
  [Agent output for backend]
  
  #### Frontend Module ({path})
  [Agent output for frontend]
  

3. TopologyConfig flows to all subsequent gates:

• Gate 1 (PRD): Reads topology from research.md frontmatter
• Gate 2 (Feature Map): Uses topology for domain mapping
• Gate 7 (Task Breakdown): Tags tasks with target: based on topology

Step 3: Aggregate Research Findings

Output:

• single-repo/monorepo: docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}/research.md
• multi-repo: Both {backend.path}/docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}/research.md AND {frontend.path}/docs/pre-dev/{feature-name}/research.md

Section	Content
Metadata (YAML frontmatter)	date, feature, research_mode, agents_dispatched, topology
Executive Summary	2-3 sentences synthesizing key findings
Research Mode	Why selected, what it means for focus
Codebase Research	Agent output (file:line references)
Best Practices Research	Agent output (URLs)
Framework Documentation	Agent output (version constraints)
Product/UX Research	Agent output (user problem, personas, design constraints)
Synthesis	Key patterns to follow (file:line, URL, doc ref); Constraints identified; Prior solutions from docs/solutions/; UX considerations; Open questions for PRD

Step 4: Gate 0 Validation

BLOCKING CHECKLIST:

Check	Required For
Research mode documented	All modes
All 4 agents returned	All modes
research.md created	All modes
TopologyConfig in frontmatter	All modes (if provided by command)
At least one file:line reference	modification, integration
At least one external URL	greenfield, integration
docs/solutions/ searched	All modes
Tech stack versions documented	All modes
Product/UX research documented	All modes
User problem identified	All modes
Synthesis section complete	All modes
Module-specific research (if multi-module)	monorepo, multi-repo

If validation fails:

• Missing agent output → Re-run that agent
• No codebase patterns (modification) → May need mode change
• No external docs (greenfield) → Try different search terms
• No UX research (product-designer) → Re-run product-designer agent

Integration with Pre-Dev Workflow

ring:pre-dev-full (10-gate): Gate 0 Research → Gate 1 PRD (reads research.md) → ... → Gate 3 TRD (reads research.md)

ring:pre-dev-feature (5-gate): Gate 0 Research → Gate 1 PRD → Gate 2 TRD → Gate 3 Tasks

Research Document Usage

In Gate 1 (PRD): Reference existing patterns with file:line; cite docs/solutions/; include external URLs; note framework constraints

In Gate 3 (TRD): Reference implementation patterns; use version constraints; cite similar implementations

Anti-Patterns

1. Skipping research for "simple" features - Even simple features benefit from convention checks
2. Wrong research mode - Greenfield with heavy codebase research wastes time; modification without codebase research misses patterns
3. Ignoring docs/solutions/ - Prior solutions are gold; prevents repeating mistakes
4. Vague references without file:line - "There's a pattern somewhere" is not useful; exact locations enable quick reference

---

Standards Loading (MANDATORY)

This skill is a research/analysis skill and does NOT require WebFetch of language-specific standards.

Purpose: This skill gathers research BEFORE technical decisions are made. Standards are loaded in TRD (Gate 3) after research establishes context.

However, research agents dispatched by this skill (e.g., ring:framework-docs-researcher) MUST use WebSearch and Context7 to gather current best practices.

---

Blocker Criteria - STOP and Report

Condition	Action	Severity
Research mode cannot be determined	STOP and ask user for clarification	CRITICAL
All 4 research agents failed to return results	STOP and investigate connectivity/availability	CRITICAL
No docs/solutions/ directory exists to search	Continue but document as limitation	MEDIUM
TopologyConfig provided but invalid	STOP and request valid topology	HIGH
research.md cannot be created (permissions)	STOP and report filesystem error	CRITICAL

---

Cannot Be Overridden

These requirements are NON-NEGOTIABLE:

• MUST dispatch all 4 research agents in parallel
• MUST determine research mode BEFORE dispatching agents
• MUST include product/UX research via ring:product-designer
• MUST aggregate findings into research.md with file:line references
• MUST search docs/solutions/ for prior solutions
• MUST document tech stack versions from manifests
• CANNOT skip synthesis section

---

Severity Calibration

Severity	Definition	Example
CRITICAL	Research cannot proceed	All research agents failed, no mode determined
HIGH	Research incomplete but usable	Missing agent output (1 of 4)
MEDIUM	Research quality degraded	No file:line references in codebase research
LOW	Minor gaps in documentation	Missing one external URL reference

---

Pressure Resistance

User Says	Your Response
"Skip research, just write the PRD"	"Cannot proceed. Research prevents reinventing existing patterns. Gate 0 takes 30 minutes, saves hours of rework."
"We already researched this manually"	"Cannot skip automated research. Manual research may miss codebase patterns. I'll run systematic analysis now."
"Only run codebase research, skip external"	"Cannot skip agents. Mode determines focus, not exclusion. Greenfield needs external research; modification needs both."
"Product research isn't needed, we know users"	"Cannot skip product-designer. User assumptions need validation. UX research prevents building wrong features."
"docs/solutions/ is empty, skip that check"	"Cannot skip the check. Empty result is documented. Future features benefit from knowing what doesn't exist."

---

Anti-Rationalization

Rationalization	Why It's WRONG	Required Action
"Feature is simple, research is overkill"	Simple features have conventions too. Research validates simplicity	Run all 4 agents regardless of perceived simplicity
"I know the codebase, skip repo research"	Personal knowledge isn't documented or shared	Run ring:repo-research-analyst anyway
"External best practices don't apply to us"	Best practices exist for reasons. Evaluate, don't dismiss	Run ring:best-practices-researcher
"Framework docs are the same as last time"	Versions change. Patterns evolve. Check current state	Run ring:framework-docs-researcher
"User research slows us down"	Building wrong features slows down 100x more	Run ring:product-designer in ux-research mode
"Synthesis is just summary, I can skip it"	Synthesis extracts actionable insights. Summary isn't enough	Complete synthesis section with patterns/constraints

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When This Skill Is Not Needed

• Trivial changes that don't need planning (< 1 hour work)
• research.md already exists and is recent (< 7 days old)
• Bug fixes with known root cause requiring no design research
• Documentation-only updates
• Pure refactoring with no new functionality
• Configuration changes requiring no architectural research