research

$ARGUMENTS

Research this thoroughly before any planning or implementation begins.

How to research

Step 1: Clarify before you research (MANDATORY — never skip)

Before reading a single file or launching any agent, use AskUserQuestion. Read the input and identify every place where you have 2+ plausible interpretations — scope, intent, constraints, approach, priority. Ask about those specifically.

How to ask: Present choices tailored to the actual input, not generic categories. The options should come directly from the ambiguities in what was asked. If you see three plausible ways to interpret what the user wants, list those three things and ask which is closest. Don't ask what you can already infer. Do ask anything that would materially change what you research or recommend.

Good trigger conditions for asking:

• The input describes a symptom but not a root cause — ask what they think the cause is, with options
• The input proposes a solution — ask if the solution is required or just a starting hypothesis
• The scope is fuzzy — ask whether they want a targeted fix or a broader rethink, with examples of each
• Multiple approaches exist with real tradeoffs — ask which tradeoffs matter most to them
• The change could affect related systems — ask whether those are in scope
• Any constraint (time, backwards-compat, file/dependency, team conventions) is unstated — ask