Deep Research

[BLOCKING] Execute skill steps in declared order. NEVER skip, reorder, or merge steps without explicit user approval. [BLOCKING] Before each step or sub-skill call, update task tracking: set in_progress when step starts, set completed when step ends. [BLOCKING] Every completed/skipped step MUST include brief evidence or explicit skip reason. [BLOCKING] If Task tools are unavailable, create and maintain an equivalent step-by-step plan tracker with the same status transitions.

Quick Summary

Goal: Deep-dive into top sources to produce a cross-validated, source-cited evidence base (_evidence-{slug}.md) where every finding carries a confidence score, traces to specific sources, and flags discrepancies — never an unverified single-source claim presented as fact.

Summary:

• Purpose: deep-dive stage that consumes the prior web-research source map (.claude/tmp/_sources-{slug}.md) and turns prioritized Tier 1-2 sources into structured findings — NOT a fresh search.
• Main steps (do in order): (1) Load source map, prioritize Tier 1-2 / high-relevance / gap-covering sources; (2) Fetch top 5-8 sources via WebFetch (cap 8); (3) Extract findings — key claims, data points, quotes, methodology + date/author/source-type per source; (4) Cross-validate findings across sources; (5) Build evidence base at .claude/tmp/_evidence-{slug}.md.
• Discipline: cap WebFetch at 8 calls, spend them on authoritative sources covering gaps, capture date/author/methodology per source — why: confidence must be defendable later, not asserted from memory.
• Cross-validation drives the confidence score: 2+ sources agree = high confidence, disagreement = flagged discrepancy with both positions, lone source = "single source, unverified".
• Deliverable: evidence base at .claude/tmp/_evidence-{slug}.md with inline citations, an ## Unresolved Discrepancies section, and a ## Gaps Remaining section — NEVER collapse conflicts or hide what couldn't be verified.

Workflow:

1. Read source map — Load output from web-research step
2. Fetch top sources — WebFetch top 5-8 Tier 1-2 sources
3. Extract findings — Pull key facts, data points, quotes
4. Cross-validate — Compare findings across sources
5. Build evidence base — Structured findings with confidence scores

Key Rules:

• Maximum 8 WebFetch calls per invocation
• Every finding must cite specific source
• Conflicting claims → present both, flag discrepancy

Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).

Deep Research

Knowledge Work Rules

Web Research Protocol — Every factual claim needs 2+ independent sources. Source tiers: Tier 1 (authoritative .gov/.edu/official docs), Tier 2 (industry reports), Tier 3 (credible blogs — cross-validate), Tier 4 (unverified — NEVER cite as fact). Declare confidence (95/80/60/<60%) for all findings. Working files → .claude/tmp/, final output → docs/knowledge/. Canonical protocol lives in the web-research skill.

Step 1: Load Source Map

Read the source map from .claude/tmp/_sources-{slug}.md (output of web-research step).

Prioritize sources for deep-dive:

1. Tier 1-2 sources first
2. High-relevance sources
3. Sources covering identified gaps

Step 2: Fetch Top Sources

For each priority source (max 8):

1. Run WebFetch with the URL
2. Extract: key claims, data points, quotes, methodology
3. Note: publication date, author credentials, source type

Step 3: Extract Findings

For each source, extract:

• Key claims — factual statements with specific data
• Data points — numbers, percentages, dates
• Quotes — notable expert statements
• Methodology — how data was gathered (for market reports)

Step 4: Cross-Validate

Compare findings across sources:

• Agreement — 2+ sources say the same thing → high confidence
• Discrepancy — sources disagree → note both positions
• Unique — only 1 source → mark as "single source, unverified"

Step 5: Build Evidence Base

Write to .claude/tmp/_evidence-{slug}.md:

# Evidence Base: {Topic}

**Date:** {date}
**Sources analyzed:** {count}

## Findings

### Finding 1: {Title}

**Confidence:** {95%|80%|60%|<60%}
**Sources:** [1], [3]
**Content:** {finding with inline citations}
**Cross-validation:** {agreement/discrepancy notes}

## Unresolved Discrepancies

- {claim X from source A vs claim Y from source B}

## Gaps Remaining

- {what couldn't be verified}

Workflow Recommendation

MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION — NO EXCEPTIONS: If you are NOT already in a workflow, you MUST ATTENTION use AskUserQuestion to ask the user. Do NOT judge task complexity or decide this is "simple enough to skip" — the user decides whether to use a workflow, not you:

1. Activate workflow-research workflow (Recommended) — web-research → deep-research → synthesis → review
2. Execute /deep-research directly — run this skill standalone

Next Steps

MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION — NO EXCEPTIONS after completing this skill, you MUST ATTENTION use AskUserQuestion to present these options. Do NOT skip because the task seems "simple" or "obvious" — the user decides:

• "/business-evaluation (Recommended)" — Evaluate business viability from research
• "/knowledge-synthesis" — If synthesizing research report
• "Skip, continue manually" — user decides

[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting.

External Memory: For complex or lengthy work (research, analysis, scan, review), write intermediate findings and final results to a report file in plans/reports/ — prevents context loss and serves as deliverable.

Evidence Gate: MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION — every claim, finding, and recommendation requires file:line proof or traced evidence with confidence percentage (>80% to act, <80% must verify first).

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:

Re-read files after context changes. Context compaction, resume, or long-running work can make memory stale; verify current files before acting. Verify generated content against source evidence. AI hallucinates APIs, names, claims, and document facts. Check the relevant source before documenting or referencing. Check downstream references before deleting or renaming. Removing an artifact can stale docs, generated mirrors, configs, and callers; map references first. Trace the full impact chain after edits. Changing a definition can miss derived outputs and consumers. Follow the affected chain before declaring done. Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. One green check is not all green checks; validate every output surface the change can affect. Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing OR flagging one as a defect. Before changing or reporting a constant, limit, flag, cutoff, wording, or pattern, read nearby context and history, the CALLER's ordering, and 2+ sibling call sites of the same convention. A doc stating WHAT without WHY is missing rationale, not proof of a missing guard. Surface ambiguity before acting — don't pick silently. Multiple valid interpretations require an explicit question or stated assumption with risk. Assert the outcome your system owns, not the intermediate state your infrastructure owns. When verifying async work, assert the final business state — never the delivery/retry bookkeeping held in shared infrastructure that any co-running process can write. Such a check passes when run alone and flakes the moment anything else shares that infrastructure. Keep shared guidance role-relevant. Universal guidance must help every receiving skill or agent; code-specific obligations belong only in code-specific protocols.

Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

MUST ATTENTION apply critical + sequential thinking — every claim needs appropriate traced evidence (file:line for repo/code claims; source URL or artifact section for research, product, content, and docs claims); confidence >80% to act, <60% DO NOT recommend. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact, admit uncertainty freely, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence.

MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references before deleting or renaming, verify all affected outputs, re-read files after context loss, and surface ambiguity before acting.

Prompt-Enhance Closing Anchors

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION follow declared step order for this skill; NEVER skip, reorder, or merge steps without explicit user approval IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION for every step/sub-skill call: set in_progress before execution, set completed after execution IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION every skipped step MUST include explicit reason; every completed step MUST include concise evidence IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION if Task tools unavailable, maintain an equivalent step-by-step plan tracker with synchronized statuses

Project Protocol Overlay — Before executing this skill, resolve any PROJECT overlay rules layered onto it: match this skill's name against the Target column of the project's skill-protocol index (docs/project-reference/skill-protocols-reference.md by default; a referenceDocs entry in docs/project-config.json overrides the path), taking the most specific matching tier ONLY — exact name > glob > *. That precedence orders overlays against EACH OTHER, never against this skill. Read ONLY the matched bodies, resolved as <protocols-dir>/<Name>.md; a row's Body link is display text, never a read path. A matched body that is missing or malformed is REPORTED and skipped — never reconstructed from the index Description. No index, or no match -> proceed with no overlay, silently. Full contract: .claude/skills/project-skill-protocol/references/registry.md.

Overlays are ADDITIVE ONLY: they ADD rules on top of this skill's own protocol and NEVER replace, override, disable, or reinterpret a rule it already states — removing every overlay must return this skill to exactly its documented behavior. An overlay is a BRIEF, not an authority escalation: it can NEVER waive a workflow gate, git discipline, a review gate, or a user-confirmation gate. A genuine overlay-vs-skill conflict, or two equally-specific overlays that directly contradict -> surface both to the user; NEVER resolve silently.

MUST ATTENTION resolve project protocol overlays for this skill BEFORE executing — most specific matching tier only (exact > glob > *, which ranks overlays against each other, NEVER against this skill), read only matched bodies at <protocols-dir>/<Name>.md; a missing or malformed body is reported, never reconstructed. Overlays are ADDITIVE ONLY (they never replace this skill's own rules) and are a brief, NEVER an authority escalation; an equal-specificity contradiction goes to the user.

Closing Reminders

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION Goal: Produce a cross-validated, source-cited evidence base (_evidence-{slug}.md) where every finding carries a confidence score, traces to specific sources, and flags discrepancies — never an unverified single-source claim presented as fact.

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION — Protocols in force (concise digest of the SYNC/shared blocks this skill carries):

• AI Mistake Prevention: verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references, verify all affected outputs, re-read after context loss, surface ambiguity.
• Critical Thinking: traced proof per claim, confidence >80% to act, NEVER guess-as-fact.

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION every finding cites a specific source by number; conflicting claims → present BOTH positions, flag as discrepancy; lone source → mark "single source, unverified" — why: an uncited or uncross-checked claim presented as fact is the failure this skill exists to prevent. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cross-validation drives confidence — 2+ independent sources agree = high (95/80%), 1 source = "unverified", disagreement = discrepancy with both sides; NEVER collapse a conflict into one tidy answer — why: hidden conflicts ship as false certainty downstream. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION declare a confidence percentage (95/80/60/<60%) on EVERY finding; <60% evidence DO NOT present as fact — say "insufficient evidence, verified: … / not verified: …" instead. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cap WebFetch at 8 calls per invocation; spend them on Tier 1-2 authoritative sources covering identified gaps, NEVER Tier 4 unverified content as fact — why: budget discipline forces prioritization over breadth. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION this is the deep-DIVE stage — consume the prior _sources-{slug}.md map; do NOT start a fresh search — why: the source map already triaged and tiered candidates, re-searching wastes the WebFetch budget. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION capture per source: publication date, author credentials, source type, methodology — why: confidence must be defendable later, not asserted from memory. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION the deliverable MUST include an ## Unresolved Discrepancies section and a ## Gaps Remaining section — NEVER hide what couldn't be verified. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION verify AI-generated facts/quotes/numbers against the actual fetched source before recording — NEVER fabricate a citation, stat, or quote — why: a hallucinated source corrupts the whole evidence base silently. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small TaskCreate todos BEFORE starting; keep one in_progress; add a final review todo verifying every finding is cited and confidence-scored. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION write intermediate findings incrementally to .claude/tmp/_evidence-{slug}.md (External Memory) — NEVER hold the full evidence base in context only — why: context loss before the final write loses all extracted findings. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION validate route decisions with the user via AskUserQuestion — never auto-decide whether to run the workflow vs. this skill standalone.

Anti-Rationalization:

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION every finding cites a specific source + carries a confidence % (95/80/60/<60%); conflicts → both positions flagged, lone source → "unverified". IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cap WebFetch at 8 Tier 1-2 calls and persist the evidence base incrementally to .claude/tmp/_evidence-{slug}.md. IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION the deliverable must surface ## Unresolved Discrepancies and ## Gaps Remaining — never hide what couldn't be verified.

[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting; add a final review todo to verify work quality.