Research Curator

$ARGUMENTS

[!IMPORTANT] When provided a process map or Mermaid diagram, treat it as the authoritative procedure. Execute steps in the exact order shown, including branches, decision points, and stop conditions. A Mermaid process diagram is an executable instruction set. Follow it exactly as written: respect sequence, conditions, loops, parallel paths, and terminal states. Do not improvise, reorder, or skip steps. If any node is ambiguous or missing required detail, pause and ask a clarifying question before continuing. When interacting with a user, report before acting the interpreted path you will follow from the diagram, then execute.

Research Curator -- Multi-Mode Orchestrator

Orchestrate research entry creation, maintenance, and validation in ./research/. Spawns @research-curator agents for content work; handles coordination, README updates, and post-actions.

Mode Routing

Parse <mode_args/> to select operating mode. Optional --layer 0|1|2 filters discovery by SDLC layer when used with knowledge-explorer or refresh-research.

The following diagram is the authoritative procedure for mode routing. Execute steps in the exact order shown, including branches, decision points, and stop conditions.

flowchart TD
    Start(["Parse <mode_args/>"]) --> Q1{"Does <mode_args/> contain --batch?"}
    Q1 -->|"Yes — batch flag present"| Q1Layer{"Does <mode_args/> also contain --layer 0, 1, or 2?"}
    Q1 -->|"No — batch flag absent"| Q2{"Does <mode_args/> contain --rerun?"}
    Q1Layer -->|"Yes — layer filter present"| BatchLayer(["Execute Batch Mode with layer filter applied"])
    Q1Layer -->|"No — no layer filter"| Batch(["Execute Batch Mode"])
    Q2 -->|"Yes — rerun flag present"| Q2Layer{"Does <mode_args/> also contain --layer 0, 1, or 2?"}
    Q2 -->|"No — rerun flag absent"| Q3{"Does <mode_args/> contain --validate?"}
    Q2Layer -->|"Yes — layer filter present"| RerunLayer(["Execute Rerun Mode with layer filter applied"])
    Q2Layer -->|"No — no layer filter"| Rerun(["Execute Rerun Mode"])
    Q3 -->|"Yes — validate flag present"| Validate(["Execute Validate Mode"])
    Q3 -->|"No — no flags matched — <mode_args/> contains a URL only"| Default(["Execute Default Mode — single URL"])

Research Directory

Single source of truth: ./research/ (repo-root relative).

Structure:

./research/
  README.md              # Category tables with all entries
  {category}/            # One directory per category
    {resource-name}.md   # Individual research entries

Category selection follows the flowchart in Entry Template. Create directories as needed.

Agent Result Relay Rules

These rules apply whenever this orchestrator receives results from any @research-curator agent. Violating them corrupts information before it reaches the user.

Rule 1 — Preserve exact counts. When an agent reports numbers, relay those exact numbers.

Rule 2 — Preserve failure reasons. Relay the specific reason; do not generalize.

Rule 3 — Reference files instead of re-summarizing. When an agent wrote a file, include its path in the relay.

Rule 4 — Relay structure, not interpretation. When an agent returns a STATUS/ARTIFACTS/WARNINGS block, preserve that structure. Do not flatten it into a single sentence.

Rule 5 — Distinguish observations from conclusions. "Config has no timeout field" (observation) is different from "timeout defaults to 30s" (agent's conclusion). Keep them distinct.

Pre-Relay Quality Checklist

Before reporting results to the user after any mode completes, verify:

• All numbers from agent output are preserved in relay
• All failure reasons are preserved verbatim (not generalized)
• File paths are included if agent wrote output files
• "Not found" has not been upgraded to "doesn't exist"
• "Inaccessible" has not been upgraded to "unavailable" or "nonexistent"
• Structured sections (STATUS, ARTIFACTS, WARNINGS) are preserved
• Agent observations are distinguished from agent conclusions

Default Mode -- Single URL

Trigger: <mode_args/> contains a URL with no flags.

Duplicate Detection

Load Duplicate Detection (shared with Batch Mode) before spawning.

Workflow

1. Parse -- extract the URL from <mode_args/>

2. Duplicate Detection -- apply the Duplicate Detection check before spawning

3. Spawn agent -- invoke @research-curator via Agent tool:

   Agent tool parameters (new entry -- no existing entry found in step 2):
     agent: .claude/agents/research-curator.md
     prompt: "Research and create an entry for: {URL}"
   
   Agent tool parameters (existing entry found in step 2):
     agent: .claude/agents/research-curator.md
     prompt: "--rerun ./research/{category}/{name}.md"
   

4. Wait for structured result (status, file path, category, key findings)

5. Validate -- if research status is not failed, run the validation gate on the created or refreshed file:

   a. Run fix script:

   uv run .claude/skills/research-curator/scripts/fix_research_formatting.py {file-path-from-agent-result}
   

   b. Run validator:

   uv run .claude/skills/research-curator/scripts/validate_research.py main --json {file-path-from-agent-result}
   

   c. If validator returns errors: mark entry as "created with issues" (or "refreshed with issues" when step 2 routed to --rerun), skip steps 6–7, report to user with exact error text from validator JSON

   d. If validator passes: proceed to step 6

6. Spawn four tasks concurrently -- if research status is not failed:

   a. Agent tool parameters:
        agent: .claude/agents/research-insight-extractor.md
        prompt: "Extract improvements from {file-path-from-agent-result}"
   
   b. Agent tool parameters:
        agent: .claude/agents/research-utilization-assessor.md
        prompt: "Assess utilization opportunities from {file-path-from-agent-result}"
   
   c. Agent tool parameters:
        agent: .claude/agents/research-cross-referencer.md
        prompt: "Add cross-references to {file-path-from-agent-result}"
   
   d. Update ./research/README.md -- add new entry to category table, or refresh the freshness date for an existing entry when step 2 routed to `--rerun`
   

7. Wait for all tasks above and surface results -- collect structured return blocks from each agent and confirm README updated:

   • Insight: if the result contains IMMEDIATE_ATTENTION:, report each item with #{issue} {title} and the one-sentence reason. If no IMMEDIATE_ATTENTION section: report "N improvements added to backlog from {resource-name}."
   • Utilization: relay PROPOSALS_WRITTEN count and FILE path. If STATUS: no_utilization_surface, report "No direct utilization surface found."
   • Cross-references: relay CROSS_REFERENCES_ADDED count.

8. Post-actions -- lint, commit, push (see Post-Actions)

Error Handling

• If agent returns status: failed, relay the exact failure reason to user and stop
• Do not create partial entries or update README on failure

Batch Mode

Trigger: <mode_args/> contains --batch.

Full workflow defined in Batch Mode reference. Summary below.

URL Parsing

Extract all tokens after --batch matching https?:// as target URLs. Non-URL tokens ignored with warning.

Wave Spawning

Spawn up to 5 @research-curator agents per wave via Agent tool. Wait for all agents in the current wave before spawning the next. After all waves complete, for each successful entry:

1. Run fix script: uv run .claude/skills/research-curator/scripts/fix_research_formatting.py {file}
2. Run validator: uv run .claude/skills/research-curator/scripts/validate_research.py main --json {file}
3. If validator returns errors: mark entry as "created with issues", skip analysis agents for that entry, include in output report with exact error text
4. If validator passes: spawn concurrent analysis agents — @research-insight-extractor, @research-utilization-assessor, and @research-cross-referencer (up to 5 entries processed concurrently, each with its own set of analysis agents)

See Batch Mode reference for the complete wave spawning diagram.

Duplicate Detection

Load Duplicate Detection (shared with Default Mode) before spawning.

Progress Reporting

After each wave, relay exact counts and exact failure reasons from agent output:

Wave N complete: M/N succeeded
  created    -- category/resource-name.md
  refreshed  -- category/resource-name.md (was N days old)
  failed     -- https://url.com -- {exact reason from agent}

After all waves:

Batch complete: X/Y total succeeded
Files created: [list]
README updated: Yes

Rerun Mode

Trigger: <mode_args/> contains --rerun.

Re-research existing entries to refresh stale data.

Target Parsing

The following diagram is the authoritative procedure for rerun mode. Execute steps in the exact order shown, including branches, decision points, and stop conditions.

flowchart TD
    Start(["Parse --rerun argument value"]) --> Q{"What is the --rerun target value?"}
    Q -->|"category/name — single entry path"| VerifyFile{"Does ./research/category/name.md exist?"}
    Q -->|"all — re-research every entry"| FindAll["Glob ./research/**/*.md<br>excluding README.md — collect all entry paths"]
    VerifyFile -->|"No — file not found"| Missing(["Report error: entry not found at path. Stop."])
    VerifyFile -->|"Yes — file exists"| ReadFile["Read ./research/category/name.md<br>extract current content and metadata"]
    ReadFile --> Spawn1["Spawn @research-curator via Agent tool<br>prompt: --rerun ./research/category/name.md"]
    Spawn1 --> RelayCheck1["Apply pre-relay quality checklist"]
    RelayCheck1 --> UpdateDate["Update ./research/README.md<br>refresh freshness date for this entry"]
    FindAll --> WaveSpawn["Spawn @research-curator agents in waves of 5<br>each receives --rerun ./research/category/name.md<br>wait for each wave before spawning next"]
    WaveSpawn --> RelayCheck2["Apply pre-relay quality checklist<br>to all wave results"]
    RelayCheck2 --> UpdateDates["Update ./research/README.md<br>refresh freshness dates for all re-researched entries"]
    UpdateDate --> SpawnAnalysis1["Concurrently spawn analysis agents:<br>@research-insight-extractor 'Extract improvements from ./research/category/name.md'<br>@research-utilization-assessor 'Assess utilization opportunities from ./research/category/name.md'<br>@research-cross-referencer 'Add cross-references to ./research/category/name.md'"]
    SpawnAnalysis1 --> WaitAnalysis1["Wait for all agents<br>Surface IMMEDIATE_ATTENTION items from insight result<br>Report utilization proposal count<br>Report cross-references added count"]
    WaitAnalysis1 --> PostActions(["Execute Post-Actions — lint, commit, push"])
    UpdateDates --> SpawnAnalysisN["For each updated entry (concurrent, up to 5 entries)<br>spawn analysis agents per entry:<br>@research-insight-extractor<br>@research-utilization-assessor<br>@research-cross-referencer"]
    SpawnAnalysisN --> WaitAnalysisN["Wait for all analysis agents<br>Collect IMMEDIATE_ATTENTION items<br>Report total utilization proposals and cross-references added"]
    WaitAnalysisN --> PostActions

Single Entry Rerun

1. Verify ./research/{category}/{name}.md exists

2. Spawn @research-curator via Agent tool:

   prompt: "--rerun ./research/{category}/{name}.md"
   

3. Agent reads existing entry, re-gathers fresh data, updates content and freshness tracking

4. Apply pre-relay quality checklist to agent result

5. Update README with refreshed date

6. Validate -- run the validation gate on the updated file:

   a. Run fix script: uv run .claude/skills/research-curator/scripts/fix_research_formatting.py ./research/{category}/{name}.md

   b. Run validator: uv run .claude/skills/research-curator/scripts/validate_research.py main --json ./research/{category}/{name}.md

   c. If validator returns errors: mark entry as "refreshed with issues", skip step 7, report to user with exact error text from validator JSON

   d. If validator passes: proceed to step 7

7. Concurrently spawn three analysis agents:

   - @research-insight-extractor — "Extract improvements from ./research/{category}/{name}.md"
   - @research-utilization-assessor — "Assess utilization opportunities from ./research/{category}/{name}.md"
   - @research-cross-referencer — "Add cross-references to ./research/{category}/{name}.md"
   

8. Wait for all three; surface IMMEDIATE_ATTENTION items from insight result; report utilization proposal count; report cross-references added count

All Entries Rerun

1. Glob ./research/**/*.md excluding README.md

2. Spawn agents in waves of 5 (same pattern as Batch Mode)

3. Each agent receives --rerun ./research/{category}/{name}.md

4. Apply pre-relay quality checklist after each wave

5. Update README once after all waves complete

6. Validate -- for each successfully updated entry, run the validation gate before spawning analysis agents:

   a. Run fix script: uv run .claude/skills/research-curator/scripts/fix_research_formatting.py {file}

   b. Run validator: uv run .claude/skills/research-curator/scripts/validate_research.py main --json {file}

   c. If validator returns errors: mark entry as "refreshed with issues", skip analysis agents for that entry

   d. If validator passes: include in analysis agent dispatch (step 7)

7. For each entry that passed validation: spawn concurrent analysis agents per entry (up to 5 entries concurrently) — @research-insight-extractor, @research-utilization-assessor, @research-cross-referencer

Validate Mode

Trigger: <mode_args/> contains --validate.

Run structural validation and fix error-severity issues.

What Gets Checked

The validator script (validate_research.py) checks each entry file against the rules in Validation Rules. It emits JSON with three severity levels:

• error -- structural violations that make entries unusable (missing required fields, broken links, malformed frontmatter). Auto-fixed by spawning @research-curator with --fix and the specific issue list.
• warning -- quality issues that don't break entries (stale dates, thin summaries). Reported to user; not auto-fixed.
• info -- informational observations (entry age, word count). Reported to user; no action.

Validation Workflow

The following diagram is the authoritative procedure for validate mode. Execute steps in the exact order shown, including branches, decision points, and stop conditions.

flowchart TD
    Start(["Parse --validate argument value"]) --> Q{"What is the --validate target value?"}
    Q -->|"category/name — single entry path"| RunScript["Run validate_research.py --json<br>on ./research/category/name.md"]
    Q -->|"all — validate every entry"| RunScriptAll["Run validate_research.py --json<br>on ./research/ directory"]
    RunScript --> ParseJSON["Parse JSON output<br>Extract issues keyed by severity: error, warning, info<br>Count totals per severity"]
    RunScriptAll --> ParseJSON
    ParseJSON --> HasErrors{"Does parsed output contain<br>any error-severity issues?"}
    HasErrors -->|"Yes — N error-severity issues found"| SpawnFix["Spawn @research-curator agents in waves of 5<br>Each agent receives --fix flag<br>PLUS the exact error list for that entry from JSON output<br>(not a summary — the raw issue text)"]
    HasErrors -->|"No — zero error-severity issues"| ReportClean(["Report: all entries passed. Include exact warning and info counts. Stop."])
    SpawnFix --> RelayCheck["Apply pre-relay quality checklist<br>to all fix-agent results"]
    RelayCheck --> ReportSummary["Report validation summary with exact counts<br>(total scanned, passed, errors fixed, warnings noted, info items)"]
    ReportSummary --> PostActions(["Execute Post-Actions — lint, commit, push"])

Script Invocation

uv run .claude/skills/research-curator/scripts/validate_research.py --json ./research/{target}

Fix Agent Delegation

When spawning a fix agent, pass the exact error text from the JSON output — not a paraphrase. The agent receives:

prompt: "--fix ./research/{category}/{name}.md
Issues to fix (from validator JSON):
  - {exact issue text from JSON}
  - {exact issue text from JSON}"

Issue Handling

Severity handling per Validation Rules:

• error -- spawn @research-curator with --fix flag and the exact issue list extracted from JSON
• warning -- include exact warning text in report to user; do not auto-fix
• info -- include exact info text in report; no action needed

For error-severity fixes, spawn agents in waves of 5 (same pattern as Batch Mode).

Summary Report

Report exact counts from the validator JSON output — do not paraphrase:

Validation complete:
  Total scanned: N
  Passed: N
  Errors found: N (M auto-fixed)
  Warnings noted: N
  Info items: N

Post-Actions

Shared by all modes. Execute after any mode completes successfully.

1. README Update -- add or update entries in ./research/README.md category tables

2. Lint -- run formatting checks on all modified files:

   uv run prek run --files ./research/README.md [new-or-modified-files]
   

3. Commit -- stage and commit all research and insight changes:

   git add ./research/
   git commit -m "docs(research): [action] [resource names]"
   

4. Push -- push to current branch:

   git push -u origin HEAD
   

Commit message actions by mode:

• Default -- add {resource-name} research entry
• Batch -- add {N} research entries
• Rerun -- refresh {resource-name|N entries}
• Validate -- fix validation issues in {resource-name|N entries}

Output Format

Report to user after any mode completes. All counts and failure reasons MUST be relayed exactly as received from agents — apply the pre-relay quality checklist before writing this output.

Default Mode Output

## Research Entry Created

**Resource**: {name}
**Category**: {category}
**File**: ./research/{category}/{filename}.md
**README Updated**: Yes
**Cross-References Added**: N
**Utilization Proposals**: N (file: ./research/insights/YYYY-MM-DD-{name}-utilization.md)

### Key Findings
- Finding 1
- Finding 2
- Finding 3

### Next Review
YYYY-MM-DD

Batch Mode Output

## Batch Research Complete

**Total**: X URLs processed
**Created**: Y new entries
**Refreshed**: Z existing entries
**Failed**: W

### Entries Created
- ./research/{category}/{name}.md

### Entries Refreshed
- ./research/{category}/{name}.md (was N days old, last: YYYY-MM-DD, vX.Y.Z)

### Failures
- {URL} -- {exact reason from agent output}

Rerun Mode Output

## Research Entries Refreshed

**Refreshed**: N entries
**Changes Detected**: M entries had updated data

### Updated Entries
- ./research/{category}/{name}.md -- {what changed}

Validate Mode Output

## Validation Results

**Scanned**: N entries
**Passed**: N
**Errors Fixed**: N
**Warnings**: N
**Info**: N

### Fixes Applied
- ./research/{category}/{name}.md -- {exact issue fixed, from validator JSON}

### Warnings (manual review recommended)
- ./research/{category}/{name}.md -- {exact warning text}

Reference Links

• Entry Template -- standard format for all research entries
• Validation Rules -- checks and severity mapping for --validate mode
• Batch Mode -- wave spawning workflow for --batch mode
• Agent: @research-curator at .claude/agents/research-curator.md -- single-entry research executor
• Agent: @research-insight-extractor at .claude/agents/research-insight-extractor.md -- extracts backlog improvements from research entries
• Agent: @research-utilization-assessor at .claude/agents/research-utilization-assessor.md -- assesses direct API/service utilization opportunities
• Agent: @research-cross-referencer at .claude/agents/research-cross-referencer.md -- appends Cross-References section to research entries

SOURCE: Agent result relay rules and pre-relay checklist adapted from plugins/summarizer/skills/agent-result-relay/SKILL.md (accessed 2026-03-06).