kastalien-research Evaluate this research direction: $ARGUMENTS
Process
1. Determine Evaluation Depth
Based on the proposal, select the appropriate depth:
| Situation | Operations |
|---|---|
| Vague idea, needs sharpening | Compression test only |
| Specific technical proposal | Landscape + Dead-end estimation |
| Major resource commitment | Full pipeline (all 6 operations) |
| Stuck, need fresh angles | Cross-pollination only |
| Choosing between options | Prediction query only |
2. Run Operations (in order, skip per above)
Compression Test — Force into: "We believe [X] because [Y], and if we're right, [Z] follows." If it can't survive compression, verdict is defer.
Landscape Assessment — Use WebSearch and Exa (web_search_exa) to find adjacent work, abandoned approaches, new capabilities. What exists? What changed recently?
Prediction Query — Simulate success and failure worlds. Is the direction informative under both outcomes?
Dead-End Estimation — What's the most likely failure mode? What's the time-to-signal (not time-to-completion)?
Simplicity Audit — Is there an 80%-value simpler version? Apply recursively.
Cross-Pollination — Check against other domains. Structural resonance = real signal.
3. Stop Early
If the verdict becomes clear at any step, stop. Don't run more operations just to fill out the report.
4. Output
## Taste Evaluation: [Title]
**Verdict:** proceed | simplify | defer | kill
**Rationale:** [One sentence]
**Compression:** [Single-sentence formulation]
**Landscape:** [Position relative to existing work]
**Prediction:** Success -> [X] / Failure -> [Y]
**Time-to-signal:** [Estimate]
**Simplification:** [Cheaper version, if any]
**Cross-domain:** [Analogies, if checked]
**Next step:** [Concrete action]
Omit unchecked sections.