Bookstrap Research Path

Research Path Orchestrator

Execute the research workflow end-to-end, processing pending research tasks sequentially.

What It Does

This orchestrator command:

1. Queries pending research tasks from the database
2. Invokes the researcher agent for each task sequentially
3. Verifies gap resolution after each source ingestion
4. Tracks progress and handles failures
5. Reports completion statistics

Usage

/bookstrap-research-path

Optional Parameters

/bookstrap-research-path --max-tasks 5
/bookstrap-research-path --priority high
/bookstrap-research-path --gap-id gap_123

Workflow

1. Query Pending Research Tasks

SELECT * FROM task
WHERE type = 'research'
AND status = 'pending'
ORDER BY priority DESC, created_at ASC
LIMIT $max_tasks;

2. For Each Task

a. Mark Task In Progress

TaskUpdate: {taskId: "[task-id]", status: "in_progress"}

b. Invoke Researcher Agent

Skill: {skill: "researcher", args: "--task-id [task-id]"}

The researcher agent will:

• Search for sources
• Evaluate reliability
• Ingest content
• Extract entities
• Create relationships
• Resolve knowledge gap

c. Verify Gap Resolution

After researcher completes, verify the gap was adequately resolved:

from scripts.researcher_methods import ResearcherMethods

verification_queries = [
    {
        'query': "SELECT * FROM source WHERE id = $source_id",
        'min_results': 1,
        'description': 'Source was created'
    },
    {
        'query': "SELECT * FROM chunk WHERE source = $source_id",
        'min_results': 3,
        'description': 'Sufficient chunks created'
    },
    {
        'query': "SELECT * FROM [character, location, event, concept] WHERE ->supports<-source.id = $source_id",
        'min_results': 1,
        'description': 'Entities extracted'
    }
]

is_resolved, issues = researcher.verify_gap_resolution(gap_id, verification_queries)

d. Update Task Status

If verification passes:

TaskUpdate: {taskId: "[task-id]", status: "completed"}

If verification fails:

TaskUpdate: {taskId: "[task-id]", status: "blocked", metadata: {issues: [...]}}

3. Report Progress

After processing all tasks, report:

RESEARCH PATH COMPLETE
======================

Tasks processed: [count]
Tasks completed: [count]
Tasks blocked: [count]
Total sources ingested: [count]
Total entities extracted: [count]
Knowledge gaps resolved: [count]

NEXT STEPS
----------
- Run /bookstrap-status to see updated project state
- Run /bookstrap-plan-write to generate writing tasks
- Run /bookstrap-write to begin writing grounded in new research

Error Handling

Task Blocked

If a research task cannot be completed:

• Mark task as blocked with reason
• Continue to next task
• Report blocked tasks at end

API Rate Limits

If search API rate limit hit:

• Wait appropriate backoff period
• Retry task
• If still failing, mark as blocked

No Sources Found

If no reliable sources found after thorough search:

• Mark task as blocked
• Suggest alternative research strategies
• Recommend manual research

Configuration

Respects settings from bookstrap.config.json:

{
  "orchestration": {
    "research_path": {
      "max_tasks_per_run": 10,
      "require_verification": true,
      "continue_on_error": true,
      "min_source_reliability": "medium"
    }
  }
}

Example Output

Starting research path orchestration...

Processing task 1 of 3: "SOE training protocols 1943"
├─ Searching for sources...
├─ Found 3 candidate sources
├─ Evaluating reliability...
├─ Ingesting: "The Secret History of SOE" (high reliability)
├─ Extracting entities... 12 entities found
├─ Creating relationships... 8 relationships created
├─ Verifying gap resolution... PASSED
└─ Task completed ✓

Processing task 2 of 3: "Wireless operator equipment specifications"
├─ Searching for sources...
├─ Found 1 candidate source
├─ Evaluating reliability...
├─ Ingesting: "SOE Equipment Manual 1943" (high reliability)
├─ Extracting entities... 5 entities found
├─ Creating relationships... 3 relationships created
├─ Verifying gap resolution... PASSED
└─ Task completed ✓

Processing task 3 of 3: "French resistance network structure Lyon"
├─ Searching for sources...
├─ Found 0 reliable sources
├─ Task marked as BLOCKED
└─ Reason: No sources found meeting reliability threshold

RESEARCH PATH COMPLETE
======================

Tasks processed: 3
Tasks completed: 2
Tasks blocked: 1
Total sources ingested: 2
Total entities extracted: 17
Knowledge gaps resolved: 2

BLOCKED TASKS
-------------
- Task 3: "French resistance network structure Lyon"
  Reason: No sources found meeting reliability threshold
  Suggestion: Try more specific search terms or lower reliability threshold

NEXT STEPS
----------
Run /bookstrap-plan-write to generate writing tasks using new research

Integration with Other Commands

Before

• /bookstrap-plan-research - Generate research tasks to feed this orchestrator

After

• /bookstrap-status - Check updated corpus state
• /bookstrap-query - Verify specific knowledge is now available
• /bookstrap-plan-write - Generate writing tasks grounded in research
• /bookstrap-write - Begin writing with full knowledge coverage

Best Practices

1. Run plan-research first to generate research tasks
2. Process in batches if many tasks (use --max-tasks)
3. Monitor for blocked tasks and resolve manually if needed
4. Verify knowledge coverage before proceeding to writing
5. Commit after completion to save research progress

Implementation Notes

This orchestrator is implemented as a skill that:

• Uses TaskList to find pending research tasks
• Invokes researcher agent skill for each task
• Uses researcher_methods.py for verification
• Updates tasks using TaskUpdate
• Reports progress to user

The orchestrator does NOT run research itself - it coordinates the researcher agent.