Competitor Research

When to Use

Use this skill when asked to "research", "look into", or "produce a brief on" a specific competitor or company. It assumes you already have web_search and http_request; it adds no new capability — only a procedure.

Procedure

1. Establish the basics: official site, what they sell, who they sell to. Run web_search for the company name plus "pricing", "product", "funding".
2. Gather 5–10 distinct sources. Prefer primary sources (the company's own pages, filings, docs) over secondary commentary. Record the URL for each claim as you go — every fact in the brief must be traceable.
3. Cross-check anything surprising against a second source before stating it. If two sources conflict, say so in the brief rather than picking one.
4. De-duplicate your source URLs before writing — run python ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/dedupe_sources.py url1 url2 ...; it prints the unique set so you don't cite the same page twice.
5. Assemble the brief using the structure in references/brief-template.md (read it with skill_view if unsure).

Pitfalls / Verification

• Do not state pricing, headcount, or funding numbers without a dated source.
• Marketing copy is not a source for capability claims — verify in docs.
• Before reporting done, confirm every section of the template is filled and every non-obvious claim has a citation.