# Spike > Adversarial technical research with red-team validation. Spawns research and red-team sub-agents to investigate technical questions and produce structured spike artifacts. Supports follow-up research on existing spikes. Use when investigating technical feasibility, comparing approaches, or validating assumptions before committing to a plan. - Skill: `ottawacloudconsulting/spike` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ottawacloudconsulting/spike` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ottawacloudconsulting/spike/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Research & Search - Author: OttawaCloudConsulting (https://skillmd.com/u/ottawacloudconsulting) - Updated: 2026-09-10 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ottawacloudconsulting/spike --- # /spike -- Adversarial Technical Research Accepts a research question and available tooling list, spawns sequential research and red-team agents, and produces a structured spike artifact at `.project/{slug}/docs/spikes/.md`. Supports follow-up research on existing spikes and lifecycle tracking in `progress.txt`. ## Rules 1. **Read fresh every time.** Read `progress.txt` from disk on every invocation -- never rely on conversation memory (STATE-03). 2. **Sequential agents per D-01.** Research agent completes first, then red-team agent reviews. Never run concurrently. 3. **Final artifact only per D-02.** Both agents run autonomously without user checkpoints. User sees the completed spike doc. 4. **Write-ordering contract.** When updating state files, follow STATE-04 ordering. 5. **Interactive prompts.** Use `AskUserQuestion` for all user-facing choices (2-4 options, max 12-character headers). 6. **No auto-dispatch.** Tell the user what to run next after completion. Never auto-invoke another skill. ## Prerequisites - Working directory is the project root (where `progress.txt` lives). - `progress.txt` must exist. If not, instruct user to run `/project` first. Per D-06, requires a bootstrapped project. ## Step 1 -- Gather Input and Detect Mode Read `progress.txt` from the project root. Find the line starting with `# Project-ID:`, take the value after `:`, trim whitespace, and use it as `{slug}`. Construct the artifact base path: `.project/{slug}/`. All artifact reads and writes in this skill use this base path. If the header is missing, report the error and tell the user to run `/project` to re-bootstrap. Gather the user's research question and available tooling list per D-05/SPIKE-01. If the user provided these in their invocation message, use them directly. If not provided, use `AskUserQuestion` to ask for: - Research question (what technical question to investigate) - Available tooling (libraries, tools, approaches to evaluate -- can be empty) **Follow-up mode detection (SPIKE-05):** Read `references/spike-format.md` for the Topic Slug Generation rules. Generate the slug from the topic. Check if `.project/{slug}/docs/spikes/{topic-slug}.md` exists on disk. - If file exists: enter follow-up mode (Step 5). - If file does not exist: enter new spike mode (Step 2). - If slug collision (file exists but different question): use `AskUserQuestion` with options: **Follow-up** (append to existing spike) or **New spike** (user provides a different name). ## Step 2 -- Research Agent Read `references/research-agent.md` for the complete research agent specification. Spawn a sub-agent using the `Agent` tool following the research agent spec. Pass the research question and available tooling list to the agent prompt. The agent writes findings to `${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/spike--research-findings.md` — substitute the actual spike `` (from Step 1) so concurrent spikes never collide on a shared temp file. Pass the concrete slug-filled path to the agent. After the agent completes, read `${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/spike--research-findings.md` to verify it was produced. If missing, report error and offer retry or manual input. ## Step 3 -- Red-Team Agent Read `references/redteam-agent.md` for the complete red-team agent specification. Spawn a sub-agent using the `Agent` tool following the red-team agent spec. The agent reads `${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/spike--research-findings.md` (research output) and writes critique to `${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/spike--redteam-findings.md`. After the agent completes, read `${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/spike--redteam-findings.md` to verify it was produced. If missing, report error and offer retry. ## Step 4 -- Assemble Spike Artifact Read `references/spike-format.md` for the artifact template and assembly instructions. Follow the assembly instructions to: 1. Create `.project/{slug}/docs/spikes/` directory if it does not exist. 2. Build the spike artifact using the New Spike Template. 3. Populate sections from agent outputs: Methodology and Findings from research findings, Red-Team Assessment from red-team findings (per D-10: equal peer section, never merge or suppress). 4. Write the Recommendation section: state the recommended approach, why, remaining risks after red-team review (per D-11). 5. Set Status to `open`. 6. Set Follow-Up Log to `(no follow-ups yet)`. 7. Write the artifact to `.project/{slug}/docs/spikes/{topic-slug}.md`. **Update progress.txt (SPIKE-04, D-07):** Read `references/progress-format.md` for spike entry format. Add a `[ ]` entry under `## Spikes` in `progress.txt`. If `(none yet)` placeholder exists, replace it with the entry. Format: `[ ] {Spike Name} .project/{slug}/docs/spikes/{topic-slug}.md` Proceed to Step 6 (Completion Report). ## Step 5 -- Follow-Up Mode (SPIKE-05) Read `references/spike-format.md` for the Follow-Up Log Entry Format. The user provides a follow-up question. Re-run the research and red-team agents (Steps 2-3) with the follow-up question as the research question and the same available tooling from the original spike. After both agents complete: 1. Read the existing spike artifact from `.project/{slug}/docs/spikes/{topic-slug}.md`. 2. Append a new Follow-Up Log entry per the dated entry format (per D-08, D-12). 3. If `(no follow-ups yet)` placeholder exists, replace it with the entry. 4. Preserve all original content -- never overwrite findings, red-team assessment, or prior follow-ups. 5. Write the updated artifact back to `.project/{slug}/docs/spikes/{topic-slug}.md`. **Offer resolution (SPIKE-06, D-07, D-08):** Use `AskUserQuestion` with options: **Resolved** (mark spike resolved) / **Follow-up** (continue with another question) / **Done** (leave open, end session). If "Resolved": Change `## Status` in the spike artifact from `open` to `resolved`. Update `progress.txt` spike entry from `[ ]` to `[x]` with `Resolved: YYYY-MM-DD` suffix. If "Follow-up": Gather the new follow-up question, repeat Step 5. If "Done": Leave spike open, proceed to completion report. ## Step 6 -- Completion Report Display summary showing: spike name, artifact path (`.project/{slug}/docs/spikes/{topic-slug}.md`), state update (`progress.txt` entry added/updated), and next action suggestion (review artifact or run `/project` for status). If follow-ups were recorded, show count. If resolved, show resolution date. ## Error Handling - **Missing progress.txt:** Do not proceed. Tell user to run `/project` first. - **Research agent failure:** Report failure. Offer retry or manual research input (user provides findings directly). - **Red-team agent failure:** Report failure. Offer retry or skip red-team (note in artifact that red-team was not performed). - **Missing `.project/{slug}/docs/spikes/` directory:** Create it automatically. - **Spike artifact write failure:** Report error, display artifact content so user can save manually. - **Interrupted session:** User can re-invoke `/spike`. For new spikes, if artifact already written, detects as follow-up mode. For follow-ups in progress, user re-invokes and adds the follow-up.