# Inquiry Collector > Collects and consolidates research outputs from Phase 1 inquiry agents Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/inquiry-collector` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/inquiry-collector` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/inquiry-collector/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Research & Search - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/inquiry-collector --- # Skill: Inquiry Output Collector You are a specialized agent for collecting and consolidating research outputs from Phase 1 inquiry agents. Your goal is to gather independent research findings and prepare them for the synthesis phase. ## Capabilities 1. **Completion Detection** - Monitor ccmux sessions tagged with inquiry ID for completion - Watch inquiry research/ directory for file-based completion - Handle timeouts and partial completions gracefully 2. **Output Extraction** - Parse agent outputs from ccmux pane buffers or files - Extract structured sections (problem analysis, approaches, evidence, findings) - Normalize various output formats to standard structure 3. **Report Generation** - Create standardized `research/agent-N.md` files - Generate `SUMMARY.md` with cross-agent analysis - Update `inquiry_report.json` with completion status ## Usage ```bash # Collect from ccmux sessions (recommended for managed agents) /inquiry-collect INQ-001 --mode ccmux # Collect from files (for external agents or testing) /inquiry-collect INQ-001 --mode file # With custom timeout (seconds) /inquiry-collect INQ-001 --mode ccmux --timeout 600 # Dry run - show what would be collected without writing /inquiry-collect INQ-001 --mode file --dry-run ``` ## Arguments | Argument | Required | Description | |----------|----------|-------------| | `inquiry_id` | Yes | The inquiry ID (e.g., INQ-001) | | `--mode` | No | Collection mode: `ccmux` (default) or `file` | | `--timeout` | No | Timeout in seconds (default: 300) | | `--dry-run` | No | Preview without writing files | | `--force` | No | Overwrite existing research files | ## Workflow ### 1. Initialization Read `inquiry_report.json` to get: - `research_agents`: Number of expected agents - `phase`: Verify inquiry is in `research` phase - `inquiry_id`: Confirm ID match ### 2. Collection (Mode-Dependent) **ccmux Mode:** ```python # Find sessions tagged with inquiry sessions = ccmux_list_sessions() inquiry_sessions = [s for s in sessions if f"INQ-{id}" in s.tags] # Monitor each session for session in inquiry_sessions: status = ccmux_get_status(session.pane_id) if status in ['complete', 'idle']: output = ccmux_read_pane(session.pane_id, lines=2000) # Extract and save ``` **File Mode:** ```python # Watch research/ directory research_dir = inquiry_path / "research" for i in range(1, research_agents + 1): file = research_dir / f"agent-{i}.md" if file.exists() and is_complete(file): # Extract and validate ``` ### 3. Extraction For each agent output, extract: - Problem analysis - Approaches explored - Evidence gathered - Key findings - Recommendations ### 4. Summary Generation Analyze all reports to create SUMMARY.md: - Identify common themes across agents - Note points of agreement and divergence - Generate questions for synthesis phase - Create comparison table of key findings ### 5. Status Update Update `inquiry_report.json`: ```json { "phase": "synthesis", "status": "synthesis", "phase_history": [ { "phase": "research", "entered_date": "2026-01-20", "notes": "Completed with 3/3 agents" }, { "phase": "synthesis", "entered_date": "2026-01-20", "notes": "Research collection complete" } ] } ``` ## Completion Detection ### ccmux Mode Markers An agent session is considered complete when: - Session status is `complete` or `idle` - OR pane output contains `## Conclusion` or `## Summary` - OR agent explicitly reports completion via `ccmux_report_status` ### File Mode Markers A research file is considered complete when: - File contains `## Conclusion` section - OR file ends with `---END---` marker - OR file hasn't been modified for 60 seconds and has minimum content ## Output Format ### research/agent-N.md ```markdown # Agent N Research Report **Inquiry**: INQ-XXX **Agent**: [identifier] **Completed**: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS ## Problem Analysis [Extracted content about the agent's understanding of the problem] ## Approaches Explored [Methods and strategies the agent investigated] ## Evidence Gathered [Data, examples, or references found] ## Key Findings [Main conclusions from the research] ## Recommendations [Agent's suggestions for how to proceed] --- *Generated by inquiry-collector* ``` ### SUMMARY.md ```markdown # Research Phase Summary **Inquiry**: INQ-XXX **Title**: [inquiry title] **Completed**: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS **Agents**: N/N completed ## Overview [Brief synthesis of what was researched] ## Common Themes - Theme 1: [description with supporting agents] - Theme 2: [description with supporting agents] ## Points of Agreement | Topic | Consensus | Agents | |-------|-----------|--------| | ... | ... | 1, 2, 3 | ## Points of Divergence | Topic | Position A | Position B | Agents | |-------|------------|------------|--------| | ... | ... | ... | 1 vs 2, 3 | ## Key Questions for Synthesis 1. [Question arising from divergent findings] 2. [Question requiring deeper analysis] ## Agent Summary | Agent | Focus Area | Key Insight | Unique Contribution | |-------|------------|-------------|---------------------| | 1 | ... | ... | ... | | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ## Next Steps The inquiry is ready for Phase 2: Synthesis. Key areas to address: 1. [Priority item] 2. [Priority item] --- *Generated by inquiry-collector at YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS* ``` ## Error Handling | Error | Behavior | |-------|----------| | Inquiry not found | Exit with clear error message | | Wrong phase | Warning, offer --force option | | Timeout | Mark incomplete agents, generate partial summary | | Extraction failure | Save raw output, flag for manual review | | Missing sessions/files | Report which agents are missing | ## Tools The skill uses scripts in `scripts/`: - `collect.py` - Main orchestrator - `ccmux_monitor.py` - ccmux session monitoring - `file_monitor.py` - File-based monitoring - `extract.py` - Content extraction - `summarize.py` - Summary generation ## Requirements - Python 3.9+ - ccmux MCP tools (for ccmux mode) - jq (for JSON manipulation) ## Examples ### Complete Collection Workflow ```bash # 1. Start inquiry with research agents # (agents are spawned in ccmux with INQ-001 tag) # 2. Wait for completion and collect /inquiry-collect INQ-001 --mode ccmux --timeout 600 # Output: # Collecting research outputs for INQ-001... # Found 3 sessions tagged INQ-001 # Agent 1: Complete (output: 2847 chars) # Agent 2: Complete (output: 3102 chars) # Agent 3: Complete (output: 2956 chars) # # Generated files: # research/agent-1.md # research/agent-2.md # research/agent-3.md # SUMMARY.md # # Updated inquiry_report.json: # phase: research -> synthesis # status: research -> synthesis # # INQ-001 ready for synthesis phase. ``` ### Partial Collection ```bash /inquiry-collect INQ-001 --mode ccmux --timeout 60 # Output: # Collecting research outputs for INQ-001... # Found 3 sessions tagged INQ-001 # Agent 1: Complete (output: 2847 chars) # Agent 2: Timeout after 60s # Agent 3: Complete (output: 2956 chars) # # WARNING: 1 of 3 agents did not complete # # Generated files: # research/agent-1.md # research/agent-3.md # SUMMARY.md (partial) # # Inquiry remains in 'research' phase. # Re-run with longer timeout or --force to proceed. ``` --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/brendanbecker) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.