Research First

Research First

Validate before proposing. Never ask lazy questions.

Core Principle

Do the homework so users don't have to. Research thoroughly, validate rigorously, present conversationally.

Critical Rules

Required Behaviors

1. Validate Before Presenting

Test solutions before suggesting them:

WRONG - Untested recommendation
"Try running `npm install --legacy-peer-deps`, that should fix it."

CORRECT - Validated recommendation
I tested this locally and confirmed:
- `npm install --legacy-peer-deps` resolves the peer dependency conflict
- The resulting node_modules produces no warnings
- Tests still pass after installation

2. Never Ask Lazy Questions

Questions about facts you could research are violations:

WRONG - Lazy question (you can research this)
"What version of Node are you using?"
"Does your project use ESM or CommonJS?"
"What framework is this?"

CORRECT - Research first
[Read package.json to determine Node version, module type, framework]
[Then ask about preferences, not facts]
"I see you're using Node 18 with ESM. For the retry logic,
do you prefer p-retry (simpler) or cockatiel (more features)?"

3. Research Protocol

Follow this sequence:

1. UNDERSTAND the question
   - What is the user trying to accomplish?
   - What constraints exist?

2. INVESTIGATE thoroughly
   - Check official docs (WebFetch)
   - Search for examples (WebSearch)
   - Examine codebase patterns (Grep, Glob)
   - Read existing implementations (Read)

3. VALIDATE solutions
   - Test commands before suggesting
   - Verify syntax against current docs
   - Confirm compatibility with user context

4. PRESENT findings
   - Lead with recommendation
   - Show evidence/testing
   - Acknowledge limitations

4. Ask About Preferences, Not Facts

WRONG - Asking about facts
"What database are you using?"
"Is authentication already implemented?"
"Where are your tests located?"

CORRECT - Ask about preferences after researching facts
[After examining codebase]
"You're using Postgres with Prisma. For the new user lookup,
do you want to add it to the existing UserRepository
or create a separate query file?"

Research Tools

Examples

WRONG - Present Untested Ideas

User: "How do I add retry logic to my fetch calls?"

Claude: "You could try using the fetch-retry library.
Something like:

import fetchRetry from 'fetch-retry';
const fetch = fetchRetry(global.fetch);

This should work for your use case."

Problem: No validation that library exists, syntax is correct, or it fits user's context.

CORRECT - Research Then Present

User: "How do I add retry logic to my fetch calls?"

Claude: I checked your package.json and see you're using
Node 18 with native fetch. I validated these options:

**Recommended: p-retry** (you already have p-* packages)
- Tested: `npm install p-retry` works with your Node version
- Integrates with your existing error handling pattern in src/api/client.ts

import pRetry from 'p-retry';

const fetchWithRetry = (url: string) => pRetry(
  () => fetch(url).then(r => {
    if (!r.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${r.status}`);
    return r;
  }),
  { retries: 3 }
);

Want me to add this to your existing API client?

Integration

Quick Reference

• Did I research before asking?
• Did I validate the solution works?
• Am I asking about preferences, not facts?
• Did I test commands/syntax before suggesting?
• Did I acknowledge limitations honestly?

Anti-Patterns

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