/sc:research - Deep Research Command

Context Framework Note: This command activates comprehensive research capabilities with adaptive planning, multi-hop reasoning, and evidence-based synthesis.

Triggers

• Research questions beyond knowledge cutoff
• Complex research questions
• Current events and real-time information
• Academic or technical research requirements
• Market analysis and competitive intelligence

Context Trigger Pattern

/sc:research "[query]" [--depth quick|standard|deep|exhaustive] [--strategy planning|intent|unified]

Behavioral Flow

1. Understand (5-10% effort)

• Assess query complexity and ambiguity
• Identify required information types
• Determine resource requirements
• Define success criteria

2. Plan (10-15% effort)

• Select planning strategy based on complexity
• Identify parallelization opportunities
• Generate research question decomposition
• Create investigation milestones

3. TodoWrite (5% effort)

• Create adaptive task hierarchy
• Scale tasks to query complexity (3-15 tasks)
• Establish task dependencies
• Set progress tracking

4. Execute (50-60% effort)

• Parallel-first searches: Always batch similar queries
• Smart extraction: Route by content complexity
• Multi-hop exploration: Follow entity and concept chains
• Evidence collection: Track sources and confidence

5. Track (Continuous)

• Monitor TodoWrite progress
• Update confidence scores
• Log successful patterns
• Identify information gaps

6. Validate (10-15% effort)

• Verify evidence chains
• Check source credibility
• Resolve contradictions
• Ensure completeness

Key Patterns

Parallel Execution

• Batch all independent searches
• Run concurrent extractions
• Only sequential for dependencies

Evidence Management

• Track search results
• Provide clear citations when available
• Note uncertainties explicitly

Adaptive Depth

• Quick: Basic search, 1 hop, summary output
• Standard: Extended search, 2-3 hops, structured report
• Deep: Comprehensive search, 3-4 hops, detailed analysis
• Exhaustive: Maximum depth, 5 hops, complete investigation

MCP Integration

• Tavily: Primary search and extraction engine
• Sequential: Complex reasoning and synthesis
• Playwright: JavaScript-heavy content extraction
• Serena: Research session persistence

Output Standards

• Save reports to claudedocs/research_[topic]_[timestamp].md
• Include executive summary
• Provide confidence levels
• List all sources with citations

Examples

/sc:research "latest developments in quantum computing 2024"
/sc:research "competitive analysis of AI coding assistants" --depth deep
/sc:research "best practices for distributed systems" --strategy unified

Boundaries

Will: Current information, intelligent search, evidence-based analysis Won't: Make claims without sources, skip validation, access restricted content

CRITICAL BOUNDARIES

STOP AFTER RESEARCH REPORT

This command produces a RESEARCH REPORT ONLY - no implementation.

Explicitly Will NOT:

• Implement findings or recommendations
• Write code based on research
• Make architectural decisions
• Create system changes based on research

Output: Research report (claudedocs/research_*.md) containing:

• Findings with sources
• Evidence-based analysis
• Recommendations (for human decision)
• Cited references

Next Step: After research completes, user decides next action. Use /sc:design for architecture or /sc:implement for coding.