Research Skills

Research skills help gather information from web sources, summarize discussions, and synthesize knowledge from project notes.

research-topic-summarize

Research topics via web search, synthesize detailed summaries with sources and optional screenshots.

Triggers:

• Evaluating a technology, library, or tool
• Learning about a new concept or pattern
• Comparing options (X vs Y)
• Gathering background for a decision

Key Features:

• Conducts thorough web research
• Synthesizes findings into structured summaries
• Captures screenshots of key visuals
• Cites sources for all claims

Output Structure:

## Research: [Topic]

### Summary

[Paragraph overview - what it is, why it matters, current state]

### Background

[Context, history, or foundational concepts]

### Key Findings

#### [Finding 1 Title]

[Detailed explanation with specifics, numbers, examples]

#### [Finding 2 Title]

[Detailed explanation with evidence from sources]

### Comparisons

| Aspect | Option A | Option B |
|--------|----------|----------|
| [Criteria] | [Detail] | [Detail] |

### Visual References

- ![Description](screenshot-1.png) - [what this shows]

### Sources

1. [Title](url) - [what this source contributed]
2. [Title](url) - [what this source contributed]

### Analysis

- **Strengths**: [detailed pros]
- **Weaknesses**: [detailed cons]
- **Gaps**: [what the research didn't answer]

### Recommendation

[Actionable conclusion with reasoning]

Research Guidelines:

Depth of Coverage:

• Provide enough detail to make decisions without re-reading sources
• Include specific numbers, versions, dates when relevant
• Explain concepts, don’t just name them
• Note conflicting information across sources

Source Quality:

• Prefer official documentation over blog posts
• Note publication dates (flag outdated info)
• Cite sources for all claims
• Include 3-5 quality sources minimum

Screenshot Best Practices:

• Use descriptive filenames: redis-vs-memcached-comparison.png
• Always include alt text descriptions
• Capture only relevant portions, not full pages
• Note the source URL in the description

When to capture screenshots:

• Architecture or flow diagrams
• Comparison tables
• Pricing or feature matrices
• UI examples (if evaluating tools)

summarize-conversation-thread

Summarize GitHub issue/PR threads into key decisions, action items, and next steps.

Triggers:

• Catching up on a lengthy discussion
• Preparing to contribute to an existing thread
• Extracting decisions from a closed issue
• Identifying action items from a discussion

Key Features:

• Extracts key decisions and who made them
• Identifies action items with owners
• Notes unresolved questions
• Handles stale threads and heated discussions

Output Structure:

## Summary: [Issue/PR Title]

**Status**: [Open/Closed] | **Comments**: [X] | **Last Activity**: [date]

### TL;DR

[2-3 sentence summary of the core discussion]

### Key Decisions

- **[Decision]**: [context and who decided]

### Action Items

- [ ] [Action] - @[owner]

### Open Questions

- [Unresolved question needing input]

### Next Steps

[What should happen next]

What to Include:

• Decisions made and who made them
• Action items with clear owners
• Unresolved questions or blockers
• Changes in direction or scope
• Links to key comments

What to Skip:

• Redundant “+1” or “me too” comments
• Off-topic tangents
• Superseded proposals
• Resolved sub-discussions

Handling Edge Cases:

Example:

## Summary: Add dark mode support (#142)

**Status**: Open | **Comments**: 23 | **Last Activity**: 2 days ago

### TL;DR

Team agreed to implement dark mode using CSS variables. Debate on whether to auto-detect system preference or default to light mode resolved in favor of auto-detect.

### Key Decisions

- **Use CSS variables**: Easier to maintain than separate stylesheets - @sarah
- **Auto-detect system preference**: Better UX, users can override - @mike

### Action Items

- [ ] Create color token system - @sarah
- [ ] Add toggle to settings page - @alex

### Next Steps

Sarah to submit initial PR with color variables by Friday.

consolidate-notes-summary

Search project notes by topic, synthesize findings into a consolidated summary with cross-references.

Triggers:

• Gathering scattered knowledge on a topic
• Preparing a summary from multiple note sources
• Reviewing what’s been documented about a subject
• Identifying gaps in documentation

Key Features:

• Searches notes by topic or tag
• Synthesizes information across sources
• Identifies patterns and conflicts
• Flags stale or outdated content

Output Structure:

## Consolidated: [Topic]

**Sources**: [X notes reviewed] | **Date Range**: [earliest] to [latest]

### Summary

[Synthesized overview combining insights from all related notes]

### Key Points

- [Point 1] - from [note reference]
- [Point 2] - from [note reference]
- [Point 3] - from [note reference]

### Timeline

| Date | Event/Decision |
|------|----------------|
| [Date] | [What happened] |

### Cross-References

- **[Note 1 title]**: [how it relates to the topic]
- **[Note 2 title]**: [how it relates]

### Gaps

- [Information that's missing]
- [Topics that need more documentation]
- [Outdated content that needs refresh]

Synthesis vs. Aggregation:

Quality Checks:

• Flag stale information (notes > 6 months old)
• Note contradictions between notes
• Identify outdated decisions that may need revisiting
• Highlight frequently referenced topics

Handling Large Sets (>10 notes):

• Group notes by subtopic
• Prioritize recent notes over old ones
• Summarize in layers (overview then details)

Attribution:

• Reference source notes for key points
• Include note titles or IDs for traceability
• Preserve original authors when known