spectre-research

Research

👻 | Research codebase with parallel agents - primary agent

QUICK START

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I want to install this Agent Skill for this project in Codex.

Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/Codename-Inc/spectre/blob/HEAD/plugins/spectre-codex/skills/spectre-research/SKILL.md

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research

Input Handling

Treat the current command arguments as this workflow's input. When invoked from a slash command, use the forwarded $ARGUMENTS value.

research_codebase: Parallel Evidence-Based Codebase Analysis

Description

Description — Conduct comprehensive codebase research by spawning parallel specialized sub-agents and synthesizing their findings into structured documentation. Prioritizes direct readings of live code with specific file paths and line numbers. Supports follow-up questions with document updates.
Desired Outcome — Complete research document with YAML frontmatter, concrete evidence (file paths/line numbers), architectural insights, GitHub permalinks (when applicable), saved to TASK_DIR/research/{topic}_{date}.md, ready for task formalization or planning.

ARGUMENTS Input

Optional user input to seed this workflow.

Step (1/8) - Immediate Reply & Gather Context

Action — ImmediateReply: Respond immediately before running any commands or tools.
- Check for ARGUMENTS and extract research topic
- If ARGUMENTS exists → acknowledge topic; extract research question
- Else → prompt user: "I'm ready to research the codebase. Please provide your research question or area of interest, and I'll analyze it thoroughly by exploring relevant components and connections."
- CRITICAL: Do NOT run any tool calls in this step
Wait — User provides research query (if needed)

Step (2/8) - Read Mentioned Files

Action — ReadMentionedFiles: Read any directly mentioned files FULLY before decomposition.
- If user mentions specific files (tickets, docs, JSON) → read them FULLY using Read tool WITHOUT limit/offset
- CRITICAL: Read these files in main context before spawning sub-agents
- Ensures full context before decomposing research

Step (3/8) - Decompose & Plan Research

Action — AnalyzeQuestion: Break down research query into composable areas.
- Ultrathink about underlying patterns, connections, architectural implications user seeking
- Identify specific components, patterns, concepts to investigate
- Consider relevant directories, files, architectural patterns
- Create research plan using TodoWrite to track all subtasks
Action — SpawnSpecializedAgents: Launch parallel sub-agents for comprehensive research.
- Codebase Research:
  - finder: Find WHERE files and components live
  - analyst: Understand HOW specific code works
  - patterns: Find examples of similar implementations
- Web Research (when task requires 3rd party frameworks/platforms/services/libraries/SDKs):
  - web-research: External documentation and resources
  - IMPORTANT: Instruct to return LINKS with findings; include links in final report
- 3rd Party Libraries (only if user explicitly asks):
  - Use Context 7 MCP tool to search external documentation
- Linear Tickets (if relevant):
  - linear-ticket-reader: Get full details of specific ticket
  - linear-searcher: Find related tickets or historical context
- Agent Strategy: Start with locator → use analyzer on promising findings → run multiple agents in parallel for different searches; each agent knows its job (tell what you're looking for, not how to search)

Step (4/8) - Synthesize Findings

Action — WaitForAgents: Wait for ALL sub-agent tasks to complete before proceeding.
Action — CompileResults: Synthesize all sub-agent results into coherent findings.
- Prioritize live codebase findings as primary source of truth
- Connect findings across different components
- Include specific file paths and line numbers for reference
- Highlight patterns, connections, architectural decisions
- Answer user's specific questions with concrete evidence
Action — GatherMetadata: Collect document metadata for YAML frontmatter.
- Current date/time with timezone (ISO format)
- Current commit hash (git rev-parse HEAD)
- Current branch name (git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
- Repository name

Step (5/8) - Generate Research Document

Output Location — DetermineOutputDir: Decide where to save artifacts for this workflow.
- branch_name=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo unknown)
- If user specifies target_dir/path → OUT_DIR={that value}
- Else → OUT_DIR=docs/tasks/{branch_name}
- mkdir -p "OUT_DIR/research"
Action — CreateDocument: Structure research document with YAML frontmatter and comprehensive findings.
- Frontmatter (YAML at top):
  - date: [ISO format with timezone]
  - git_commit: [commit hash]
  - branch: [branch name]
  - repository: [repo name]
  - topic: "[User's Question/Topic]"
  - tags: [research, codebase, relevant-component-names]
  - status: complete
  - last_updated: [YYYY-MM-DD]
  - last_updated_by: [Researcher name]
- Document Sections (in order):
  1. Title: # Research: [User's Question/Topic]
  2. Metadata header (Date, Git Commit, Branch, Repository)
  3. Research Question (original user query)
  4. Summary (high-level findings answering question)
  5. Detailed Findings (by Component/Area with file:line references)
  6. Code References (path/to/file:line with descriptions)
  7. Architecture Insights (patterns, conventions, design decisions)
  8. Related Research (links to other research docs in docs/ (look for /research directories))
  9. Open Questions (areas needing further investigation)

Step (6/8) - Add Permalinks & Save

Action — AddGitHubPermalinks: Generate GitHub permalinks if applicable.
- Check if on main branch or commit pushed: git branch --show-current and git status
- If on main/master OR pushed → generate permalinks:
  - Get repo info: gh repo view --json owner,name
  - Create: https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/blob/{commit}/{file}#L{line}
  - Replace local file references with permalinks in document
- Else → keep local file references
Action — SaveDocument: Save research document to standardized location under {OUT_DIR}/research/.
- Filename: {research_topic}_{MMDDYY}.md
- Path: {OUT_DIR}/research/{filename}
Action — PresentFindings: Present concise summary to user.
- Concise summary of key findings
- Include key file references for easy navigation
- Ask if they have follow-up questions or need clarification

Step (7/8) - Handle Follow-ups & Handoff

Action — HandleFollowUps: If user has follow-up questions, update same document.
- If follow-up questions asked:
  - Update frontmatter: last_updated, last_updated_by, add last_updated_note: "Added follow-up research for [brief description]"
  - Add new section: ## Follow-up Research [timestamp]
  - Spawn new sub-agents as needed for additional investigation
  - Continue updating document
Else → proceed to handoff
Action — RenderFooter: Render Next Steps footer using Skill(spectre-guide) skill (contains format template and spectre command options)

Next Steps

See Skill(spectre-guide) skill for footer format and command options.