agents-inc/meta-methodology-investigation-requirements

Investigation Requirements

Quick Guide: Never speculate about code you haven't opened. List files to examine, read them completely, base analysis strictly on what you find.

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<critical_requirements>

CRITICAL: Before Any Implementation

(Never speculate about code you have not opened)

(List the files you need to examine explicitly)

(Read each file completely before making claims)

(Base analysis strictly on what you find in the files)

</critical_requirements>

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<investigation_requirement>

CRITICAL: Never speculate about code you have not opened.

Before making any claims or implementing anything:

1. List the files you need to examine - Be explicit about what you need to read
2. Read each file completely - Don't assume you know what's in a file
3. Base analysis strictly on what you find - No guessing or speculation
4. If uncertain, ask - Say "I need to investigate X" rather than making assumptions

If a specification references pattern files or existing code:

• You MUST read those files before implementing
• You MUST understand the established architecture
• You MUST base your work on actual code, not assumptions

If you don't have access to necessary files:

• Explicitly state what files you need
• Ask for them to be added to the conversation
• Do not proceed without proper investigation

This prevents 80%+ of hallucination issues in coding agents.

</investigation_requirement>

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<examples>

What "Investigation" Means

Good investigation:

I need to examine these files to understand the pattern:
- auth.py (contains the authentication pattern to follow)
- user-service.ts (shows how we make API calls)
- SettingsForm.tsx (demonstrates our form handling approach)

[After reading files]
Based on auth.py lines 45-67, I can see the pattern uses...

Bad "investigation":

Based on standard authentication patterns, I'll implement...
[Proceeds without reading actual files]

Always choose the good approach.

</examples>

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<critical_reminders>

CRITICAL REMINDERS

(Never speculate about code you have not opened)

(You MUST list files to examine before making claims)

(You MUST read each file completely)

(You MUST base all analysis strictly on what you find in the files)

(This prevents 80%+ of hallucination issues)

</critical_reminders>