laststance/source-grounded-research

Source-Grounded Research

Purpose

Use this skill for research-only tasks that should end in a cited brief rather than code changes.

This skill is for:

• web research
• library and framework documentation lookup
• open-source repository investigation
• comparison and decision support
• recent changes and release-note checks

Do not use this skill for:

• implementation work
• code editing
• speculative answers without sources

Quick Start

1. Restate the question and classify it into one primary lane.
2. Start from the lane's highest-authority source.
3. Corroborate major claims with a second source.
4. Check for contradictions or recent changes.
5. Produce a cited report with a query log and sources section.

Research Lanes

library-framework

• Start with official docs via Context7 when available.
• Use get_code_context_exa for examples and practical usage.
• Use Perplexity or WebSearch only for contradiction checks or recent changes.

oss-repository

• Start with DeepWiki when available.
• Read repo structure before asking detailed questions.
• Corroborate key claims with GitHub docs, repo pages, Exa, or official docs.

recent-changes

• Start with Perplexity Search or standard WebSearch.
• Verify final claims with official release notes, changelogs, or docs.

local-plus-external

• Start with local repo evidence tools first.
• Bridge to external docs only after the local behavior is understood.

comparison-decision

• Start with breadth discovery.
• Run an authority pass.
• Run a contradiction pass before recommending.

Tool Priority

Prefer tools by role, not habit:

• Sequential Thinking: scope, sub-questions, assumptions
• Context7: official library/framework docs
• DeepWiki: OSS repository architecture and topic map
• Exa: breadth discovery and code/doc context
• Perplexity: recent web-grounded synthesis and contradiction checks
• WebSearch / WebFetch: standard web fallback or direct page retrieval
• local repo tools: first-class evidence when the question touches local code

Output Contract

Always include:

1. Executive Summary
2. Evidence Map
3. What We Know
4. What We Infer
5. Contradictions and Unknowns
6. Confidence
7. Actionable Next Steps
8. Query Log
9. Sources

Citation Rules

• Every material factual claim must have an inline citation.
• Prefer direct URLs to primary sources.
• If only secondary evidence exists, say so explicitly.
• Keep facts and inference separate.

Failure Rules

• If a tool is unavailable, switch to another tool with the same role.
• If evidence is thin, say insufficient evidence.
• If there is no primary source, lower confidence and state the limitation.
• If evidence conflicts, preserve both sides with citations.

Report Template

Use this structure:

## Executive Summary
- Key takeaway with citation

## Evidence Map
- Primary: why this source is authoritative
- Supporting: what it adds
- Counter: what challenges the main claim

## What We Know
- Fact with citation

## What We Infer
- Inference linked back to evidence

## Contradictions and Unknowns
- Open disagreement or missing source

## Confidence
- high | medium | low

## Actionable Next Steps
- Specific follow-up

## Query Log
| Tool | Query/Prompt | Filters | Why Used | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

## Sources
- [Title](https://example.com) - Publisher, date

Additional Guidance

• For the detailed lane matrix and DeepWiki workflow, see reference.md.
• For concrete example prompts and output shapes, see examples.md.