91 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
91 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
# Research Workflow
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**"I need to understand something."**
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## Trigger
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- "How does X work?"
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- "Explain the architecture of..."
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- "I need to understand..."
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- "What's the current state of..."
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## The Flow
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### 1. Check Skills
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```
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Any relevant skills for this research?
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- Code exploration skills
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- Documentation skills
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- Domain-specific knowledge skills
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- Use if helpful, skip if not
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```
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### 2. Read Existing Knowledge
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```bash
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# Check if already documented in beads
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bd query "title~=<topic> OR notes~=<topic>"
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# Check for closed beads with findings
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bd query "status=closed AND notes~=<topic>"
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# Read relevant bead notes
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bd show <related-id>
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```
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### 3. Explore Codebase
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```
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- Find entry points
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- Trace data flows
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- Identify key abstractions
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- Note patterns and conventions
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```
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### 4. Document Findings
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Two paths:
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**If significant:**
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```bash
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bd create "Research: <topic>" --type task --priority P2
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bd update <id> --notes "Findings:
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## Summary
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## Key Components
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## Data Flow
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## Patterns Observed
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## Open Questions"
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```
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**If related to existing bead:**
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```bash
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bd update <existing-id> --notes "Research findings:
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<findings>"
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```
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### 5. Identify Gaps
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```
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What's still unclear?
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What needs investigation?
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What decisions need to be made?
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```
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## Research Outputs
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Document:
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- **What you learned** (facts)
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- **How things connect** (relationships)
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- **What's unclear** (gaps)
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- **What should change** (opportunities)
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- **Where to look next** (pointers)
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## For Future Agents
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Your research notes should let another agent:
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- Understand the topic without re-researching
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- Know what's known vs unknown
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- Continue from where you stopped
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- Make informed decisions
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## Evidence
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Research doesn't need test gates, but does need:
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- Clear documentation
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- Cited sources (file paths, line numbers)
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- Dated findings (when was this true?)
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