Research Guide

Overview

Research and document best practices, guides, and library recommendations for any development topic. Leverages /sc:research for deep web research and synthesizes findings into detailed reports tailored to the project context.

Instructions

Step 1: Analyze Context

Before researching, understand the project context:

• Check package.json, Cargo.toml, go.mod, etc. for existing dependencies
• Review project structure to understand tech stack
• Identify constraints (language, framework, existing patterns)

Step 2: Formulate Research Query

Build a focused research query based on:

• The specific topic or problem
• Project's tech stack and constraints
• Current year for up-to-date results

Step 3: Execute Research

Use the /sc:research slash command:

/sc:research "[topic] best practices [tech-stack] [current-year]" --depth standard

For complex topics, use deeper research:

/sc:research "[topic]" --depth deep

Step 4: Synthesize Report

Create a detailed report with structure:

# Research Report: [Topic]

## Summary
Brief overview of findings (2-3 sentences)

## Recommended Libraries

| Library | Purpose | Stars | Last Update | Notes |
|---------|---------|-------|-------------|-------|
| lib-name | description | ~10k | 2024 | recommendation |

## Best Practices

### Practice 1: [Name]
- What: Description
- Why: Rationale
- How: Implementation guidance

### Practice 2: [Name]
...

## Implementation Guide

Step-by-step guidance for the specific project context.

## References
- [Source 1](url)
- [Source 2](url)

## Compatibility Notes
Project-specific considerations based on existing stack.

Step 5: Save Report

Save to claudedocs/research_[topic]_[timestamp].md

Examples

Example: Research Authentication

Input: "Research best practices for authentication in our TypeScript backend"

Process:

1. Check project: TypeScript, Bun, Hono framework
2. Query: /sc:research "authentication best practices TypeScript Hono 2025" --depth standard
3. Synthesize findings into report

Output: Detailed report covering:

• JWT vs session comparison
• Recommended libraries (jose, arctic, lucia)
• Implementation patterns for Hono
• Security best practices

Example: Research State Management

Input: "What's the best state management for React in 2025?"

Process:

1. Check project: React 18, TypeScript
2. Query: /sc:research "React state management comparison 2025" --depth deep
3. Compare options in project context

Output: Report with:

• Zustand vs Jotai vs Redux Toolkit comparison
• Bundle size analysis
• Recommended choice for project scale
• Migration guide if switching

Example: Research Testing Strategy

Input: "Research testing best practices for our API"

Process:

1. Check project: Bun runtime, REST API
2. Query: /sc:research "API testing best practices Bun TypeScript 2025"
3. Tailor to existing test setup

Output: Report covering:

• Unit vs integration vs e2e strategy
• Recommended test runners (bun:test, vitest)
• Mocking strategies
• CI/CD integration

Guidelines

• Always check project context before researching
• Include current year in queries for fresh results
• Prioritize libraries actively maintained (updated within 6 months)
• Consider bundle size and dependency count
• Note breaking changes between major versions
• Provide migration paths when recommending changes
• Save all reports to claudedocs/ directory

Report Quality Checklist

Before finalizing a report:

• Summary is concise and actionable
• Libraries include maintenance status
• Best practices have clear rationale
• Implementation guide matches project stack
• All sources are cited
• Compatibility with existing deps checked