research:prior-art · diff
git:20260606.c07e2c7 to git:20260615.1ec44ee
6 added, 6 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: research:prior-art
description: |
Research existing solutions when exploring a new problem space. Use when the user mentions "prior art", "existing solutions", "what libraries exist for", or wants to understand the landscape before building.
argument-hint: <topic>
---
Research prior art for: $ARGUMENTS
## Process
### Search
Identify relevant sources based on context:
- **GitHub**: Search for repositories matching the problem space
- **Package registries**: npm, PyPI, crates.io, pkg.go.dev—infer from current project or query
- **Web search**: For broader landscape understanding
Run searches in parallel. Infer the ecosystem from:
1. Current project's language/framework (if present)
2. Query terms (e.g., "React hook for X" implies npm)
3. Ask only if genuinely ambiguous
### Investigation
Start with 2-3 most promising projects:
1. Read README and high-level docs to assess relevance
- 2. Only examine code when relevance is confirmed AND implementation details matter
- 3. Dispatch parallel Task agents for each project, with explicit focus areas
+ 2. Examine code only when relevance is confirmed AND implementation details matter
+ 3. Dispatch parallel Task agents per project, with explicit focus areas
- If initial results don't satisfy the query, expand to additional projects.
+ If results don't satisfy the query, expand to more projects.
**Agent dispatch example:**
```
Investigate [project] for prior art on [topic]:
- How does it approach [specific aspect]?
- What tradeoffs does it make?
- What can we learn for our use case?
```
### Synthesis
Gather findings and produce a recommendation:
- Identify common patterns across solutions
- Note meaningful variations in approach
- - Infer user intent:
+ - Infer intent:
- "build X" → learn patterns, inform implementation
- "library for X" → find dependencies to use directly
## Output Format
- Respond in the conversation with structured markdown (not files):
+ Respond in the conversation with structured markdown, not files:
```markdown
## Prior Art: [Topic]
### Summary
[Common patterns, key variations, recommendation based on query intent]
### Projects
#### [Project Name]
- **Repository**: [link]
- **Relevance**: [why this matters to the query]
- **Approach**: [how it solves the problem]
- **Lessons**: [what to learn from it]
#### [Next Project]
...
### Additional Projects (not deeply investigated)
- [Project]: [one-line description]
- ...
```
## Behavior Guidelines
- **Honest reporting**: Acknowledge when prior art is sparse—don't force results
- **Research only**: Don't offer to integrate dependencies or modify the project
- **Ecosystem inference**: Derive from context, don't require explicit specification
- - **Adaptive depth**: Investigate more projects if initial batch is insufficient
+ - **Adaptive depth**: Investigate more projects if the initial batch is insufficient