git:20260507.8dfdcb4 to git:20260507.9f5be95

---

name: research-first-dev

description: Research-first development methodology that investigates existing solutions, brainstorms alternatives, and evaluates trade-offs before any implementation begins.

allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch

graph:

domains: [domain:software-engineering]

skillAreas: [skill-area:agentic-loops, skill-area:orchestration-loop]

workflows: [workflow:feature-development]

topics: [topic:developer-experience]

roles: [role:tech-lead, role:backend-engineer]

- Parse the request into specific technical requirements

- Identify the domain and relevant technology stack

- List known constraints (time, resources, compatibility)

- Define success criteria

### 2. Existing Solution Search

- Search GitHub for similar implementations

- Check package registries (npm, PyPI, crates.io, etc.)

- Review documentation for framework-specific solutions

- Identify relevant design patterns

- Check for known anti-patterns to avoid

### 3. Alternative Brainstorming

- Generate at least 3 alternative approaches

- Include a "build" option and at least one "buy/reuse" option

- Consider unconventional approaches

### 4. Trade-Off Evaluation

- Complexity: implementation effort, learning curve

- Time: development timeline, time-to-value

- Risk: failure modes, dependency risks, maintenance burden

- Scalability: growth limits, performance under load

- Score each alternative on all 4 axes

### 5. Recommendation

- Rank alternatives by composite score

- Provide clear recommendation with justification

- Include risk mitigation plan for chosen approach

- Define go/no-go criteria

## Iterative Retrieval

- Start broad, narrow based on findings

- Use confidence scoring to decide when to stop

- Maximum 3 retrieval rounds per topic

- Cache findings for reuse in subsequent phases

## When to Use

- New feature development (always)

- Architecture changes

- Technology selection

- Dependency evaluation

- Performance optimization strategy

## Agents Used

- `planner` (primary consumer)

- `architect` (architecture-specific research)