Research Synthesis

Consolidate research for: $ARGUMENTS

Purpose

When research is conducted in parallel — multiple agents exploring different aspects of a problem — each produces a separate findings file. This skill combines those files into one self-contained document that a reader with no prior context can understand completely.

Process

1. Locate Research Files

Search for research files related to the topic:

Glob pattern: docs/plans/*-<topic>-*.md
Exclude: *-plan.md, *-research.md (the consolidated output)

If no files are found, ask the user to specify the file paths.

2. Read All Source Files

Read each research file completely. Note:

• Key findings from each source
• Overlapping or contradictory information
• Gaps — topics mentioned but not investigated
• Confidence levels stated by each researcher

3. Organize by Theme

Restructure findings by theme, NOT by source. Multiple researchers may have found related information — group it together rather than presenting each researcher's output sequentially.

Themes to look for:

• Architecture and design patterns
• Data flow and state management
• External dependencies and APIs
• Security and performance considerations
• Testing patterns and coverage
• Gaps and open questions

4. Write Consolidated Document

Create the synthesis at: docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-research.md

(Use today's date in YYYY-MM-DD format)

# Research: <Topic> (YYYY-MM-DD)

## Problem Statement

[What is being investigated and why]

## Requirements

[Key requirements gathered from research]

## Findings

### [Theme 1]

[Findings organized by theme, not by source document]

### [Theme 2]

[Continue for each theme...]

## External Research

[Findings from web research with source citations and confidence
assessments]

## Technical Constraints

[Limitations, dependencies, and compatibility concerns]

## Open Questions

[Questions that remain unanswered across all research]

## Recommendations

[Synthesis of all findings into actionable recommendations]

## Sources

| Document | Researcher | Focus Area |
| -------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| [path]   | [agent]    | [scope]    |

5. Validate and Present

After writing the document:

1. Present a summary of key findings to the user
2. Note any contradictions or gaps found during synthesis

Quality Criteria

A good synthesis document:

• Is self-contained — no prior context required to understand it
• Organizes by theme, not by source
• Resolves contradictions between sources (or flags them explicitly)
• Preserves source citations for external research
• Identifies gaps where more research may be needed
• Provides actionable recommendations

Anti-Patterns