Technology Selection, Best Practices & Documentation Research

Triggers — run this protocol automatically when:

• User asks to add a library, framework, or tool
• User asks to implement a non-trivial feature (auth, payments, file uploads, real-time, etc.)
• A placeholder [framework] or [library] is being filled during bootstrap
• You are about to write code for an integration you haven't verified recently

Research protocol (execute in order)

1. Search for the current best options — check GitHub stars, last commit date, open issues, known CVEs, deprecation notices, and community adoption
2. Fetch the official documentation for the chosen technology — read the quickstart, API reference, and any "gotchas" or migration guides
3. Search for best practices — official style guides, security hardening docs, performance guides, and patterns recommended by the maintainers
4. Check for known issues — common pitfalls, breaking changes in recent versions, and unpatched CVEs

Output format — always present to the user

• Recommended option with rationale (why this one)
• Alternative with pros/cons comparison
• Key gotchas discovered during research
• Links to the docs you read

After research

• Save findings to .github/KNOWLEDGE.md under the relevant category
• Include: what was chosen, why, links to official docs, key patterns, and gotchas
• Commit: git commit -m "docs(knowledge): add [technology] research and best practices"

Quality bar

• Never use a library with no commits in the last 12 months without flagging it
• Never use a library with a critical unpatched CVE without flagging it
• Prefer official/first-party over third-party when both solve the problem equally
• Always use the latest stable version unless the project has a documented reason not to