research-roadmap

Pack Availability Guard

Before telling the user to run a skill from another project-local pack, check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs. If the target pack is not enabled, recommend /pack install <pack> instead of the target skill. Global skills are always valid. Skills from this same pack are valid because the current skill is already running from that pack.

Research Roadmap - Documentation Queue Manager

Use this skill to make the project documentation contract complete before build work continues. It scans research, specs, and task docs, then updates tasks/todo.md with immediately actionable documentation work and uses tasks/record-todo.md or tasks/recurring-todo.md for non-blocking future documentation records.

Do not run the queued research skills from this skill. The job here is to maintain the documentation queue so the user can complete research and planning artifacts in the right order.

Process

0. Parse Mode Arguments

Parse $ARGUMENTS for mode flags:

• --post-prototype: Post-prototype research refresh mode
• --post-spec: Post-spec research refresh mode
• No flags: default documentation queue mode (existing behavior)

If --post-prototype is present, skip to the Post-Prototype Process below. If --post-spec is present, skip to the Post-Spec Process below. Otherwise, continue with the standard process starting at step 1.

1. Resolve Project Pack

1. Read .agents/project.json if it exists.
2. Use project_type and enabled_packs to decide which project-pack research skills apply.
3. If .agents/project.json is missing, infer the project type from repository signals:
   • game: game engine files, Steam/store assets, playable prototypes, or game-specific README/spec language
   • devtool: SDK, CLI, API, library, infra, docs, examples, or package-first developer workflow
   • business-app: SaaS, marketplace, productivity, workflow, enterprise, or user-facing app
4. If the project type cannot be inferred, default to business-app.
5. If an expected pack is not installed, add a priority todo for /pack install <pack> before pack-specific research todos.

2. Resolve Documentation Roots

Treat top-level research/, specs/, and tasks/ as canonical.

1. If a canonical root exists, use it directly.
2. If a canonical root is missing, search shallowly near the repo root for likely aliases such as docs/, planning/, notes/, or work/.
3. Prefer roots that contain multiple expected documentation files over isolated matches.
4. If no credible task root exists, create/update top-level tasks/todo.md; create tasks/record-todo.md or tasks/recurring-todo.md only when advisory items exist.
5. If a fallback root is used for research or specs, mention it in the generated todo item reasons.

For writing the priority queue, prefer tasks/todo.md. Use a fallback task root only when the project already has a clear existing task contract and no top-level tasks/ directory. Do not put condition-gated records or recurring obligations into tasks/todo.md unless they are immediately actionable execution work.

3. Discover Research-Producing Skills

Build the research queue from enabled project packs. Include every enabled research-producing skill whose output is missing or stale, even if its prerequisites are not yet present. When prerequisites are missing, keep the item in the queue but note that it is blocked by earlier documentation items.

Prefer dynamic discovery when skill files are available:

1. Inspect enabled pack skill files under .claude/skills/*/SKILL.md or packs/<pack>/claude/*/SKILL.md.
2. Include skills with type: research.
3. Also include skills whose ## Output section writes research/*.md, research/{app}/*.md, research/experiments/*.md, or dated research files.

If dynamic discovery is unavailable, use these fallback maps.

Business-app research outputs:

Skill	Output
/icp	research/icp.md
/competitive-analysis	research/competitive-analysis.md
/journey-map	research/journey-map.md
/positioning	research/positioning.md
/metrics	research/metrics.md
/gtm	research/gtm.md
/monetization	research/monetization.md
/landing-copy	research/landing-copy.md
/customer-feedback	research/customer-feedback.md
/assumption-tracker	research/assumption-tracker.md
/experiment	research/experiments/<experiment>.md
/enterprise-icp	research/enterprise-icp.md
/risk-register	research/risk-register.md
/burn-rate	research/burn-rate.md
/runway-model	research/runway-model.md
/cohort-review	research/cohort-review-YYYY-MM-DD.md
/retro	research/retro-YYYY-MM-DD.md
/investor-update	research/investor-update-YYYY-MM.md
/platform-strategy	research/platform-strategy.md
/mvp-gap	research/mvp-gap.md

Game research outputs:

Skill	Output
/game-audience	research/game-audience.md
/game-fantasy	research/game-fantasy.md
/game-genre-map	research/game-genre-map.md
/game-comparables	research/game-comparables.md
/game-core-loop	research/game-core-loop.md
/game-prototype-test	research/game-prototype-test.md
/game-playtest-metrics	research/game-playtest-metrics.md
/game-store-page-test	research/game-store-page-test.md
/game-launch	research/game-launch.md

Devtool research outputs:

Skill	Output
/devtool-user-map	research/devtool-user-map.md
/devtool-integration-map	research/devtool-integration-map.md
/devtool-dx-journey	research/devtool-dx-journey.md
/devtool-adoption	research/devtool-adoption.md
/devtool-positioning	research/devtool-positioning.md
/devtool-monetization	research/devtool-monetization.md
/devtool-docs-audit	research/devtool-docs-audit.md

Also include documentation-producing non-research skills when their outputs are missing or stale:

Skill	Output
/idea-scope-brief	research/concept-brief.md or research/{app}/concept-brief.md
/spec-interview	specs/*.md
/ux-variations	specs/ux-variations-*.md
/ui-interview	specs/ui-*.md
/scale-audit	specs/scale-audit.md
/roadmap	tasks/roadmap.md, tasks/todo.md
/game-roadmap	tasks/roadmap.md, tasks/todo.md
/reconcile-research fix all	research/reconciliation-report.md
/reconcile-dev-docs fix all	reconciled tasks/, specs/, and phase archives
/youtube-audit	research/youtube-audit-YYYY-MM-DD.md

4. Scan Documentation State

Record existence and last-modified timestamps for:

• all discovered research outputs
• research/concept-brief.md and app-scoped research/{app}/concept-brief.md when present
• research/*-search-log.md and research/*-interview.md only as supporting context, not primary completion artifacts
• specs/*.md and app-scoped specs/{app}/*.md
• specs/ux-variations-*.md and app-scoped specs/{app}/ux-variations-*.md
• specs/ui-*.md and app-scoped specs/{app}/ui-*.md
• tasks/roadmap.md
• tasks/todo.md
• tasks/history.md
• tasks/ideas.md
• tasks/manual-todo.md
• tasks/record-todo.md
• tasks/recurring-todo.md

When research/ contains app subdirectories, treat it as monorepo mode. Build a separate documentation queue per app and include app arguments in commands, such as /icp web.

5. Classify Missing And Stale Items

An item is missing when its expected output file does not exist.

An item is stale when a newer upstream document should invalidate or refresh it. Include the exact timestamps in the todo reason. Use these default rules:

Newer input	Stale target
research/concept-brief.md or research/{app}/concept-brief.md	matching research/icp.md or research/{app}/icp.md
research/customer-feedback.md	research/icp.md, research/journey-map.md, research/monetization.md, research/landing-copy.md
research/icp.md	research/competitive-analysis.md, research/positioning.md, research/gtm.md, research/monetization.md, research/landing-copy.md
research/competitive-analysis.md	research/positioning.md, research/gtm.md, research/monetization.md, research/landing-copy.md
research/positioning.md	research/gtm.md, research/landing-copy.md
research/journey-map.md	research/metrics.md, research/gtm.md, research/monetization.md, research/landing-copy.md
research/metrics.md	research/cohort-review-*.md, research/runway-model.md, research/investor-update-*.md
research/gtm.md	research/monetization.md, research/runway-model.md, research/investor-update-*.md
research/monetization.md	research/burn-rate.md, research/runway-model.md, research/investor-update-*.md
research/experiments/*.md with results	research/assumption-tracker.md
research/cohort-review-*.md latest	research/metrics.md, research/gtm.md, research/monetization.md, research/investor-update-*.md
research/enterprise-icp.md	specs/scale-audit.md
research/journey-map.md	specs/*.md, specs/ux-variations-*.md, specs/ui-*.md, research/metrics.md, research/gtm.md, research/monetization.md, research/landing-copy.md
any non-UX/UI specs/*.md	specs/ux-variations-*.md, specs/ui-*.md, tasks/roadmap.md
specs/ux-variations-*.md	specs/ui-*.md, tasks/roadmap.md
specs/ui-*.md	tasks/roadmap.md
research/runway-model.md	tasks/roadmap.md

Also flag potentially stale specs when source code has commits newer than the spec files. Add /spec-drift fix all as a priority documentation item when specs are probably behind implementation.

Do not queue a missing /idea-scope-brief item for established projects that already have research/icp.md, research/competitive-analysis.md, research/journey-map.md, or specs/. Queue it only for idea-only projects where no concept brief or downstream research/spec artifact exists.

6. Order The Priority Queue

Order immediately actionable todo items so the user can complete documentation without guessing:

1. Pack installation needed for the selected project type.
2. Stale foundational research.
3. Missing foundational research.
4. Stale downstream research.
5. Missing downstream research.
6. Missing or stale specs.
7. Missing or stale UX/UI planning artifacts for user-facing work.
8. Missing or stale roadmap/task docs.
9. Reconciliation items when conflicting docs are detected.

Within research items, use this dependency order when relevant. When emitting queued commands for pack-based skills, apply the Pack Availability Guard — if the target skill's pack is not in .agents/project.json enabled_packs, queue /pack install <pack> before the skill:

/idea-scope-brief
  -> /icp
  -> /competitive-analysis
  -> /journey-map
  -> /positioning
    -> /ux-variations
      -> /ui-interview
        -> /prototype
          -> /uat --variant-evaluation
            -> /consolidate-variations
              -> /research-roadmap --post-prototype
                -> /spec-interview
                  -> /roadmap
    -> /metrics
  -> /gtm
  -> /monetization
  -> /landing-copy
3+ research docs -> /assumption-tracker -> /experiment -> /customer-feedback
/enterprise-icp -> /scale-audit
/metrics + launch data -> /cohort-review
/monetization -> /burn-rate -> /runway-model
quarterly/outcome data -> /retro
stakeholder reporting -> /investor-update
multi-product expansion -> /platform-strategy

For game and devtool projects, follow the default pack flow from docs/skills-reference.md when available. Add review or planning skills such as /devtool-docs-audit and /game-roadmap only when their documented output is missing from the documentation contract.

Default devtool order:

/devtool-user-map
  -> /devtool-integration-map
    -> /devtool-dx-journey
      -> /devtool-adoption
        -> /devtool-positioning
          -> /devtool-monetization
            -> /devtool-docs-audit
              -> /research-roadmap

6b. Classify Advisory Documentation Work

Before writing any queue, choose the correct task surface:

• tasks/todo.md: missing/stale documentation work that can be performed now with available repo context and normal skill inputs.
• tasks/record-todo.md: one-time documentation records or measurements that are blocked on future conditions, production aggregate access, external reports, user-provided data, or launch data, and are not launch gates.
• tasks/recurring-todo.md: cohort reviews, retros, investor updates, playtest/adoption checks, docs-health checks, or other documentation jobs that recur on a cadence.

Record items must include task, source, condition, non-blocking reason, required data/access, measurement/query, target/acceptance note, revisit cadence/date, completion evidence, and promotion rule. Recurring items must include task, cadence, owner/agent, scope, trigger, last run, next due, command/skill, evidence/output path, and escalation conditions.

7. Update tasks/todo.md

Write a single top-level section named exactly:

## Priority Documentation Todo

Rules:

1. If tasks/todo.md does not exist, create it.
2. If a previous ## Priority Documentation Todo section exists, replace only that section.
3. Put the section before existing implementation work. If the file starts with a title or status block, keep that orientation text at the top and insert the priority section immediately after it.
4. Preserve all other todo content exactly unless it is inside the old priority section.
5. Do not mark existing implementation tasks complete.
6. Do not remove unrelated todo sections.
7. Use unchecked boxes only for missing/stale documentation work that is immediately actionable.
8. Use checked boxes only when an item is already current.

Todo item format:

- [ ] `/skill [optional-app-or-argument]` - create/update `path/to/output.md` because [missing/stale reason with evidence].

If prerequisites are missing:

- [ ] `/metrics` - create/update `research/metrics.md` after `/journey-map`; currently blocked because `research/journey-map.md` is missing.

Do not write unavailable-data or cadence-gated items here. Write those to tasks/record-todo.md or tasks/recurring-todo.md instead.

7b. Update tasks/record-todo.md

When non-blocking condition-gated documentation records exist, append or replace a ## Documentation Records section in tasks/record-todo.md. Preserve all other sections exactly.

Use this item format:

- [ ] [record task]
  - Source: [skill/spec/phase/criterion]
  - Condition: [future condition or required access]
  - Non-blocking reason: [why this does not block launch or current execution]
  - Required data/access: [data, aggregate, portal, credential, or user-provided output]
  - Measurement/query: [how to produce the record]
  - Target/acceptance note: [threshold or expected note]
  - Revisit: [date or cadence]
  - Completion evidence: [research path, history entry, or report path]
  - Promotion rule: [when to move into `tasks/todo.md`]

7c. Update tasks/recurring-todo.md

When recurring documentation work exists, append or replace a ## Documentation Recurring Work section in tasks/recurring-todo.md. Preserve all other sections exactly.

Use this item format:

- [ ] [recurring task]
  - Cadence: [daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/on release/etc.]
  - Owner/agent: [/skill or responsible role]
  - Scope: [project/app/area]
  - Trigger: [time, release, data threshold, user request]
  - Last run: [date or never]
  - Next due: [date or rule]
  - Command/skill: [/skill args]
  - Evidence/output path: [research/report path]
  - Escalation conditions: [when this becomes executable or blocking]

If all documentation is current:

- [x] Documentation is current; no missing or stale research, spec, roadmap, or task artifacts found.

8. Output To User

After editing, summarize:

## Research Roadmap Updated

- Wrote/updated `tasks/todo.md` and any needed advisory task files
- Priority documentation items: N
- Stale items: N
- Missing items: N
- Blocked-by-prerequisite items: N
- Record items: N
- Recurring items: N

Next: start at the first unchecked item in `tasks/todo.md`; review advisory task files separately.

If fallback discovery was used, include a short note naming the inferred roots.

Post-Prototype Process (--post-prototype)

Gate

A consolidated prototype must exist at prototypes/{topic}/consolidated/. If missing, halt and recommend /consolidate-variations first.

Scan

1. Read the consolidated prototype directory to understand what was built.
2. Read all research docs: research/concept-brief.md, research/icp.md, research/competitive-analysis.md, research/journey-map.md, and any other research/*.md files.
3. For each research document, compare against the consolidated prototype:
   • User flows: Does the prototype's flow match the journey map's discovery -> onboarding -> aha -> conversion -> retention path?
   • Onboarding: Does the prototype's first-run experience match ICP expectations for technical sophistication and time-to-value?
   • Density and copy: Does the prototype's information density and copy tone match ICP communication preferences?
   • Interactions: Do the prototype's interaction patterns match journey-map touchpoints and competitive differentiation?
   • Differentiation: Does the prototype demonstrate the competitive advantages identified in competitive analysis?
4. Flag research documents that are contradicted or made stale by prototype decisions.

Output

Populate tasks/todo.md ## Priority Documentation Todo with research skills that need re-running, using the same format as the standard process. Each item must explain what the prototype revealed that contradicts or supersedes the current research document.

Next step: first unchecked queued item in tasks/todo.md.

Post-Spec Process (--post-spec)

Gate

A production spec must exist at specs/{topic}.md. If missing, halt and recommend /spec-interview first.

Scan

1. Read the production spec to understand implementation constraints.
2. Read all research docs.
3. For each research document, compare against spec constraints:
   • Auth model: Does the research assume an auth model that the spec changed?
   • Data model: Does the research assume data structures that the spec redesigned?
   • Performance: Does the research assume performance characteristics that the spec's architecture contradicts?
   • Deployment: Does the research assume a deployment model that the spec changed?
4. Flag research documents that are invalidated by spec constraints.

Output

Populate tasks/todo.md ## Priority Documentation Todo with research skills that need re-running. Each item must explain what spec constraint invalidates the current research document.

Next step: first unchecked queued item in tasks/todo.md.

Constraints

• This skill updates tasks/todo.md, tasks/record-todo.md, and tasks/recurring-todo.md; it must not run the queued skills.
• Preserve user-authored todo content outside ## Priority Documentation Todo.
• Preserve user-authored record/recurring content outside ## Documentation Records and ## Documentation Recurring Work.
• Every stale item must include timestamp evidence.
• Every enabled research-producing skill must be represented unless its output is present and fresh.
• Prefer canonical research/, specs/, and tasks/ paths over aliases.
• In monorepo mode, include app-scoped commands and output paths.
• Do not put condition-gated measurements, future validation records, or cadence-based research jobs into tasks/todo.md unless they are immediately executable.
• Do not create or modify source code.

Alignment Page

Follow the shared Alignment Page convention in CLAUDE.md. Output: alignment/research-roadmap-{topic}.html.

Default Shipping Contract

Follow the shared shipping contract convention in CLAUDE.md.