# Research Init

> >-

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-v0lka-skills-research-init`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [v0lka](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/v0lka)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [v0lka](https://github.com/v0lka)
- **Source:** https://github.com/v0lka/skills/tree/main/engineering/research-init

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-v0lka-skills-research-init
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Research Project Initialization

Initialize a new research project with the standardized file catalog
and a populated research brief.

## Context

Every research project requires a standardized file catalog and a research
brief as its entry point. The brief is a living document that evolves
throughout the research but must be created at the start with enough detail
to guide the first hypotheses.

## File Catalog Structure

All methodology artifacts live in a file catalog of Markdown files. The layout
for a single research project is:

```
{research-root}/
├── index.md                          # Research index (all projects)
└── R-NNN-short-name/                 # One research project
    ├── brief.md                      # Research brief (entry point)
    ├── hypotheses/                   # Hypothesis graph container
    │   └── graph.md                  # Mermaid diagram + hypothesis catalog
    ├── prior-art.md                  # Prior art and references
    └── report.md                     # Final report (created at synthesis only)
```

`{research-root}` is a directory the user specifies. It may already contain
other research projects. If `index.md` exists, this is an existing root; if
not, create it.

## Procedure

### Step 1 — Determine the research root

Ask the user which directory to use as the research root. If the directory
already contains `index.md`, treat it as an existing research root. Otherwise,
create the directory and seed `index.md` with an empty research index heading.

### Step 2 — Assign a research identifier

Read `index.md` to find the highest existing `R-NNN` identifier. Assign
`R-(N+1)`, zero-padded to three digits. If no researches exist yet, start
with `R-001`.

### Step 3 — Gather brief information

Conduct a structured dialogue with the researcher. Collect every field listed
below. All fields are required unless marked optional.

1. **Research title** — a concise, human-readable title for the project.
   Used in the brief heading, the index, and graph references.
2. **Problem domain** — which segment is involved (web application
   security, cryptographic protocols, analysis tooling, etc.).
3. **Research question** — what we are trying to discover or create, phrased
   as a question answerable with "yes/no" or "here is how."
4. **Success criteria** — how we know the research achieved its goal.
   Quantitative (coverage >= X %, detection time <= Y) or qualitative
   (working PoC, proof of impossibility).
5. **Scope boundaries** — what is inside vs. outside the research.
6. **Known constraints** — technical, time, and resource limitations.
7. **Prior art (summary)** — known existing work, tools, publications.
   A short overview here; the detailed catalog lives in `prior-art.md`.
8. **Related researches** *(optional)* — links to parent or sibling research
   projects when this is a sub-research or part of a decomposed effort.
9. **Implementation plan** — high-level description of how results will be
   integrated into an existing product or become the basis for a new one.
   At this stage: target product, expected integration format, affected
   components.
10. **Ethical boundaries** — target systems used, whether approval is required
    and obtained, responsible-disclosure plan if applicable.
11. **Quarter** — the calendar quarter this research belongs to (e.g.,
    2025-Q2).
12. **Researcher(s)** — names or identifiers of the people conducting the
    research.

Status is set to **Active** automatically.

### Step 4 — Validate the 3-month constraint

Ask whether the research can realistically be completed within one quarter
(3 months). If not, suggest decomposition into sub-researches. Common
decomposition strategies:

- **By stages**: exploration + primary hypotheses → deep experiments →
  finalization + prototypes.
- **By independent directions**: each major branch of the hypothesis graph
  becomes its own sub-research.
- **By abstraction level**: theoretical analysis → tool implementation.

If decomposition is chosen, recursively initialize each sub-research as its
own project and cross-link them via the "Related researches" field.

### Step 5 — Create the file structure

Create directory `R-NNN-short-name/` where `short-name` is a kebab-case slug
derived from the research question (max 50 chars).

Populate files using the templates in [assets/](assets/):

| File | Template | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| `brief.md` | [brief-template.md](assets/brief-template.md) | Fill with collected info |
| `hypotheses/graph.md` | [graph-template.md](assets/graph-template.md) | Empty graph placeholder |
| `prior-art.md` | [prior-art-template.md](assets/prior-art-template.md) | Empty catalog |

**Do NOT create `report.md`** — it is created only during the synthesis phase
(see `research-synthesis` skill).

### Step 6 — Update the research index

Append an entry to `{research-root}/index.md` with the new research's
metadata: identifier, title, status, problem domain, quarter, researcher(s),
and a relative link to `brief.md`.

### Step 7 — Prompt for first hypothesis

After initialization, suggest that the researcher formulate their first
hypothesis. If they are ready, hand off to the `research-hypothesis` skill
to create `H-001`.

## Important Notes

- The brief is a **living document**. Research question and success criteria
  will be refined as the research progresses. This is expected.
- All dates use ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD).
- File and directory names use kebab-case.
- Hypothesis cards are NOT created during init — they are managed by the
  `research-hypothesis` skill.
- The research root may contain many projects side by side.

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [v0lka](https://github.com/v0lka)
- **Source:** [v0lka/skills](https://github.com/v0lka/skills)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-v0lka-skills-research-init
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/v0lka
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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