---
name: research
description: "For unfamiliar APIs or libraries; identify authoritative sources, compare alternatives, verify version-specific behavior, and separate verified facts from assumptions."
---

# Research Skill

For unfamiliar APIs or libraries: identify authoritative sources, compare alternatives, verify version-specific behavior, and separate verified facts from assumptions.

## Subagents
When you need to delegate sub‑tasks, use the `pi-subagents` skill.

**Example:** When evaluating a new library, spawn a **scout** to read the official documentation, another **scout** to search for community benchmarks, and a **reviewer** to compare the findings against your project's requirements and version constraints.

*You may adapt the delegation pattern to fit the exact requirements of the codebase.*

## Process

### 1. Identify Sources
- Official documentation
- Source repository
- Specifications/RFCs
- Release notes/changelogs

### 2. Compare
- Multiple sources for verification
- Version-specific differences
- Community best practices

### 3. Verify
- Test assumptions with code
- Check version compatibility
- Note deprecations

### 4. Distinguish
- Mark verified vs. inferred
- Cite sources
- Flag uncertainties