Best Practices Researcher Skill

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Best Practices Researcher

Research industry standards and create project documentation in one workflow.

Purpose & Scope

Research via MCP Ref + Context7 for standards, patterns, versions
Create 4 types of documents from research results:
- Guide: Pattern documentation (Do/Don't/When table)
- Manual: API reference (methods/params/doc links)
- ADR: Architecture Decision Record (Q&A dialog)
- Research: Investigation document answering specific question
Return document path for linking in Stories/Tasks

Phase 0: Stack Detection

Objective: Identify project stack to filter research queries and adapt output.

Detection:

| Indicator | Stack | Query Prefix | Official Docs | |-----------|-------|--------------|---------------| | *.csproj, *.sln | .NET | "C# ASP.NET Core" | Microsoft docs | | package.json + tsconfig.json | Node.js | "TypeScript Node.js" | MDN, npm docs | | requirements.txt, pyproject.toml | Python | "Python" | Python docs, PyPI | | go.mod | Go | "Go Golang" | Go docs | | Cargo.toml | Rust | "Rust" | Rust docs | | build.gradle, pom.xml | Java | "Java" | Oracle docs, Maven |

Usage:

Add query_prefix to all MCP search queries
Link to stack-appropriate official docs

When to Use

ln-310-story-validator detects missing documentation
Need to document a pattern, library, or decision
Replaces: ln-321-guide-creator, ln-322-adr-creator, ln-323-manual-creator

Input Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description | |-----------|----------|-------------| | doc_type | Yes | "guide" / "manual" / "adr" / "research" | | topic | Yes | What to document (pattern name, package name, decision title, research question) | | story_context | No | Story/Task context for relevance |

Research Tools

| Tool | Use Case | Query Pattern | |------|----------|---------------| | ref_search_documentation | Standards, patterns, RFCs | "[topic] RFC standard best practices {current_year}" | | context7__resolve-library-id | Get library ID for docs | libraryName="[topic]" | | context7__query-docs | Library API, methods | topic="[stack_prefix] [topic]" | | WebSearch | Market, competitors, versions | "[topic] latest {current_year}" or "[topic] vs alternatives" |

Time-box: 5-10 minutes for research; skip if topic is trivial

Research Methodology by Type (for doc_type="research")

| Type | Focus | Primary Sources | Key Questions | |------|-------|-----------------|---------------| | Technical | Solution comparison | Docs, benchmarks, RFCs | "Which solution fits our use-case?" | | Market | Industry landscape | Reports, blogs, articles | "What's the market size/trend?" | | Competitor | How others solve it | Product pages, reviews, demos | "What features do competitors offer?" | | Requirements | User needs | Feedback, support tickets, forums | "What do customers complain about?" | | Feasibility | Can we build it? | PoC, prototypes, local tests | "Is it technically possible?" | | Feature Demand | Feature viability | Competitor features + blogs/socials + user complaints | "Is this feature worth building?" |

Workflow

| doc_type | Purpose | Research Source | Template | Output Path | Words | |----------|---------|-----------------|----------|-------------|-------| | guide | Pattern with Do/Don't/When table | ref_search (best practices) | guide_template.md | guides/NN-[slug].md | 300-500 | | manual | API/library reference | context7__query-docs | manual_template.md | manuals/[pkg]-[ver].md | 300-500 | | adr | Architecture decision | Dialog (5 questions) | adr_template.md | adrs/adr-NNN-[slug].md | 300-500 | | research | Investigation answering question | See Methodology table above | research_template.md | research/rsh-NNN-[slug].md | 300-700 |

Common Workflow: Detect number (if needed) → Research → Generate from template → Validate (SCOPE, POSIX) → Save → Return path

Extract & Sections by doc_type:

guide: Extract principle, 2-3 do/don'ts, sources → Sections: Principle, Our Implementation, Patterns table, Sources, Related
manual: Extract methods, params (type/required/default), returns → Sections: Package info, Overview, Methods table, Config table, Limitations
adr: Dialog answers → Sections: Context, Decision, Rationale, Alternatives table, Consequences, Related
research: Findings by methodology → Sections: Question, Context, Methodology, Findings (tables!), Conclusions, Next Steps, Sources

Validation specifics: guide: patterns table present; manual: version in filename; adr: ISO date, status field; all: sources ≤ 1 year old

ADR Dialog (5 questions): Q1: Title? → Q2: Category (Strategic/Technical)? → Q3: Context? → Q4: Decision + Rationale? → Q5: Alternatives (2 with pros/cons)?

Output: File path for linking in Stories/Tasks; for ADR remind to reference in architecture.md; for Research suggest ADR if decision needed

Critical Rules

MANDATORY FILE CREATION:

ALL research MUST end with file creation (guide/manual/ADR/research document)
Create target directory if missing (docs/guides/, docs/manuals/, docs/adrs/, docs/research/)
No exceptions — file creation is required for ALL invocations

NO_CODE_EXAMPLES (ALL document types):

| Forbidden | Allowed | |-----------|---------| | Code snippets | Tables (params, config, alternatives) | | Implementation examples | ASCII diagrams, Mermaid diagrams | | Code blocks >1 line | Method signatures (1 line inline) | | | Links to official docs |

Format Priority (STRICT):

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. TABLES + ASCII diagrams  ←── PRIORITY      │
│    Params, Config, Alternatives, Flows        │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 2. LISTS (enumerations only)                  │
│    Enumeration items, file lists, tools       │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 3. TEXT (last resort)                         │
│    Only if cannot express as table            │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘

| Content Type | Format | |--------------|--------| | Parameters | Table: Name | Type | Required | Default | | Configuration | Table: Option | Type | Default | Description | | Alternatives | Table: Alt | Pros | Cons | Why Rejected | | Patterns | Table: Do | Don't | When | | Workflow | ASCII diagram: A → B → C |

Other Rules:

Research ONCE per invocation; reuse results
Cite sources with versions/dates (≤ 1 year old)
One pattern per guide; one decision per ADR; one package per manual
Preserve language (EN/RU) from story_context
Link to stack-appropriate docs (Microsoft for .NET, MDN for JS, etc.)
MANDATORY: Create target directory if missing (docs/guides/, docs/manuals/, docs/adrs/, docs/research/); file creation is required

Definition of Done

Research completed (standards/patterns/versions extracted) - for guide/manual
Dialog completed (5 questions answered) - for ADR
Document generated with all required sections; no placeholders
Standards validated (SCOPE, maintenance, POSIX)
File saved to correct directory with proper naming
Path returned; README updated if placeholder present

Reference Files

Guide template: shared/templates/guide_template.md
Manual template: shared/templates/manual_template.md
ADR template: shared/templates/adr_template.md
Research template: shared/templates/research_template.md
Standards: docs/DOCUMENTATION_STANDARDS.md (if exists)

Version: 3.0.1 Last Updated: 2026-02-14

Agent Skills: Best Practices Researcher

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