Research Report
Answer a research question with a sourced report. The AI drives Scope, Gather, Synthesize, and a review checkpoint.
the steps, as stored
- 01Question
State the research question precisely before anything else.
Capture: - The question — the specific thing this report must answer - Why it matters — the decision or need behind it - The audience for the report - Any constraints — depth, deadline, sources to use or avoid
A fuzzy question produces a fuzzy report. If the operator's ask is broad, narrow it with them before advancing.
Save the question and its context as a task note with task_notes_add. The next step — Scope — reads this note.
- 02Scopeapproval gate
Read the task notes with task_notes_list — the note from the Question step contains the question and its context. Work from it.
Scope the research. What good looks like: - The sub-questions that, answered, answer the main question - What is in scope and explicitly out of scope - The kinds of sources you will use - The shape of the final report — sections and depth
Save the scope as a task note with task_notes_add. Then ask the operator to approve the scope before gathering begins. This is a checkpoint — scope drift wastes the most time in research, so the AI cannot advance until you approve.
- 03Gather
Read the task notes with task_notes_list — the note from the Scope step contains the sub-questions and boundaries. Work from it.
Gather evidence against each sub-question. For every finding capture: - The finding itself, stated plainly - The source — a link or citation - How reliable the source is and any caveat - Which sub-question it answers
Stay inside the approved scope. Note where evidence is thin or conflicting rather than papering over it.
Save the gathered findings and sources as a task note with task_notes_add. If it exceeds 10,000 characters, split across notes or store where the operator keeps documents and record the location. The Synthesize step reads this note.
- 04Synthesize
Read the task notes with task_notes_list — the Gather note holds the findings and sources, and the Scope note holds the sub-questions to answer. Work from them.
Write the report: - A direct answer to the main question up front - Each sub-question answered with its evidence and sources cited - Conflicting evidence and uncertainty stated honestly - A short conclusion and, if asked for, a recommendation - Sources listed so claims can be checked
Do not assert beyond the evidence. Distinguish fact from inference.
Save the full report as a task note with task_notes_add. If it exceeds 10,000 characters, split across notes or store where the operator keeps documents and record the location. The Final Review step reads this note.
- 05Final Reviewapproval gate
Read the task notes with task_notes_list — the Synthesize note holds the report, the Gather note holds the sources, and the Question note holds what was asked. Work from them.
Review the report: - It answers the original question directly - Every claim is backed by a recorded source - Uncertainty and conflicting evidence are surfaced, not hidden - It stays within the approved scope and matches the planned shape
Ask the operator to approve the report. This is a checkpoint — once shared the report informs decisions, so the AI cannot advance until you approve. If you reject, the workflow returns to Synthesize.
- 06Completecontext gate
The research report is approved and ready to share. Confirm the final report, with its sources, is saved as a task note, then close out the task. This note is the named input for a Decision Memo workflow if a decision follows.
use it for
- Research a market and write up the findings with sources
- Compare competitors and summarize what matters for a decision
- Investigate an option and lay out the evidence both ways
without it, with it
| without | with research report |
|---|---|
| The research wanders, balloons in scope, and answers a question nobody asked | The AI pauses at a Scope checkpoint so you approve the question and boundaries before any gathering starts |
| The report states conclusions with no sources, and nobody can check the claims | The AI drives a Gather step that records each source, so every finding traces back to where it came from |
| You research for an hour, close the chat, and lose every source and note you collected | The AI saves the scope, the sources, and the synthesis as notes, so a later session resumes the research with nothing lost |