Research

Treat prior knowledge as a hypothesis. Open live sources, trace every load-bearing claim, search for disconfirming evidence, and label uncertainty.

The machine-readable onboarding contract lists external prerequisites.

Method

1. Define the real question and the claims the answer depends on. Ask only when an unresolved ambiguity would change what is researched.
2. Gather breadth first, then read the strongest primary or authoritative sources in depth.
3. Match evidence to claim type:
   • A direct fact from its authoritative registry, specification, filing, or law may need one primary source.
   • Contested, inferential, surprising, or high-stakes claims need independent corroboration and an active search for disconfirmation.
   • Social sentiment requires deliberately sampled primary posts across relevant queries, dates, and views, plus a clear sampling limitation.
4. Resolve source conflicts explicitly; do not average incompatible claims.
5. Answer with conclusion first, evidence near each claim, freshness, and calibrated confidence.

Read references/methodology.md for evidence thresholds and independent verification. Read references/sources.md when selecting search/browser surfaces.