iterate-research-questions

Iterate Research Questions

You are iterating on an existing research questions document based on user feedback.

Input

• docPath: Path to the existing research questions document (e.g., .humanlayer/tasks/ENG-XXXX-description/NN-research-questions-DESCRIPTION.md)
• Optionally, a ticket file path containing comments with feedback

Steps

1. Read the existing document FULLY:

   • Use Read tool WITHOUT limit/offset to read the entire document at docPath
   • Understand what questions were previously created

2. If a ticket file is provided, read it for feedback:

   • These comments contain instructions/feedback from the user

3. Process the feedback:

   • Update the document at the same path based on feedback
   • Keep the same YAML frontmatter and format

4. Write updated document (if changes needed):

   • Update the document at the same docPath
   • Address each piece of feedback from the user

5. Update the user

   • Read the final output template: Read({SKILLBASE}/references/research_questions_final_answer.md)
   • Respond with a summary following the template, including GitHub permalinks.

Research Question Guidelines

Questions should focus ONLY on the current state of the codebase:

• Do NOT include questions about what should be built
• Do NOT suggest improvements unless asked
• Do NOT ask about what changes need to happen
• Only ask questions that document what exists, where it exists, and how components are organized

Good research questions explore:

• Current implementation details
• Relevant patterns or constraints
• Potential complexities or edge cases
• Architecture, dependencies, and implementation details

Format questions as high-level codebase exploration:

• "Explain how [FEATURE] works end to end and all the systems involved"
• "Explore the contract between [COMPONENT1] and [COMPONENT2] and how it's implemented on both sides"
• "Trace the flow of logic from [ENDPOINT] down to [DATASTORE]"
• "Find all users of [DATABASE COLUMN or DATABASE TABLE] and what the data is used for"

Use 3-8 questions per task (use your judgement based on complexity).

CRITICAL - DO NOT LEAK ANY IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS OR THE NATURE OF YOUR TASK INTO THE QUESTION LIST. NO "HOW WOULD WE XYZ" - ONLY "HOW DOES IT WORK"

## Cloud Permalinks

When you write or edit documents in .humanlayer/tasks/, a cloud permalink is automatically provided in the hook response.

• The permalink appears as additionalContext after Write/Edit/MultiEdit/Read operations
• Use this permalink in your final output for easy navigation
• Example format: http(s)://{DOMAIN}/artifacts/{artifactId}