researchers-project-init

/researchers-project-init

Scaffold the research/ directory and register it in the project's CLAUDE.md.

⚠️ NOT ACADEMIC ADVICE. Files in research/ are craft-level writing in the voice of canonical figures. Treat them as drafts and reasoning tools.

What this does

Creates a research/ folder with three subdirectories:

research/
├── studies/        # Essays, papers, lit reviews, case studies, investigations
├── reviews/        # Peer-style reviews of studies
└── bibliography/   # Citations, sources, annotated bibliographies

The bibliography/ subdir is the load-bearing differentiator vs. manuscript/ (great-authors) — citation discipline lives separately from the studies that reference them.

Then adds (or creates) a ## Research section in CLAUDE.md:

## Research

> ⚠️ **Not academic advice.** Files in `research/` are craft-register writing in the voice of canonical figures. Real research questions require real researchers.

**Path:** `research/` (at project root)
**Current study:** `<user-chosen-slug>` (the study you're actively working on)

Commands that generate research artifacts (`/researchers-channel` save behavior, `/researchers-write-study`, `/researchers-review`) write to `research/<subdir>/<current-study>.md` by default.

The researcher personas read this file plus README.md, prior studies and reviews, the bibliography. For cross-craft projects, also `.great-authors/project.md`.

For technical-mathematical writing rigor, cross-dispatch `great-engineers:don-knuth-engineer`.
For political-philosophy research register, cross-dispatch `great-counsels:hannah-arendt-counsel`.

When to use

• Starting a research project (literature review, science communication piece, deep-research narrative, investigative biography).
• Extending an existing constellation project with a research dimension (the citation discipline behind a book, the lit review behind a product spec, the deep-research piece behind an article).
• Before invoking /researchers-channel with save triggers.

Instructions for Claude

When this skill is invoked:

1. Resolve the project root.

2. Check for existing research/ directory. Default skip if exists.

3. Read existing context. README.md, CLAUDE.md, prior research docs, the manifest, .great-authors/project.md if cross-craft.

4. Ask one question: "What's the slug for the study or research question you're starting with? Default: based on what's in the project."

5. Create the directory tree. studies/, reviews/, bibliography/.

6. Update CLAUDE.md with the ## Research section above. Disclaimer line stays at the top — do not strip.

7. Report:

   Created research/ with subdirs:
     studies/  reviews/  bibliography/
   
   Updated CLAUDE.md with ## Research section.
   Current study: <slug>
   
   ⚠️ Reminder: research/ holds craft-register writing, not primary research.
   
   Detected project context:
   - <Research question summary>
   - <Key files present: prior bibliographies, etc.>
   
   Next:
   - /researchers-channel <persona> for direct collaboration. Best fits for this question: <list 2-3 by signal>
   - /researchers-write-study <topic> to draft a study
   - /researchers-review <path> to peer-review a draft
   
   For technical rigor: Agent({subagent_type: "great-engineers:don-knuth-engineer", ...})
   For political-philosophy: Agent({subagent_type: "great-counsels:hannah-arendt-counsel", ...})
   

Notes

• Doesn't commit to git.
• The research/ directory is for ARTIFACTS, not the actual primary research itself (which is the user's).
• For software-only projects, no .great-authors/ is needed.
• The current-study slug names "what we're working on right now."
• The disclaimer is load-bearing. Do not strip the "not academic advice" warning from the CLAUDE.md section or from artifact headers.