gco-research

GCO Research

Web research via GitHub Copilot CLI, synthesized by Claude Code.

Process

Step 0: Pre-flight Rate Limit Check

Before doing anything, check if Copilot is currently in degraded mode:

RATE_CHECK=$(node $HOME/.claude/scripts/gco-rate-limit.js check 2>&1)

If the output starts with degraded:, notify the user that Copilot is in low-cost mode (auto-downgraded model) but proceed with Copilot anyway — it is still usable. Do NOT skip or fall back.

Step 1: Understand the Research Topic

Clarify what needs to be researched:

• Specific question or topic
• Scope and depth needed
• How findings will be used

Step 2: Build Research Prompt

Research the following topic: <topic>

Specific questions to answer:
1. <question 1>
2. <question 2>
3. <question 3>

Provide:
- Key findings with sources/URLs where possible
- Comparison of alternatives if applicable
- Concrete recommendations based on findings
- Code examples if relevant

Be thorough but concise. Cite sources.

Step 3: Run Copilot

LOGDIR=$(node $HOME/.claude/scripts/get-logdir.js)
mkdir -p "$LOGDIR"
DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
SLUG="<short-topic-slug>"

bash $HOME/.claude/skills/gco/scripts/gco-run.sh \
  "<research prompt>" \
  "$LOGDIR/${DATETIME}-gco-research-${SLUG}.md" \
  "$LOGDIR/${DATETIME}-gco-research-${SLUG}-stderr.log"

Timeout: 15 minutes.

Step 4: Collect Results

After Copilot completes (or times out):

1. Read the output file
2. If empty or missing, check stderr log for errors (a 402 no-quota error means Copilot Premium is exhausted — treat it as a failure)
3. If Copilot timed out or failed, jump to Fallback

Step 5: Fallback

If Copilot timed out, produced no usable output, hit no-quota (402), or is not installed:

• Notify the user about the fallback
• Spawn a researcher subagent to perform the research via Claude Code tools (WebSearch, WebFetch, etc.)
• Continue as if the researcher subagent was the original plan
• Note: Rate limiting alone is NOT a fallback trigger — Copilot may auto-downgrade to a cheaper model and the output is still usable

Step 6: Synthesize

1. Read Copilot output from the log file
2. Verify key claims where possible
3. Organize findings into a clear structure
4. Present to the user with source references

Step 7: Save Research Log

Save the final synthesized findings:

node $HOME/.claude/scripts/save-file.js "{logdir}/{timestamp}-research-{topic}.md" "<content>"

Then format:

pnpm dlx @takazudo/mdx-formatter --write <file>

Important Notes

• Copilot can do web research natively
• All file writing done by Claude Code, never by Copilot
• Falls back to researcher subagent if Copilot fails
• NEVER use ~ in paths — use $HOME