Research Cache - Best Practices Storage

Purpose

This skill caches research findings to avoid redundant web searches and maintain institutional knowledge about best practices.

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Structure

.claude/skills/research-cache/
├── SKILL.md          # This file
├── TEMPLATE.md       # Template for research findings
└── cache/            # Cached research by topic
    ├── solana-websockets.md
    ├── typescript-strict.md
    └── [topic].md

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How It Works

Before Research

1. Check cache first - Look for existing research on the topic
2. Verify freshness - Research older than 6 months may need updating
3. Reuse findings - If recent research exists, use it directly

After Research

1. Create cache file - Document findings in cache/[topic].md
2. Follow template - Use consistent structure
3. Include sources - Always cite URLs and dates
4. Tag relevance - Mark which parts of stack it applies to

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Cache File Template

# Research: [Topic Name]

## Metadata

- **Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
- **Researcher:** [agent/session]
- **Freshness:** [fresh|stale|outdated]
- **Stack:** [bun|typescript|mongodb|solana|all]

## Problem Statement

[What problem were we trying to solve?]

## Search Queries

1. "[query 1]"
2. "[query 2]"
3. "[query 3]"

## Key Findings

### Finding 1: [Title]

**Source:** [URL]
**Date:** [publication date]
**Relevance:** [high|medium|low]

[Summary of finding]

**Code Example:**

```[language]
[code]
```

Applies When:

• [condition 1]
• [condition 2]

Finding 2: [Title]

...

Recommendations

DO

1. [Best practice 1]
2. [Best practice 2]

AVOID

1. [Anti-pattern 1]
2. [Anti-pattern 2]

CONSIDER

1. [Alternative approach 1]
2. [Alternative approach 2]

Implementation Notes

For This Project

• [Specific note for solana-listeners]
• [Integration point]

Gotchas

• [Warning 1]
• [Warning 2]

Sources

| Title | URL | Date | Relevance | | ---------- | ----- | ------ | -------------- | | [Source 1] | [url] | [date] | [high/med/low] | | [Source 2] | [url] | [date] | [high/med/low] |

Related Topics

• [[related-topic-1]]
• [[related-topic-2]]

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## Usage Patterns

### Quick Lookup

```bash
# Check if research exists
ls .claude/skills/research-cache/cache/

# Read specific research
cat .claude/skills/research-cache/cache/[topic].md

Search Cached Research

# Find all research mentioning a term
grep -r "websocket" .claude/skills/research-cache/cache/

Check Freshness

# Find research older than 6 months
find .claude/skills/research-cache/cache/ -mtime +180

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Integration with Research Agent

The research agent uses this skill to:

1. Check existing research before web searching
2. Store new findings after web research
3. Update stale research when patterns change
4. Cross-reference findings across topics

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Freshness Guidelines

| Age | Status | Action | | ----------- | -------- | ----------------------- | | < 3 months | Fresh | Use directly | | 3-6 months | Aging | Verify still valid | | 6-12 months | Stale | Update recommended | | > 12 months | Outdated | Full re-research needed |

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Topic Naming Convention

Use kebab-case descriptive names:

solana-websockets.md       # Technology + feature
typescript-strict-mode.md  # Language + specific setting
mongodb-indexes.md         # Database + concept
bun-docker-deploy.md       # Runtime + deployment context
error-handling-patterns.md # Generic pattern

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Rules

MANDATORY

1. Always check cache first - Don't duplicate research
2. Always include sources - No unsourced recommendations
3. Always date entries - Freshness matters
4. Always follow template - Consistency helps retrieval

FORBIDDEN

1. Cache without sources - All findings need citations
2. Ignore freshness - Old research may be wrong
3. Duplicate topics - One file per topic, update existing

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Version

• v1.0.0 - Initial implementation