From 6a3f79c0c3c83be1991fe80b336f7ba2b031fe46 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Tym Rabchuk Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2026 12:51:31 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?Add=20escalation=20check=20to=20research=20skil?= =?UTF-8?q?l=20=E2=80=94=20ask=20before=20upgrading=20to=20deep-research?= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit After corroboration, evaluate whether the question needs ACH-level rigor. Ask the user to upgrade if: 3+ contested claims, high-stakes domain, user expressed uncertainty, or most claims uncorroborated. Never auto-escalate — always ask first to avoid burning tokens unnecessarily. --- skills/research/SKILL.md | 15 ++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 14 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/skills/research/SKILL.md b/skills/research/SKILL.md index 81b94ea..59f3c1e 100644 --- a/skills/research/SKILL.md +++ b/skills/research/SKILL.md @@ -82,6 +82,19 @@ Mark claims as: - CONTESTED (sources disagree) ``` +## Escalation Check + +After corroboration, evaluate whether this question needs deep research. **Ask the user** (via `AskUserQuestion`) to upgrade to `/devkit:deep-research` if ANY of these are true: + +1. **3+ CONTESTED claims** — sources actively contradict each other on key points +2. **High-stakes domain** — the question involves security, architecture decisions, compliance, data integrity, or financial impact +3. **User expressed uncertainty** — they said "I'm not sure if", "is this actually true", "I've heard conflicting things", or similar +4. **Most claims are UNCORROBORATED** — more than half the key claims have only one source + +Phrasing: "I'm finding [conflicting sources / low confidence / high-stakes implications] on this. Want me to switch to deep research with competing hypothesis analysis? It costs more tokens but produces higher-confidence results." + +If the user says no, continue with the standard synthesis. Do NOT auto-escalate — always ask first. + ## Step 6: Follow-Up ``` @@ -128,4 +141,4 @@ Loop up to 2 times. - Follow up on gaps — loop if key claims are uncorroborated - Cite sources — every finding links to where it came from - Recommend — don't just dump information, give a clear recommendation with confidence level -- For complex/high-stakes questions, suggest the user run `/devkit:deep-research` instead +- Escalate when warranted — if sources conflict, stakes are high, or confidence is low, ask the user to upgrade to deep-research. Never auto-escalate.