Skill: Research
Gather information about the user to inform portfolio content and design.
Sources (in priority order)
1. Materials Folder
Check /materials first:
materials/documents/- Resume, cover letter, bio textmaterials/images/- Headshot, project screenshots
2. Profile Config
Read profile.yaml for:
- Name, contact info, social links
- Design preferences (sliders, archetype, inspirations)
- Content preferences (tone, focus, length)
- Personal notes (most valuable - user's own words)
3. GitHub
If username provided or discoverable:
- Pinned repositories
- README files for major projects
- Languages and contribution patterns
- Stars, forks (real metrics)
4. Web Search
Search for:
- "[name] software engineer [location]"
- "[name] github"
- "[name] projects"
- Company mentions, blog posts, talks
5. LinkedIn
Warning: Often blocked (error 999). If blocked:
- Skip entirely, don't retry
- Use web search for "[name] linkedin [company]" instead
- Check company About pages, press releases
Research Depth
Based on ai.research_depth in profile.yaml:
| Level | Approach |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | GitHub only, 1-2 search queries |
| 4-6 | GitHub + web search + personal site (5-10 queries) |
| 7-8 | Deep search, find hidden gems (15-20 queries) |
| 9-10 | Exhaustive, find everything published (30+ queries) |
What to Extract
Factual (verify these)
- Current/past roles and companies
- Project names and tech stacks
- Education
- Public metrics (GitHub stars, npm downloads)
Contextual (ask if unclear)
- Impact and outcomes of work
- Specific responsibilities
- Scale (users, transactions, team size)
- Why they made certain choices
Asking Clarifying Questions
Use the AskUserQuestion tool for:
Experience gaps:
- "What did you work on at [Company]?"
- "What was the impact of [Project]?"
Project details:
- "What problem were you solving with [Project]?"
- "How many people use it?"
Direction:
- "What kind of role are you targeting?"
- "What do you want to emphasize?"
Question Guidelines
- Ask 3-5 questions at a time in logical groups
- Be specific, not generic ("What did you do at Uber?" not "Tell me about yourself")
- Don't ask about things clearly documented (dates, public GitHub stats)
Output
After research, you should know:
- Who this person is and what they do
- 3-5 key projects or achievements to highlight
- Their career trajectory and goals
- Their voice/tone from notes or writing samples
- What makes them unique (the hook)
If you can't answer these, ask more questions before proceeding.