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Research-before-coding workflow. Search for existing tools, libraries, and patterns before writing custom code. Invokes the researcher agent.
Copy the install command and let the AI configure it · recommended for beginners
Please install the "search-first" skill from askskill: 1. Download https://raw.githubusercontent.com/affaan-m/ECC/main/skills/search-first/SKILL.md 2. Save it as ~/.claude/skills/search-first/SKILL.md 3. Reload skills and tell me it's ready
Systematizes the "search for existing solutions before implementing" workflow.
Use this skill when:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 0. TOOL AVAILABILITY PREFLIGHT │
│ Check search channels before relying on │
│ them; report skipped channels honestly │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. NEED ANALYSIS │
│ Define what functionality is needed │
│ Identify language/framework constraints │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 2. PARALLEL SEARCH (researcher agent) │
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │
│ │ npm / │ │ MCP / │ │ GitHub / │ │
│ │ PyPI │ │ Skills │ │ Web │ │
│ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 3. EVALUATE │
│ Score candidates (functionality, maint, │
│ community, docs, license, deps) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 4. DECIDE │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ Adopt │ │ Extend │ │ Build │ │
│ │ as-is │ │ /Wrap │ │ Custom │ │
│ └─────────┘ └──────────┘ └─────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 5. IMPLEMENT │
│ Install package / Configure MCP / │
│ Write minimal custom code │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Signal | Action |
|---|---|
| Exact match, well-maintained, MIT/Apache | Adopt — install and use directly |
| Partial match, good foundation | Extend — install + write thin wrapper |
| Multiple weak matches | Compose — combine 2-3 small packages |
| Nothing suitable found | Build — write custom, but informed by research |
This is agent guidance, not an executable setup script. Check only the channels that are relevant to the task and project in front of you.
| Channel | Check | If missing |
|---|---|---|
| Repository search | rg --files and targeted rg queries | State that only visible files were inspected |
| Package registry | npm --version, python -m pip --version, or project package manager | Use web/docs search and avoid claiming registry coverage |
| GitHub CLI | gh auth status | Use public web or local git history only |
| MCP/docs tools | Available tool list or local MCP config | Fall back to official docs/web search |
| Skills directory | ls ~/.claude/skills ~/.codex/skills where applicable | Say no local skill catalog was available |
Before writing a utility or adding functionality, mentally run through:
rg through relevant modules/tests first~/.claude/settings.json and search~/.claude/skills/For non-trivial functionality, launch the researcher agent:
Agent(subagent_type="general-purpose", prompt="
Research existing tools for: [DESCRIPTION]
Language/framework: [LANG]
Constraints: [ANY]
Search: npm/PyPI, MCP servers, Claude Code skills, GitHub
Return: Structured comparison with recommendation
")
Older Claude Code docs may call this Task(...); use the current agent/subagent
tool name exposed by the active harness.
…
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