/scout

name: scout
description: >-
  Research a domain before building products. Tests Claude's baseline knowledge,
  identifies gaps, scans the marketplace, runs deep research, and recommends the
  optimal product setup. Use when: 'scout', 'research domain', 'what should I build for',
  'analyze domain', or before /create for any non-trivial product.
argument-hint: "{domain or query}"
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Glob
  - Grep
  - Bash(myclaude *)
  - WebSearch
  - WebFetch
  - AskUserQuestion

Scout — Domain Intelligence & Setup Recommendation

> Before you build, understand the territory. This skill researches what Claude already knows, > what's missing, what exists in the marketplace, and recommends exactly what to build.

**When to use:** Before /create for any serious product. When exploring a new domain. When the creator says "what should I build for X?" or "scout X".

**When NOT to use:** For marketplace browsing without building intent (use /explore). For building products (use /create→/fill). For mapping YOUR expertise (use /map).

**CLI contract:** This skill declares `Bash(myclaude *)` permission but delegates all marketplace queries to /explore. No direct CLI invocations here. See `references/cli-contract.md` for unified error handling when /explore is invoked as a sub-step.

---

Activation Protocol

0. **Shared preamble:** Load `references/quality/activation-preamble.md` — context assembly, persona adaptation, deterministic routing rules. 1. **Creator profile guard:** Read `creator.yaml` from project root. If missing → respond: "Profile not found. Run `/onboard` first (~3 min)." and **stop**. 1b. **Load UX vocabulary:** Load `references/ux-vocabulary.md` — translate all internal terms (MCS, DNA, scaffold, forge) before any creator-facing output. Vocabulary guard applies to all output in this skill. 1c. **Load proactives:** Load `references/engine-proactive.md` — wire #1 (pipeline guidance: after scout, suggest /create), #15 (research injection triggers), #16 (scout intelligence reuse). 2. **Maintain creator persona:** Adapt language, depth, and examples to `profile.type` and `technical_level` throughout. Load `references/quality/engine-voice-core.md` at the start of every /scout invocation — every user-facing line honors the ✦ signature, three tones, and six anti-patterns. Load the full `references/quality/engine-voice.md` only when rendering the final report delivery (a peak moment — the Creator just watched 2-5 minutes of research consolidate into a concrete recommendation). 3. **Parse arguments:** Read `$ARGUMENTS` for domain query. If no arguments → ask via AskUserQuestion: "What domain do you want me to research?" 4. **Intent check:** Ask via AskUserQuestion (single select): "What's your goal for this domain?"

• "Build products for myself" → personal setup, skip pricing
• "Build products for the marketplace" → include pricing + market scan emphasis
• "Just explore — not sure yet" → lighter report, skip recommendation details

5. **Sanitize slug:** lowercase, alphanumeric + hyphens, 3-40 chars. 6. **Brownfield check:** Glob `workspace/scout-{slug}.md`. If exists → ask: "A scout report for '{domain}' already exists ({date}). Refresh it or reuse?" 7b. **Load entity ontology for type recommendation:** Read `references/entity-ontology.md` §SCOUT_INTELLIGENCE, §INTELLIGENCE_GRADIENT, §COMPOSITION, §HEURISTICS, §ISOMORPHIC. Use these to inform the setup recommendation:

• Map domain signals to recommended product types per §SCOUT_INTELLIGENCE (single task→skill, advisory→minds, distinct specialties→squad, etc.)
• Use §INTELLIGENCE_GRADIENT to explain WHY a type is recommended: "This domain needs judgment in routing, so squad is better than workflow."
• Use §COMPOSITION to suggest how recommended products compose: "The skill handles execution while the mind advises."
• Use §HEURISTICS to guard against over-recommendation: if a single skill suffices, don't recommend a squad
• Use §ISOMORPHIC for creator-friendly explanations: "You need an advisor (minds) for thinking and a skill for doing."
• Use §COMPOSITION_PRINCIPLES to suggest how recommended products compose: convergence-by-independence for squads, symbiosis for mind+skill pairs
• Use §TRANSVERSAL_AXES to calibrate Nature and Depth per recommended product
• For MCS-3 targets, consider §INTELLIGENCE_PIPELINE hermeneutic spiral as pre-forge method

7. **Gate check:** Read `config.yaml` → `gates.confirm_create` (default: true). If true → "I'll research '{domain}'. This involves generating a baseline, analyzing gaps, searching the marketplace, and running web research. Takes 2-5 minutes. Continue?"

---

Execution — 6-Step Intelligence Protocol

Load and execute the full protocol from `.claude/agents/scout-agent.md` with:

• `domain`: the parsed domain query
• `slug`: the sanitized slug
• `creator`: the loaded creator.yaml profile
• `language`: creator's language (from creator.yaml or detected from input)
• `intent`: personal / marketplace / explore (from step 4)

**Critical gate between Steps 2→3:** After gap analysis completes, PAUSE and show the creator:

Gap Analysis Complete — {domain}

  {critical_count} critical gaps | {significant_count} significant | {minor_count} minor

  Top gaps:
  1. {gap_1_summary} (critical)
  2. {gap_2_summary} (significant)
  3. {gap_3_summary} (significant)

  Next: marketplace scan + web research on these gaps (~{N} searches).
  Continue, adjust focus, or stop here?

Only proceed to Steps 3-6 after creator confirms.

---

Post-Execution

After the protocol completes: 1. Verify `workspace/scout-{slug}.md` was written (Glob check) 2. **Compute value estimates for each recommended product:** For each product in the setup recommendation (Section 5), estimate a preliminary value score using the Intelligence Layer formula (`config.yaml → intelligence.pricing`):

• **depth:** Infer from MCS target