/octopus-research

name: octopus-research
description: "Thorough research across multiple sources — use for complex topics needing broad synthesis"
disable-model-invocation: true

> **Host: Codex CLI** — This skill was designed for Claude Code and adapted for Codex. > Cross-reference commands use installed skill names in Codex rather than `/octo:*` slash commands. > Use the active Codex shell and subagent tools. Do not claim a provider, model, or host subagent is available until the current session exposes it. > For host tool equivalents, see `skills/blocks/codex-host-adapter.md`.

⚠️ EXECUTION CONTRACT (MANDATORY - CANNOT SKIP)

<HARD-GATE> **CRITICAL: You MUST call orchestrate.sh via the native shell command tool. Do NOT research the topic yourself. Do NOT use Task agents, web search, or your own knowledge as a substitute. The ONLY valid execution path is: Bash → orchestrate.sh probe. If you produce research findings without a Bash call to orchestrate.sh, you have violated this contract.** </HARD-GATE>

This skill uses **ENFORCED execution mode**. You MUST follow this exact sequence.

STEP 1: Interactive Questions (BLOCKING - Answer before proceeding)

**You MUST call AskUserQuestion with all 3 questions below BEFORE any other action.**

AskUserQuestion({
  questions: [
    {
      question: "How deep should the research go?",
      header: "Research Depth",
      multiSelect: false,
      options: [
        {label: "Quick overview (Recommended)", description: "1-2 min, surface-level"},
        {label: "Moderate depth", description: "2-3 min, standard"},
        {label: "Comprehensive", description: "3-4 min, thorough"},
        {label: "Deep dive", description: "4-5 min, exhaustive"}
      ]
    },
    {
      question: "What's your primary focus area?",
      header: "Primary Focus",
      multiSelect: false,
      options: [
        {label: "Technical implementation (Recommended)", description: "Code patterns, APIs"},
        {label: "Best practices", description: "Industry standards"},
        {label: "Ecosystem & tools", description: "Libraries, community"},
        {label: "Trade-offs & comparisons", description: "Pros/cons analysis"}
      ]
    },
    {
      question: "How should the output be formatted?",
      header: "Output Format",
      multiSelect: false,
      options: [
        {label: "Detailed report (Recommended)", description: "Comprehensive write-up"},
        {label: "Summary", description: "Concise findings"},
        {label: "Comparison table", description: "Side-by-side analysis"},
        {label: "Recommendations", description: "Actionable next steps"}
      ]
    }
  ]
})

**Capture user responses as:**

• `depth_choice` = user's depth selection
• `focus_choice` = user's focus selection
• `format_choice` = user's format selection

**DO NOT PROCEED TO STEP 2 until all questions are answered.**

**Optional**: If **claude-mem** is installed, use its MCP tools (`search`) to check for relevant past research on this topic before launching new research agents.

STEP 2: Provider Detection & Visual Indicators (MANDATORY)

**Check provider availability:**

provider_status="$(bash "${HOME}/.claude-octopus/plugin/scripts/helpers/check-providers.sh")"
[[ $'\n'"$provider_status"$'\n' == *$'\ncodex:available\n'* ]] && codex_status="Available ✓" || codex_status="Not installed ✗"
[[ $'\n'"$provider_status"$'\n' == *$'\nagy:available\n'* ]] && agy_status="Available ✓" || agy_status="Not installed ✗"

**Display this banner BEFORE orchestrate.sh execution:**

🐙 **CLAUDE OCTOPUS ACTIVATED** - Multi-provider research mode
🔍 Discover Phase: [Brief description of research topic]

Provider Availability:
🔴 Codex CLI: ${codex_status}
🟡 Antigravity CLI: ${agy_status}
🧭 Antigravity CLI: ${agy_status}
🔵 Claude: Available ✓ (Strategic synthesis)

Research Parameters:
📊 Depth: ${depth_choice}
🎯 Focus: ${focus_choice}
📝 Format: ${format_choice}

💰 Estimated Cost: $0.01-0.05
⏱️  Estimated Time: 2-5 minutes

**Validation:**

• If no external providers are available → STOP, suggest: `/octo:setup`
• If one or more external providers are available → Continue with available provider(s)

**DO NOT PROCEED TO STEP 3 until banner displayed.**

STEP 3: Execute orchestrate.sh (MANDATORY - Use Bash Tool)

**You MUST execute this command via the native shell command tool:**

${HOME}/.claude-octopus/plugin/scripts/orchestrate.sh probe "<user's research question>" \
  --depth "${depth_choice}" \
  --focus "${focus_choice}" \
  --format "${format_choice}"

**CRITICAL: You are PROHIBITED from:**

• ❌ Researching directly without calling orchestrate.sh
• ❌ Using web search instead of orchestrate.sh
• ❌ Claiming you're "simulating" the workflow
• ❌ Proceeding to Step 4 without running this command

**This is NOT optional. You MUST use the native shell command tool to invoke orchestrate.sh.**

STEP 4: Verify Execution (MANDATORY - Validation Gate)

**After orchestrate.sh completes, verify it succeeded:**

# Find the latest synthesis file (created within last 10 minutes)
SYNTHESIS_FILE=$(find ~/.claude-octopus/results -name "probe-synthesis-*.md" -mmin -10 2>/dev/null | head -n1)

if [[ -z "$SYNTHESIS_FILE" ]]; then
  echo "❌ VALIDATION FAILED: No synthesis file found"
  echo "orchestrate.sh did not execute properly"
  exit 1
fi

echo "✅ VALIDATION PASSED: $SYNTHESIS_FILE"
cat "$SYNTHESIS_FILE"

**If validation fails:** 1. Report error to user 2. Show logs from `~/.claude-octopus/logs/` 3. DO NOT proceed with presenting results 4. DO NOT substitute with direct research

STEP 5: Present Results (Only After Steps 1-4 Complete)

Read the synthesis file and format according to `format_choice`:

• **Summary**: 2-3 paragraph overview with key recommendations
• **Detailed report**: Full synthesis with all perspectives
• **Comparison table**: Side-by-side analysis in markdown table
• **Recommendations**: Actionable next steps with rati