Desk Research Project Status

---
name: desk-research-project-status
description: "Orient to the current desk-research project at a glance — reads overview.md and surfaces phase, working hypothesis, stop-signal verdict, and what to do next. Triggers on 'where are we on the X research', 'status of the Y investigation', 'resume the Z project', 'what phase is the research in', 'where did we leave off on the research', or any return-to-a-named-research-project phrasing. Read-only: never advances phase, never modifies any file."
---

# /desk-research-project-status

Cold-start orient for a sustained desk-research project. Run this when you return to a project and want to know where it stands — what phase it is in, what the current working hypothesis is, and what to do next.

**Read-only** by contract: it never advances `phase`, never invokes `desk-research-project-digest` or `desk-research-project-synthesize`, and never modifies `overview.md`.

## Output rendering

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Lead with the useful outcome or next action. Use warm, non-blaming language and everyday words. Define an unfamiliar term in a few plain words before naming it; keep proper names and exact technical terms intact.
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For code and comments, prefer obvious structure and names. Comment on intent, constraints, or trade-offs that the code cannot state clearly.
Use a table, tree, flow, or other visual only when it makes a relationship materially easier to understand.
Report the current state, not the path taken. Omit dead ends, resolved trade-offs, hedges, and advice the user did not request.
When editing maintained prose, consolidate repeated rules and navigation before adding another caveat.
Silence and brevity never reduce the work, checks, or requested coverage. Preserve depth, evidence, constraints, warnings, code, diffs, errors, and exact names, paths, and counts.
Keep verification compact: pass or fail, count, and runtime. Name a suite when it failed or when the name changes what the reader should do.
Before sending, check that the reader can act without counting, converting, opening a file, or asking what a line means.
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Key–value / one record — For a single record's fields, use an aligned key: value list, not a two-row table.

## When to invoke

Any return-to-a-named-research-project phrasing: *"where are we on the X research"*, *"status of the Y investigation"*, *"resume the Z project"*, *"what phase is the research in"*, *"where did we leave off on the research"*. Also useful at session start alongside `workspace-status` to orient to a sustained research thread.

For a one-off lookup (no project), use `/desk-research` instead. For a saturation check, use `/desk-research-project-check`.

## Procedure

### 1. Resolve `[research] output_dir`

Read the output directory from the config chain — **read-only; do not elicit**:

1. **Repo-scope:** `./agentbundle-layout.toml` `[research] output_dir` — if the file exists and the key is present.
2. **User-scope:** `~/.agentbundle/agentbundle-layout.toml` `[research] output_dir` — if the file exists and the key is present.
3. **Not configured:** stop. Surface: "No `[research] output_dir` configured — run `desk-research-project-start` to set up your first project (it will configure the path)."

Resolve `output_dir` to its full absolute path (`~`-expand, reject `..` escapes). Never write to any config file.

### 2. Find the project folder

Look for direct subdirectories of `output_dir` that contain an `overview.md`. A project folder is named `<YYYY-MM-DD>-<slug>` by convention.

- **No project folder found:** surface the no-project message (step 3).
- **One project folder found:** proceed to step 4.
- **Multiple project folders found:** proceed with the most recent (highest date prefix). At the end of the output, list any others with their slug and current `phase` as a brief note.

### 3. No-project branch

Surface:

> No research project found — run `desk-research-project-start` for a sustained project, or `desk-research` for a one-off lookup.

Stop here. Do not create any file or folder.

### 4. Read `overview.md` and surface status

Read `<project-folder>/overview.md`. Extract the following frontmatter fields:

| Field | Notes |
|-------|-------|
| `phase` | Valid values: `capture`, `digest`, `synthesize`, `feedback` |
| `working_hypothesis` | May be empty — surface as "(none yet)" if blank |
| `stop_signal` | Initial value `not-yet-assessed`; updated by hand or by `desk-research-project-check` |
| `verdict_status` | Optional — written only by `desk-research-project-check`; omit if absent |

Also read: `question` (the research question, for context).

Surface the status in this format:

---

**Research project: `<slug>`** (`<project-folder>`)

**Question:** <question from frontmatter>

**Phase:** `<phase>` — <next-step recommendation (see table below)>

**Working hypothesis:** <working_hypothesis, or "(none yet)">

**Stop signal:** `<stop_signal>`<if verdict_status is present: ` — verdict: <verdict_status>`>

---

### 5. Next-step recommendations by phase

| Phase | Next step |
|-------|-----------|
| `capture` | Run `desk-research-project-digest` to build the synthesis matrix and memos from accumulated sources. |
| `digest` | Run `desk-research-project-synthesize` to produce the research brief from the synthesis matrix. |
| `synthesize` | Brief is ready — share with stakeholders. When feedback has been received, advance `phase` to `feedback` in `overview.md`. |
| `feedback` | Project complete — brief has been shared and feedback is being incorporated. No further skill to run. |

If `phase` contains an unrecognised value, surface it as-is with a note: "Unrecognised phase — expected one of: capture, digest, synthesize, feedback."

## Project-knowledge non-gate

Project status is a status-only, read-only knowledge non-gate. Reading the
configured project and rendering its current frontmatter perform no capture, distillation, or enquiry. This skill does not discover the project-knowledge provider, does not create fallback storage, and does not persist its rendering context.

## What this skill is not

- Not `desk-research-project-digest` — it reads the current state; it does not build the synthesis matrix.
- Not `desk-research-project-synthesize` — it reads the current state; it does not produce the brief.
- Not `desk-research-project-check` — it reports the `stop_signal` value as stored; it does not evaluate saturation.
- Not `workspace-status` — it gives the research-project slice only; `workspace-status` gives the full initiative queue picture.