researchlisted

# Research Skill > **Quick Ref:** Deep codebase exploration with multi-angle analysis. Output: `.agents/research/*.md` **YOU MUST EXECUTE THIS WORKFLOW. Do not just describe it.** **CLI dependencies:** ao (knowledge injection — optional). If ao is unavailable, skip prior knowledge search and proceed with direct codebase exploration. ## Flags | Flag | Default | Description | |------|---------|-------------| | `--auto` | off | Skip human approval gate. Used by `$rpi --auto` for fully autonomous lifecycle. | ## Codex Lifecycle Guard When this skill runs in Codex hookless mode (`CODEX_THREAD_ID` is set or `CODEX_INTERNAL_ORIGINATOR_OVERRIDE` is `Codex Desktop`), ensure startup context before the research workflow: ```bash ao codex ensure-start 2>/dev/null || true ``` `ao codex ensure-start` is the single startup guard for Codex skills. It records startup once per thread and skips duplicate startup automatically. Leave `ao codex ensure-stop` to closeout skills; `$research` is a start-path skill. ## Execution Steps Given `$research <topic> [--auto]`: ### Step 1: Create Output Directory ```bash mkdir -p .agents/research ``` ### Step 2: Check Prior Art **First, search and inject existing knowledge (if ao available):** ```bash # Pull relevant prior knowledge for this topic ao lookup --query "<topic>" --limit 5 2>/dev/null || \ ao search "<topic>" 2>/dev/null || \ echo "ao not available, skipping knowledge search" ``` **Apply retrieved knowledge (mandatory when resu