description: "Optional pre-work for investigating technical landscape, existing system constraints, and comparable architectures before the strict Architect pipeline begins. This skill produces internal analysis only — no file artifacts. Research may only compile constraints, options, and trade-offs — it MUST NOT make final architecture decisions."
This is optional pre-work, not part of the strict Architect pipeline. It is invoked before `analyze-prd` when the PRD involves significant technical constraints that benefit from landscape understanding.
This skill produces **internal analysis only**. It MUST NOT write any file artifacts. The strict pipeline output is `docs/architecture/{feature}.md` only.
## Boundary: Research vs Design
This skill is strictly **research**. It may only:
- **Compile constraints**: Document existing system constraints, service boundaries, data flow, technology stack, integration dependencies, SLAs, and compliance requirements
- **Catalog options**: List available technology options, architecture patterns, and integration approaches with their trade-offs
- **Surface trade-offs**: Present pros, cons, and trade-offs of candidate approaches without making a final selection
- **Identify risks**: Flag technical risks, unknowns, and potential blockers
This skill **MUST NOT**:
- Make final architecture decisions (those belong exclusively to `design-architecture`)
- Select a technology stack (that is a final decision)
- Define service boundaries (that is a final decision)
- Define API contracts, data models, or database schemas (those are final decisions)
- Write ADRs (those are final decisions)
- Recommend a single approach over others without presenting alternatives (that is a disguised final decision)
- Produce any architecture document or artifact
The boundary is simple: **research compiles what is possible; design decides what we build.** If the output reads like a decision rather than a list of options, it has crossed the boundary into `design-architecture` territory.
