Overview
/silver:deep-research is the Silver Bullet orchestrator for technology decisions, architecture spikes, tech comparisons, and competitive intelligence. Research always precedes implementation — findings are written to .planning/research/ and referenced by the receiving workflow.
It never treats ad hoc reasoning as the workflow. It clarifies the decision, selects a research path, runs direct evidence-based research in the current host session by default, produces a traceable artifact, and then hands off to the appropriate implementation workflow.
/silver:deep-research maps to WF-SILVER-DEEP-RESEARCH in the v0.48.3 APO catalog. Standard composition:
After validation, hand off to /silver:feature, /silver:ui, /silver:devops, or /silver reclassification. See Composable Flows for the full catalog.
/silver:deep-research takes precedence over any other matched workflow — research informs the implementation workflow. If an instruction matches both research and implementation, run research first, then hand off.
When to Use
Entry trigger signals for /silver:deep-research:
- "how should we" / "which technology" / "compare X vs Y"
- "spike" / "investigate" / "architecture decision"
- "should we use" / "what's the best approach for"
- Any request where you need information before you can plan an implementation
Catalog Composition
| Atomic flow | Command | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
AF-CLARIFY | /silver:clarify | Decision-ready research question and scope boundaries |
AF-DECIDE | /silver:deep-research (decision mode) | Evidence-backed comparison, recommendation, and confidence levels |
AF-DOCUMENT | /silver:ensure-docs | Durable research artifact under .planning/research/ |
AF-VALIDATE | /silver:validate | Gap check before implementation handoff |
If findings should become a formal spec, run /silver:spec (AF-SPECIFY) after research — it is not part of the default research composition.
Atomic Flow Execution
AF-CLARIFY — Frame the research question
Invoke /silver:clarify. Socratic clarification defines the research question, success criteria, and constraints before evidence gathering begins.
AF-DECIDE — Choose research path and gather evidence
SB classifies the question type and runs direct evidence-based research using repository context, local artifacts, official docs, primary sources, and runtime evidence:
- A. Market/landscape — "What tools/solutions exist for X?", "What's the state of the art?"
- B. Tech selection — "Should we use X or Y?", "Which library/framework is best for our case?"
- C. Competitive/product intelligence — "How do competitors solve X?", "What can we learn from product Y?"
Research paths
Path A — Market/landscape
Landscape research: tools, solutions, and state of the art. Output: .planning/research/<date>-<topic>/landscape-report.md.
Path B — Tech selection
Comparative evaluation against weighted criteria with a concrete recommendation. Output: .planning/research/<date>-<topic>/comparison-report.md.
Path C — Competitive/product intelligence
How other products solve the problem, gaps, and adaptable patterns. Output: .planning/research/<date>-<topic>/competitive-intelligence-report.md.
AF-DOCUMENT — Persist findings
Research artifacts are written under .planning/research/ with citations, confidence levels, and actionable recommendations. Lineage is preserved for downstream planning.
AF-VALIDATE — Pre-implementation gap check
Invoke /silver:validate when plans or specs already exist, or run a lightweight validation pass on the research artifact before handoff.
Synthesis handoff
Optionally re-run /silver:clarify with the research artifact as primary context to produce a decision-ready brief for implementation.
Handoff to implementation
After research completes, SB asks which workflow should receive the findings:
/silver:feature— build a new feature based on research findings/silver:ui— product or interface work based on research findings/silver:devops— infrastructure/deployment change based on research findings/silver:plan— convert findings into an implementation plan- Done — research-only engagement, no implementation needed
If the research continues into implementation, the artifact path (.planning/research/<date>-<topic>/) is passed as context so downstream SB context, planning, and verification can reference it. Research lineage is always preserved.
Example Invocation
Silver Bullet routes to WF-SILVER-DEEP-RESEARCH. /silver:clarify sharpens the question. Path B (tech selection) runs under AF-DECIDE. Findings are documented under .planning/research/, validated, and synthesized into a decision-ready handoff. Route to /silver:feature, /silver:ui, /silver:devops, or /silver:plan as needed.