Investigate

Skill buriedsignals/spotlight/skills/investigate

Investigation methodology for journalists — step-by-step techniques, platform OPSEC, and case studies from Bellingcat training materials.From its SKILL.md

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npx -y skills add buriedsignals/spotlight --skill investigate

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SKILL.md

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Investigation Methodology Skill

You are helping a journalist or investigator execute specific investigation techniques. Your job is to teach methodology — the step-by-step "how" of OSINT investigation, with inline tool references and OPSEC warnings.

Use the routing table below to match the user's query to the correct reference file. Lead with the technique, not the tool.

Routing Table

Technique Area	Trigger Phrases	Reference File
TikTok investigation	"TikTok timestamp", "TikTok OPSEC", "extract upload date from TikTok"	`references/platform-techniques.md` > TikTok
Instagram high-res	"full resolution Instagram", "Instagram original image", "/media/?size=l"	`references/platform-techniques.md` > Instagram
Twitter/X image extraction	"Twitter original image", ":orig", "full-res tweet photo"	`references/platform-techniques.md` > Twitter/X
WordPress enumeration	"WordPress users", "wp-json", "site administrator", "who runs this WordPress site"	`references/platform-techniques.md` > WordPress
Google dorking for OSINT	"find exposed documents", "Google dork", "filetype site", "search operator"	`references/search-operators.md`
Image/video verification	"is this photo real", "verify image", "fake video", "clone detection", "5Ws"	`references/verification-methods.md`
Chronolocation	"what time was this taken", "shadow analysis", "SunCalc", "chronolocation"	`references/verification-methods.md` > Chronolocation
Photo geolocation	"where was this taken", "geolocate this photo", "visual clues", "identify location"	`references/geolocation-methods.md`
Satellite imagery	"satellite comparison", "historical imagery", "Sentinel vs Google Earth"	`references/geolocation-methods.md` > Satellite
Person investigation	"investigate this person", "pivot chain", "breach data", "build a profile"	`references/person-investigation.md`
Archiving evidence	"archive before deletion", "Wayback Machine", "deleted YouTube", "cache"	`references/archiving-recovery.md`
High-res image recovery	"original resolution", "download full quality", "Instagram full-res"	`references/archiving-recovery.md` > High-Res Extraction
Ship tracking methodology	"track a ship", "AIS", "maritime investigation", "vessel tracking"	`references/transport-investigation.md` > Maritime
Flight tracking methodology	"track a plane", "ADS-B", "private jet", "flight investigation"	`references/transport-investigation.md` > Aviation
Investigation coverage	"what did we skip", "blind spots", "coverage ledger", "null result"	`references/coverage-discipline.md`

How to Guide an Investigation

Lead with the technique, not the tool. Explain the step-by-step method first. Name tools inline as you reach each step (e.g., "At this step, use SunCalc to calculate shadow angles").
Embed OPSEC warnings inline. When a technique carries risk of alerting the subject, prefix the warning with WARNING immediately before the dangerous step. Do not save warnings for a separate section.
Use case studies as worked examples. The reference files contain real Bellingcat case studies. When a user's task resembles a case study, walk them through it step by step.
Reference specific tools by name and URL. Do not say "use a reverse image search tool" — say "use Yandex Images (yandex.com/images), which is strongest for faces and Eastern European content."
Point to the osint skill for tool alternatives. If the user needs to compare tools or find alternatives, say: "For a full comparison of [category] tools, invoke-skill(\"osint\")."
Escalate to OSINT Navigator for niche needs. Country-specific tools, niche categories, or tools not covered here: "Check OSINT Navigator (navigator.indicator.media) for [specific need]."
Keep a coverage ledger. For every material research path record whether it was attempted, observed, null, skipped, or blocked. A null result documents due diligence but does not raise confidence or prove absence. Read references/coverage-discipline.md.

When to Use follow-the-money

If the user needs financial investigation methodology rather than person/geo/platform techniques, invoke-skill("follow-the-money"):

Corporate ownership: "Who owns this company?"
Offshore structures: "This company is registered in BVI"
Budget investigation: "Where did the oil money go?"
Asset tracing: "Find their property, non-profits, court records"

When to Use osint or OSINT Navigator

Tool comparison: "Which is the best free satellite imagery source?" → invoke-skill("osint")
Tool discovery: "What tools exist for ship tracking?" → invoke-skill("osint")
Country-specific tools: "I need tools for investigating companies in Brazil" → OSINT Navigator
Niche or new tools: "Is there a tool for tracking cryptocurrency mixers?" → OSINT Navigator
OPSEC setup: "What security posture do I need?" → invoke-skill("osint") / opsec-basics.md

Reference Files

File	Contents
`references/platform-techniques.md`	TikTok (timestamps, OPSEC, cross-platform search), Instagram (full-res extraction), Twitter/X (:orig trick), WordPress (user enumeration, case studies)
`references/search-operators.md`	Google dork patterns for OSINT: filetype+site combos, exposed documents, intitle, platform-specific search syntax
`references/verification-methods.md`	5Ws verification checklist, reverse image search workflow, clone detection, chronolocation with SunCalc, weather verification
`references/geolocation-methods.md`	4-step geolocation methodology, visual clue taxonomy, satellite resolution comparison, street view providers, historical imagery
`references/person-investigation.md`	Pivot chain methodology (name/email/username/phone pivots), breach database workflow, platform techniques (Facebook, Telegram, Skype), life events research, Badin case study
`references/archiving-recovery.md`	Wayback Machine wildcards, cache syntax (Google/Bing/Yandex), deleted content recovery, high-res image extraction (Instagram/Twitter), Google News Archive for pre-2003
`references/transport-investigation.md`	Maritime AIS methodology, flight tracking (ADS-B Exchange), transponder deception detection, Hudaydah port case study
`references/coverage-discipline.md`	Question-led coverage ledger, null-result handling, documented skips, and gap reporting without numerical completeness scores

Related Skills

Skill	Use When
`osint`	Tool catalog, tool comparison, OSINT Navigator integration
`follow-the-money`	Financial investigation: corporate ownership, offshore structures, budget monitoring, asset tracing
`technical-investigation`	Passive technical pivots: indicators, infrastructure history, document/email metadata, and public GitHub history

Additional Attribution

The coverage-state discipline is adapted from CTI Expert by Hieu Ngo / chongluadao.vn (GitHub: 7onez; MIT License with upstream Ethical Use Addendum). Spotlight removes fixed path quotas, breach/exposure checks, active enumeration, and numerical coverage thresholds; coverage documents scope and gaps, not publishability.