Desk research project status

/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 (ADR-0054): it never advances phase, never invokes desk-research-project-digest or desk-research-project-synthesize, and never modifies overview.md.

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."

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.