research-goal-curator

name: research-goal-curator description: Curate an existing AGENT_GOAL.md from a research brief and optional chat context. Use when a workspace already has AGENT_GOAL.md and the user wants to refine or save an explicit research goal. Do not use it to scaffold AGENT files, rewrite AGENT.md or other agent files, or infer a final goal without interacting with the user.

Research Goal Curator

Trigger

• Use when a workspace already contains AGENT_GOAL.md and the user wants to refine, clarify, or save a research goal.
• Use when the user has a research brief, chat history, or tentative wording that should be turned into an internally consistent goal file.
• Do not use this skill to scaffold AGENT files. If AGENT_GOAL.md does not exist, route to the appropriate scaffolder: agent-files for generic workspaces or manuscript-writing-agent-files for LaTeX IEEE manuscript writing.
• Do not use this skill to rewrite AGENT.md, AGENT_HARNESS.md, or AGENT_PROGRESS.md; its write surface is only AGENT_GOAL.md.

Inputs

• target_dir: workspace directory expected to contain AGENT_GOAL.md
• research_brief: concise statement of the research intent to preserve and refine into durable goal-file content
• chat_context: optional conversation excerpts, notes, or prior wording; supporting context only, not persistent scope unless explicitly approved as goal-file content
• dry_run: when true, return a structured preview without writing

Workflow

1. Verify that target_dir/AGENT_GOAL.md exists. If it does not, stop and tell the caller to scaffold the workspace first with the appropriate scaffolder (agent-files for generic workspaces or manuscript-writing-agent-files for LaTeX IEEE manuscript writing).
2. Read the existing AGENT_GOAL.md and identify its current sections: statement, scope, non-goals, success criteria, and constraints.
3. Read research_brief and any chat_context, then interact with the user until the research intention is explicit enough to save. Treat chat context as evidence for wording and intent; do not turn it into persistent scope, non-goals, success criteria, or constraints unless the user explicitly approves that content for AGENT_GOAL.md.
4. When the user has already approved exact wording, preserve that wording unless the user explicitly asks for a revision.
5. Curate the whole AGENT_GOAL.md so the sections are mutually consistent and reflect the same research intention. Preserve neutral scaffold entries such as "Not yet specified by user" only when the user has not approved durable content for that section; replace them deliberately when the user approves concrete section content.
6. If dry_run is true, return the proposed update summary without writing. Otherwise update AGENT_GOAL.md and return a concise report of what changed.

Outputs

• goal_path
• written
• summary
• updated_sections
• warnings
• open_questions

Failure / Escalation

• If AGENT_GOAL.md is missing, fail cleanly and route to the appropriate scaffolder: agent-files for generic workspaces or manuscript-writing-agent-files for LaTeX IEEE manuscript writing.
• If the user intention remains ambiguous after refinement, stop with written=false and put the remaining blockers in open_questions.
• If the chat contains conflicting goal statements, ask the user which wording governs before writing.
• If chat context suggests additional scope or constraints but the user has not approved them as durable goal-file content, leave the relevant neutral scaffold entries in place and report the ambiguity in open_questions.
• If the request expands into broader agent-file editing, state that the other agent files are out of scope for this skill.

Tool Contract

• Read tool.json for the authoritative schema.
• The JSON schema enforces input/output shape only. The semantic checks for approved durable goal content and neutral scaffold-entry preservation are workflow requirements enforced before writing.
• target_dir and research_brief are required.
• chat_context is optional supporting input and should not override explicit user-approved wording.
• Always return the full output envelope even when no write occurs.