Answer current or comparative questions by checking the vault first, searching when needed, and citing evidence instead of bluffing.
Use this skill for questions where a fast answer from memory is risky or incomplete. It prioritizes local knowledge first, then targeted external research, and ends with a reply that separates sourced facts, synthesis, and uncertainty.
vault/.vault/_index.md when the question might map to existing domain knowledge, local conventions, or prior synthesized research.web_search when the user asks for current information, comparative recommendations, market state, pricing, policies, recent releases, or anything that could reasonably have changed.web_search after checking the vault when the vault is missing, stale, too narrow, or needs external confirmation.Sources: list at the end. Include the publisher or site name and enough detail that the reader can verify the claim quickly.Based on the sources above or My read: when you are making an inference rather than repeating a source.I don't know when you cannot find reliable support, when the available evidence is weak, or when the question is underspecified enough that any confident answer would be guesswork.I don't know, follow it with the narrowest useful next step: what to clarify, what to measure, or what source would settle the question.Pattern: Current recommendation
User: What's the best incident-management tool for a small team in 2026?
Response pattern: Check vault/_index.md for prior operator guidance, then use web_search for current pricing, feature sets, and market changes. Reply with a short recommendation, the selection criteria, and a Sources: list.
Pattern: Local knowledge first
User: How should we structure framework concepts in the vault?
Response pattern: Read vault/_index.md and any relevant vault schema pages before answering. Skip web_search unless the user asks for outside examples or industry comparisons.
Pattern: Evidence is not good enough
User: Which AI coding agent has the highest real-world win rate right now?
Response pattern: Search for credible benchmark or field data. If the evidence is mostly marketing claims or anecdote, say I don't know and explain that the available comparisons are not trustworthy enough to rank confidently.