Separating investigation from coding gives the team a visible point to challenge assumptions and choose an approach before an agent changes the repository.
Frame a decision, not a scavenger hunt
State the outcome, scope, known constraints, open technical decision, and evidence the Research agent should gather. Repository-wide questions without a boundary make the handoff less actionable.
Read-only investigation
The Research agent inspects the repository and card context without modifying files. It returns relevant code paths, architectural context, options and trade-offs, failure modes, and a recommended implementation and verification approach.
Human checkpoint before build
A teammate reviews the findings, resolves product and architecture decisions, and updates the card. Only then should Claude or Codex implement the accepted approach. The research-build-review starter recipe captures that sequence as a reusable chain.