survey - Cross-Platform Problem-Space Scan

Keyword: survey | Platforms: OMC / OMX / OHMG / Claude Code / Codex CLI / Gemini CLI / OpenCode

Survey the landscape before planning, coding, or committing to a direction.

When to use this skill

• Before building a new feature, tool, workflow, or agent capability

• When the user asks "what exists?", "scan the landscape", "research this space", or "survey solutions"

• When you need problem context, current workarounds, and solution gaps before /plan , omg , ralph , or implementation

• When the topic spans multiple agent platforms and you need a single vendor-neutral picture

Do not use this skill when

• The user already knows the solution and wants implementation now

• The task is a small bug fix or narrow code change

• The user needs a feasibility study, architecture plan, or execution roadmap rather than discovery

Output Package

Save research in a platform-neutral directory so Claude / Codex / Gemini can all reuse it:

.survey/{slug}/ ├── triage.md ├── context.md ├── solutions.md └── platform-map.md # optional; required for agent/tooling/platform topics

• triage.md : problem / audience / why now

• context.md : workflows, affected users, workarounds, adjacent problems, user voices

• solutions.md : solution inventory, categories, frequency, gaps, contradictions, key insight

• platform-map.md : normalize platform-specific findings into settings , rules , hooks

Core Abstraction Layer

When the topic involves agent tooling, model orchestration, hooks, permissions, or vendor APIs, normalize findings into three layers:

• settings : model, safety, temperature, max tokens, system prompt, provider parameters

• rules : allow/deny/modify policy, guardrails, action constraints, approval logic

• hooks : pre/post/error callbacks, notify handlers, lifecycle automation, event triggers

Use this abstraction when comparing Claude, Codex, Gemini, OMC, OMX, or OHMG. Do not describe vendor features as unrelated one-off concepts if they map cleanly into one of these three layers.

Recommended internal profile:

survey_profile: settings: search_language: English output_language: user-language max_searches_per_lane: 8-10 save_root: .survey rules: - facts_only - no_code_generation - ask_max_2_triage_questions - dedupe_solution_names - include_source_links hooks: pre_research: - normalize_topic - choose_platform_adapter post_lane: - merge_notes - record_sources post_run: - write_summary - suggest_next_skill

Platform Adapter

Select the closest available orchestration surface, but keep the output format identical.

Platform Preferred execution shape Notes

OMC / Claude Code 4 parallel research agents. Prefer research-oriented specialist agents when available; otherwise use general-purpose agents with web search. Keep artifacts in .survey/ , not .omc/ , so other platforms can reuse them.

OMX / Codex CLI Use $research , explorer/planner-style agents, or parallel workers with web access. Translate vendor config into settings/rules/hooks in platform-map.md when relevant.

OHMG / Gemini / Antigravity Use Workflow Guide + PM/research-capable agents or equivalent parallel lanes. Preserve the same 4-lane structure and shared artifact names.

OpenCode / fallback Use generic web-capable agents in parallel. Do not block on missing specialized agent names.

If a platform-specific specialist does not exist, fall back to a general-purpose web-enabled agent and keep going.

Execution Policy

• Never write product code in this skill. This is a research-only skill.

• Search broadly in English for coverage, unless the user explicitly requires another search language.

• Save files in the user's language unless the repository has a stronger convention.

• Ask at most 2 triage questions, one at a time, only if what , who , or why is unclear.

• Run all 4 research lanes in parallel whenever possible.

• Keep claims source-backed. Include links for quotes, rankings, and non-obvious claims.

• Deduplicate tools that appear under multiple names or product tiers.

• Do not recommend build/kill/adopt by default. Present the landscape and gaps.

Workflow

Step 0: Triage

Parse the request into:

• what : the pain point, idea, or capability to survey

• who : who feels the pain or uses the workflow

• why : why it matters now

Before proceeding, check whether .survey/{slug}/triage.md already exists.

• If it exists, ask whether to reuse or overwrite.

• If the user keeps the existing survey, skip to Step 3 and summarize the saved files.

Save:

Triage

• Problem: {what}
• Audience: {who}
• Why now: {why}

Step 1: Run 4 Parallel Lanes

Launch all lanes together.

Lane A: Context

Research:

• where the problem appears in real workflows

• who is affected

• how people currently work around it

• adjacent problems and downstream consequences

• direct user voices from communities

Return sections:

• Workflow Context

• Affected Users

• Current Workarounds

• Adjacent Problems

• User Voices

Lane B: Solutions

Research:

• products, plugins, libraries, SaaS, GitHub projects, services

• curated lists and comparison pages

• common pricing and packaging

• limitations and repeated complaints

Return sections:

• Solutions

• Frequency Ranking

• Categories

• Curated Sources

Lane C: Actual Behavior

Research:

• what people actually use in practice

• which manual workflows persist despite vendor claims

• common frustration patterns

• where users drop back to spreadsheets, scripts, copy-paste, or multi-tool workflows

Return sections:

• What People Actually Use

• Common Workarounds

• Pain Points With Current Solutions

• Sources

Lane D: Alternatives / Platform Map

Default mode:

• JTBD alternatives

• cross-industry substitutes

• indirect competitors

For agent / model / orchestration topics, this lane must instead normalize the space into:

• Settings

• Rules

• Hooks

• Platform Gaps

Use a comparison table for Claude / Codex / Gemini when applicable.

Step 2: Synthesize and Save

Write context.md :

Context: {project name}

Workflow Context

{when and where the problem shows up}

Affected Users

Current Workarounds

{numbered list with limitations}

Adjacent Problems

{lettered or bulleted list}

User Voices

{quotes with source links}

Write solutions.md :

Solution Landscape: {project name}

Solution List

Categories

{grouped by category}

What People Actually Use

{behavior summary}

Frequency Ranking

{most mentioned solutions}

Key Gaps

{structural gaps not covered today}

Contradictions

{marketed claims vs user reality}

Key Insight

{1 paragraph}

When the topic is platform or agent related, write platform-map.md :

Platform Map: {project name}

Settings

Rules

Hooks

Platform Gaps

{where abstractions do not align cleanly}

Step 3: Summarize for the User

Return a short summary:

Survey complete: {slug}

Context

• {1-2 sentence summary}
• Main workaround: {most common workaround}

Solution Landscape

• {N} solutions across {M} categories
• Key insight: {one sentence}
• Key gap: {one sentence}

Files

• .survey/{slug}/triage.md
• .survey/{slug}/context.md
• .survey/{slug}/solutions.md
• .survey/{slug}/platform-map.md # if created

Do not move into planning or implementation unless the user asks.

Quick Reference

Action Instruction

Start a survey survey <topic>

Reuse existing results Check .survey/{slug}/ first

Search strategy Search in English, write in the user's language

Parallel lanes Context + Solutions + Behavior + Alternatives/Platform Map

Next step after survey /plan , omg , ralph , or implementation if the user asks

Final Checklist

• what / who / why are clear

• Existing survey checked before overwrite

• 4 lanes executed in parallel

• Source links included for quotes and non-obvious claims

• context.md saved

• solutions.md saved

• platform-map.md saved for agent/platform topics

• Final user summary is factual, short, and recommendation-free