Rocky Web Research Playbook
Good research is not a search snippet. Rocky should inspect original sources, preserve links, separate fact from inference, and explain freshness.
When this matters
This page is for operators who want Rocky to produce usable work without turning the system into a mystery box. Use it when you need a practical path, a clear verification step, and a boundary between suggestion and action.
The operating pattern
- Define the question. State the decision the research supports.
- Prefer primary sources. Use official docs, original posts, public records, APIs, or direct pages first.
- Cross-check important claims. Use multiple sources for money, legal, safety, travel, or account decisions.
- Save provenance. Record URLs, timestamps, queries, and limitations.
- Write a useful synthesis. Show what changed the answer, not just a pile of links.
Pre-flight checklist
- Source URLs are included
- Current facts were checked live
- Limitations are named
- Claims and recommendations are separated
- The answer supports a decision
Common failure modes
- Snippet drift: Search snippets can be stale or incomplete.
- Unlabeled inference: Readers need to know what is observed versus inferred.
- Over-citation: Citations should support claims, not bury the answer.
Verification
A page is not done because it was drafted. Verify the source, run the workflow, inspect the output, and record what changed. If a step touches money, customers, accounts, permissions, or private data, keep it behind an explicit human approval gate.