Strategy track entry point. Maps market landscape, competitors, identifies gaps and opportunities. Capability metadata (route triggers, prerequisites, load map, artifact contract) lives in routing.yaml. Agent table + 3 routes + Research Checkpoint: references/agent-manifest.md. Methodology + four failure modes + when NOT to use: references/playbook.md.
Core question: What does the market look like, and where are the gaps worth filling?
Critical Gates — load first
- Sources >18 months old → flag as historical, not current. Don't present stale data as current intelligence.
- TAM/SAM/SOM without methodology is a guess. Every estimate needs method (top-down/bottom-up), source, and confidence.
- Adjacent competitors are the highest threat — never skip the adjacent check. Biggest threats come from adjacent categories expanding in.
- Never rely on training data for positions or pricing — use WebSearch. Competitor data changes constantly; verify live.
Before Starting
Apply references/_shared/before-starting-check.md. Then:
- Mode resolution (
references/_shared/mode-resolver.md).budget: deep.--fastforces Route A (Quick Validation) — skip sizing + opportunity agents; consumer-landscape optional; critic gate collapses to single pass.--deepforces Route C. Cold Start STILL fires under--fastwhen context is missing —--fastdoes NOT authorize scoping a market with no specified category (Critical Gates 1-4 floor). references/_shared/execution-policy.md— session execution profile (single-vs-multi)- Read
.forsvn/index/manifest.json— find any priorid:market-researchatdocs/forsvn/canonical/research/MARKET.md(re-run signal); checkid:product-contextresolves (recommendresearch-icpfirst if missing). - Run Pre-Dispatch per
references/procedures/pre-dispatch.md— Warm Start with product+B2B/B2C pre-fill OR Cold Start 5-question prompt, Write-back map (Q1 → product.md; Q2+Q4 → business.md; Q3 → goals.md; Q5 → audience.md — all 5 Q's persist), route selection (A/B/C).
Quality Gate — 10 operator bullets (11 in critic-agent)
Critic agent verifies before delivery. 11th item (Feature matrix Stakes/Diff classification) is critic-agent-only. Full canonical rubric in agents/critic-agent.md.
- Every claim cites source (URL or publication name)
- Competitor table: ≥3 competitors with quantified size/growth signals
- Feature comparison: ≥5 capabilities relevant to category
- Gaps & Opportunities: ≥3 distinct opportunities with evidence
- Each Top 3 opportunity: evidence source, window, risk, and "why now"
- Market trends: ≥2 quantified data points (%, $, growth rates)
- No source >18 months presented as current without historical flag
- Confidence level stated with justification
- Adjacent competitors section populated — never skipped
- TAM/SAM/SOM (if present) shows methodology, not just numbers
Artifact Contract
- Path:
docs/forsvn/canonical/research/MARKET.md(canonical singleton;id: market-research). - Lifecycle:
canonical— edited in place by humans; on re-run overwritedocs/forsvn/canonical/research/MARKET.mdin place and increment the integerversion:(prior versions live in git history; never create a.v[N].mdsibling undercanonical/). - Frontmatter:
skill,version(integer artifact version),date(ISO-8601),status,stack(=research),review_surface(=html — the forsvn-preview review module renders the themed preview whiledecision_state: pending),id(=market-research),type(=canonical),keywords,decision_state. Seereferences/_shared/artifact-contract-template.mdfor the v3 schema. - Required body sections (in order — cross-stack contract): Scope · Market Trends · Market Sizing (if applicable per route) · User & Consumer Landscape · Competitive Landscape (6 sub-sections: Overview / Adjacent / Feature Comparison / Pricing / Positioning Map / Community & Mindshare) · Gaps & Opportunities (Gap Analysis 4-dimension + Top 3 Opportunities) · Limitations & Confidence · Next Step. Full template (~90 lines) + Scope Calibration tables:
references/format-conventions.md. - Optional sections: Known Issues (when critic FAILed twice and artifact ships with
[REVIEWER NOTE]annotations). - Side effects (mandatory on PASS / done_with_concerns):
- Write
docs/forsvn/canonical/research/MARKET.md. - Experience write-back per Write-back map: Q1 →
experience/product.md; Q2+Q4 →experience/business.md; Q3 →experience/goals.md; Q5 →experience/audience.md. All 5 Q's persist (unlike research-icp's Q5 routing-only). - On re-run, overwrite
docs/forsvn/canonical/research/MARKET.mdin place and increment the integerversion:(no.v[N].mdsibling).
- Write
- Consumed by: prioritize (Top 3 Opportunities feed Initiative evidence + Difficulty informs Effort scoring) · research-icp (Underserved Segments inform persona scoping) · architect-system (Competitive Landscape informs build-vs-buy) · plan-campaign (Positioning Map + Top 3 anchor messaging; Community & Mindshare informs channel mix) · fundraising deck preparation (Market Sizing + Competitive Landscape Overview + Top 3 — the "market" slide source).
- Cross-stack OUTPUT contract: Artifact Template structure + 8 required sections + 6 Competitive Landscape sub-sections + Top 3 Opportunities 6-column schema + Adjacent Competitors 5-column schema + Gap Analysis 4-dimension format + Next Step block are load-bearing — schema changes require atomic update of 5+ consumers.
Chain Position
Previous: none (Strategy track entry point) | Next: prioritize, research-icp (both downstream).
Foundational role: research-market and diagnose are the two entry points of the Strategy track (parallel-with each other). research-market creates the canonical market record that prioritize, architect-system, plan-campaign, and fundraising deck preparation consume.
Re-run triggers: new market entry, major competitor launch/pivot, fundraising, quarterly for fast-moving categories.
Skill deference: MARKET landscape and gaps → this skill. WHO the customer is, what they feel → research-icp. A METRIC underperforming → diagnose. Know the problem, need SOLUTIONS → prioritize.
Routing
Three routes (A / B / C) — chosen at Pre-Dispatch (Q3 why-now classification or auto-inferred). Full route graphs + Research Checkpoint mechanics + Critic FAIL routing: references/agent-manifest.md. Spawn mechanics + Single-Agent Fallback + post-write side effects + chain position: references/procedures/dispatch-mechanics.md.
Anti-Patterns
Read references/anti-patterns.md before output ships — 11 patterns (8 from original + 3 cross-cutting: cross-stack contract drift, experience write-back skipped/partial, scope-blind critic evaluation). Per-pattern detection + bad/good examples + agent ownership.
Durable Rules (protected)
Completion Status
- DONE — all 4 Layer 1 streams complete (trends, sizing, competitor, consumer-landscape), opportunities ranked, critic PASS.
- DONE_WITH_CONCERNS — partial coverage (sizing data thin or estimated); opportunities listed with confidence flags.
- BLOCKED — category undefined or too broad to size; needs user-supplied scope narrowing before any agent can dispatch.
- NEEDS_CONTEXT —
research/product-context.mdabsent and product not described; recommendresearch-icpfirst or interview the user.