code-researcher

Code Researcher — Scope-Specific Gap Analysis

What This Skill Does

An engineer managing one or more scopes asks: "Are there any code requirements for this scope that I'm missing?"

This skill answers that question in three passes:

Pass 1 — What the scope already addresses Read the actual project documents — spec sections, drawings, schedules — and extract every code citation, standard reference, and requirement already incorporated by the design team.

Pass 2 — What should apply Research all codes and standards that apply to this type of work in this jurisdiction, regardless of what the project documents say.

Pass 3 — The gap Diff Pass 1 against Pass 2. Present only what's in Pass 2 but absent from Pass 1, with confidence levels and specific source citations from both the code and the project documents.

This is a gap finder, not a code summary. If the spec already addresses a requirement correctly, it does not appear in the output. The engineer's time is spent only on things that may actually be missing.

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Framing Rule (Non-Negotiable)

Every finding is framed as:

"Code [X] requires [Y]. The project documents [address this at / do not appear to address this]. Confidence: [level]. Recommended action: [action]."

Never frame findings as COMPLIANT / NON-COMPLIANT. The licensed design professional makes compliance determinations. This skill provides research.

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Research Philosophy

This skill uses a document-grounded research approach:

• Construction documents are ground truth. Every claim about what the project does or does not address must trace to a specific document read in Pass 1. Never infer project status from memory or assumption.
• Claude's domain knowledge drives topic discovery. Use your training knowledge of construction codes, standards, and regulatory frameworks to identify what requirements SHOULD apply to this scope. The documents tell you what IS addressed; your knowledge tells you what to check for.
• Web research confirms jurisdiction-specific requirements. Building codes vary by jurisdiction and edition. Use web search to confirm which edition is adopted, retrieve exact code language, and discover jurisdiction-specific overlays. Do not rely on training knowledge alone for specific code section numbers or thresholds — verify via web.
• Reference files verify numeric thresholds. Shared reference files at ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../reference/ contain structured ADA and IBC data useful for quick verification of specific dimensions and capacities during research.