# Research ledger: your context

Copy this file to CONTEXT.md next to SKILL.md (Claude Code), or next to your AGENTS.md or rules file
(Codex, Cursor), and fill in every blank. Write `no data` for anything you do
not know yet. Never put passwords, access keys or card numbers here.

## Question and decision

(What you want to know, and what you will do with the answer.)
Question: ___
Decision: ___
Example (not your data): Which of three hosting providers fits a small web app with users in one region? Decision: which one to sign up with this month.

## Scope

(The place, time period and audience the answer must hold for.)
Scope: ___
Example (not your data): users in one region, prices as of this month, a team of two developers.

## Options or competitors to compare

(Add your own list. The agent asks for it if it is empty and never makes one up. Write `find candidates`
if you want the agent to search for them, or `none` if the question is not a comparison.)
Options: ___
Example (not your data): three hosting providers we already shortlisted, named here.

## Expected sources

(Where you expect the evidence to be, and whether the agent can open it or you will supply it.)
| Source | What it should tell you | Access |
|---|---|---|
| ___ | ___ | opened / supplied |
Example (not your data): each provider's pricing and documentation pages, opened; a review site that needs a login, supplied; two public developer forums, opened.

## Refresh window

(After how long a ledger row should be re-read before the answer relies on it.)
Refresh window: ______
Example (not your data): 30 days for prices and status pages, 180 days for documentation.

## Deal-breakers

(Facts that rule an option out at once. The agent checks these first. `none` is a valid answer.)
Deal-breakers: ______
Example (not your data): no server location in our region; no way to export our data; price above our monthly budget.

## Ledger location

(The file where claims, requests and gaps are kept between sessions.)
Path: ___
Example (not your data): ./research/ledger.md