ask-kb

Query a research knowledge base and return citation-grounded answers or design recommendations.

Updated Apr 19, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/nickgogan/improvement-loop --skill ask-kb-nickgogan
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: ask-kb
Source: https://github.com/nickgogan/improvement-loop/tree/main/.claude/skills/ask-kb
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/nickgogan/improvement-loop --skill ask-kb-nickgogan

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Teams accumulate research findings, guides, and library analyses that are hard to navigate on demand. This Skill answers questions directly from that knowledge base with inline citations, so answers are grounded in documented evidence rather than an AI's general training data. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Teacher mode: Synthesizes findings and guides into a narrative answer with evidence strength, timestamps, and coverage gaps for questions like "what do we know about X". - Builder mode: Produces an ordered recommendation set of guides, patterns, templates, and pitfalls for design questions like "help me design Y". - Honest gap reporting: Flags missing coverage, stale findings, contradictions, and broken references instead of padding with unsourced claims. - Use Case: Ask "what patterns apply to building a multi-agent orchestration layer" and receive a sequenced reading list of guides and templates, each cited by file path, plus pitfalls relevant to your case. ## Quick Start Ask the knowledge base a question such as "what do we know about prompt evaluation strategies" and receive a citation-grounded answer with caveats and gaps.

Frequently Asked Questions about ask-kb

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I query a research knowledge base with citations?▼

Ask a natural-language question and the skill searches findings, guides, and library analyses, then returns an answer where every claim cites a file path or finding ID with its evidence strength. Unsupported topics are reported as gaps rather than filled with general knowledge.

What is the difference between Teacher mode and Builder mode?▼

Teacher mode answers explanatory questions like "what do we know about X" with a synthesized narrative and supporting evidence. Builder mode answers design questions like "help me build Y" with an ordered recommendation set of guides, patterns, templates, and pitfalls.

Can this skill do web research or fetch external sources?▼

No. It is strictly read-only against the local knowledge base and never fetches external sources. For web research it redirects to dedicated research skills such as research-query or perplexity-research.

Does the knowledge base query skill modify or add findings?▼

No. It is read-only and never writes, edits, or repairs knowledge base content. Coverage gaps, stale findings, and broken references are reported in the output for other roles to address.

What happens when the knowledge base has no findings on my topic?▼

The skill explicitly states that the knowledge base has no findings on the topic and points to the nearest adjacent coverage. It does not substitute training-data knowledge presented as research.