How do I specify which research plan to cancel?

You can specify a plan by name or number. If you don't provide one, the skill will list all active research plans and ask you to choose the correct one.

Can I provide a reason for cancelling a research plan?

Yes, the skill encourages providing a reason, which is then recorded in both the research-plan.md header and the .research-state.json file for future reference.

What happens if I have background agents running?

If research agents are still running, they will complete their current tasks, but their findings will not be synthesized into the plan since it has been marked as cancelled.

Does this skill delete my research files permanently?

No, it moves the research directory to an archive folder within the .gumbo path, ensuring your data is preserved but removed from your active workspace.

Research Plan Cancellation

Name: Research Plan Cancellation
Author: kevinswiber

bykevinswiber

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Productivity & Workflow

Cancels active research plans by archiving files and updating status metadata to maintain an organized research workspace.

The Research Cancel skill provides a structured method for terminating research initiatives that are no longer relevant, have been superseded, or were started in error. It automates the cleanup process by updating human-readable Markdown plans and machine-readable JSON states with 'CANCELLED' statuses, timestamps, and optional reasons. By automatically moving the entire research directory to an archive folder, it prevents workspace clutter while ensuring that partial findings and agent logs are preserved for future reference or potential revival.

Key Features

01Mandatory user confirmation to prevent accidental research cancellations

02Preservation of partial findings for future lookups and audits

03Automated status updates to CANCELLED in Markdown and JSON files

046 GitHub stars

05Workspace organization via automatic movement to the archive directory

06Contextual logging of cancellation reasons and superseding references

Use Cases

01Cleaning up the active workspace by archiving abandoned or duplicate research plans

02Formally documenting the reason for ending an investigation to inform future team members

03Stopping a research task that has been superseded by a more relevant inquiry

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add kevinswiber/gumbo research-cancel

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

Download Skill