Systematically investigate social media claims and viral content. Use when fact-checking complex claims, when decomposing multi-part assertions, or when investigating narratives that mix facts with interpretation.

Claim Investigation: Systematic Fact Checking Skill You help systematically investigate claims from social media and other sources, separating verifiable facts from narrative interpretation and identifying what can and cannot be confirmed. Core Principle Complex claims typically combine verifiable facts with unverifiable interpretations. Effective investigation decomposes claims into atomic components, verifies each independently, and clearly distinguishes between confirmed facts and narrative framing. Phase 1: Claim Decomposition 1.1 Extract Atomic Claims Break the statement into individual verifiable claims. Each should be: A single factual assertion Independently verifiable Free of narrative interpretation Example Decomposition : Original: "The House Leader refusing to seat the newly elected AZ 07 special election winner because she'd vote to release the Epstein files" Atomic claims: 1. There is a House Leader (entity exists) 2. There was an AZ 07 special election (event occurred) 3. Someone won that election (result exists) 4. The winner has not been seated (current state) 5. A refusal action occurred (specific action claim) 6. Causal relationship with Epstein files (causation claim) 1.2 Classify Each Component Type Description Verifiability ENTITY Person, organization, place Usually verifiable EVENT Something that allegedly happened Often verifiable STATE Current condition or status Usually verifiable PROCESS Official procedure or mechanism Verifiable CAUSATION Claimed reason or motivation Rarely verifiable NARRATIVE Interpretive framing Not directly verifiable 1.3 Identify Missing Information Note what's conspicuously absent: Unnamed entities ("the winner" instead of a name) Unspecified dates Missing procedural context Absent opposing perspectives Phase 2: Entity Resolution 2.1 Resolve Vague References Convert vague references to specific, searchable terms: "House Leader" → Current House Speaker/Majority Leader name "newly elected winner" → Candidate names from election results "Epstein files" → Specific documents/investigations 2.2 Establish Timeline For each event: When did it allegedly occur? What is normal timeline for this type of event? Are there procedural deadlines involved? 2.3 Identify Key Actors Primary actors (those taking alleged actions) Secondary actors (those affected) Official bodies with relevant authority Potential sources of verification Phase 3: Systematic Verification 3.1 Verify Foundational Facts First Start with most basic, verifiable claims: 1. Did the event occur? 2. Do the entities exist? 3. Are basic facts correct? Search Strategy : Official sources first (.gov, electoral bodies) Cross reference multiple news sources Look for primary documents 3.2 Investigate Procedural Context For any claimed action/inaction: 1. What is normal procedure? 2. What are requirements? 3. What is typical timeline? 4. What are legitimate reasons for delays? 3.3 Examine Causation Claims For any "because" or causal claim: Direct Evidence : Quoted statements from alleged actor Official statements or press releases Video/audio of relevant statements Indirect Evidence : Other explanations for observed facts Standard reasons for similar situations Procedural explanations Context : Previous positions by involved parties Historical precedents Timeline compatibility Phase 4: Source Evaluation 4.1 Source Priority Order 1. Official government records/databases 2. Direct statements from involved parties 3. Court documents or legal filings 4. Contemporary news reports (multiple outlets) 5. Analysis or opinion pieces (noted as such) 4.2 Credibility Markers For each source, note: Type (official, news, advocacy, social media) Date relative to events Whether claims are attributed Presence of supporting documentation Corrections or updates issued 4.3 Bias Indicators Document without dismissing: Source's typical political alignment Stakeholder relationships Pattern of coverage Language choices (neutral vs charged) Phase 5: Narrative Pattern Recognition 5.1 Identify Narrative Constructions Patterns indicating narrative rather than fact: Causal chains without evidence ("X because Y because Z") Mind reading claims ("thinks that," "wants to") Selective fact inclusion Temporal conflation (mixing time periods) False dichotomies 5.2 Find Counter Narratives For each narrative: What facts support it? What facts complicate it? What alternative narratives explain same facts? What facts are excluded? 5.3 Missing Context What would change interpretation: Standard procedures being followed Similar historical cases Full quotes vs partial quotes Events immediately before/after Phase 6: Synthesis and Reporting 6.1 Report Structure 6.2 Confidence Levels Level Meaning Certain Multiple primary sources confirm Probable Multiple credible sources align, no contradictions Possible Some evidence supports, gaps remain Unclear Contradictory evidence or insufficient info False Contradicted by authoritative sources Phase 7: Meta Analysis 7.1 Information Gaps Document what couldn't be determined: Information that should exist but wasn't found Questions that remain unanswered Time constraints on verification 7.2 Manipulation Indicators Patterns suggesting intentional misrepresentation: Key facts consistently omitted Misquoted or out of context statements Conflation of different events/people Old events presented as new 7.3 Further Investigation If initial investigation reveals deeper issues: What additional tools/access would help? What questions should be asked of officials? What documents should be requested? Search Query Construction Start broad, then narrow Use multiple phrasings for same concept Include date ranges when relevant Search for both supporting and contradicting evidence Use exact phrases for quotes, broad terms for concepts Output Principles 1. Lead with verified facts 2. Clearly separate facts from analysis 3. Include all relevant context 4. Present multiple valid interpretations where applicable 5. Never assert causation without evidence 6. Acknowledge investigation limitations Output Persistence Output Discovery 1. Check for context/output config.md in the project 2. If found, look for this skill's entry 3. If not found, ask user: "Where should I save investigation reports?" 4. Suggest: research/investigations/ or explorations/research/ Primary Output Decomposed claims Atomic components with classifications Verification results Confidence levels per component Context documentation Procedural and historical context Synthesis report Using standard report structure File Naming Pattern: {topic} investigation {date}.md Verification (Oracle) What This Skill Can Verify Decomposition complete All atomic claims identified? (High confidence) Entity resolution Vague references resolved? (High confidence) Source evaluation Credibility markers documented? (High confidence) What Requires Human Judgment Source reliability Contextual trust assessment Narrative interpretation Which framing is most accurate? Manipulation detection Intent behind information gaps Oracle Limitations Cannot assess motivations behind claims Cannot predict how information will evolve Feedback Loop Session Persistence Output location: See context/output config.md What to save: Decomposition, verification, context, synthesis Naming pattern: {topic} investigation {date}.md Cross Session Learning Check for prior investigations on related topics Build on previous source evaluations Failed verifications inform methodology Design Constraints This Skill Assumes A specific claim to investigate (not general research) Verifiable components exist within the claim Sources are accessible for verification This Skill Does Not Handle General research Route to: research AI output verification Route to: fact check Media pattern analysis Route to: media meta analysis Degradation Signals Single source verification (confirmation rush) Accepting causation without evidence Dismissing entire claims for single errors Reasoning Requirements Standard Reasoning Single claim decomposition Basic entity resolution Simple source evaluation Extended Reasoning (ultrathink) Multi claim investigation [Why: claims interact and context builds] Narrative analysis [Why: detecting manipulation patterns] Deep source tracing [Why: finding original sources through citation chains] Trigger phrases: "full investigation", "trace all sources", "analyze the narrative" Execution Strategy Sequential (Default) Decomposition before verification Foundational facts before causation claims Individual components before synthesis Parallelizable Verifying independent atomic claims Researching multiple sources simultaneously Subagent Candidates Task Agent Type When to Spawn Source research general purpose When tracing claim origins Timeline construction general purpose When mapping event sequences Context Management Approximate Token Footprint Skill base: ~3.5k tokens (phases + templates) With examples: ~4.5k tokens With full output structure: ~5k tokens Context Optimization Focus on current investigation phase Report structure is reference, not in context Examples optional When Context Gets Tight Prioritize: Current phase, active claims Defer: Full template structure, all phases Drop: Meta analysis section, search examples Anti Patterns 1. Confirmation Rush Pattern: Finding one source that matches the claim and declaring it verified. Why it fails: Single source verification misses errors, biases, and coordinated misinformation where multiple outlets repeat the same false claim without independent verification. Fix: Require at least 2 3 independent sources. Trace claims back to primary sources. Check if "multiple sources" are actually just repeating the same original source. 2. Causation Collapse Pattern: Accepting "X happened because Y" claims when only "X happened" and "Y exists" are verified. Why it fails: Correlation proves co occurrence, not causation. Human pattern matching fills in causal links that may not exist. Political narratives especially exploit this gap. Fix: Demand direct evidence for causation (stated intent, documented decisions). When causation can't be verified, report it as "alleged motivation" or "claimed reason." 3. Premature Debunking Pattern: Finding one fact wrong and dismissing the entire claim without investigating other components. Why it fails: Complex claims often mix true and false elements. Dismissing everything because one part is wrong misses real issues embedded in the narrative. Fix: Decompose fully, verify each component independently. Report accuracy per component: "Claims A and C are verified; claim B is false; claim D is unverifiable." 4. Authority Fallacy Pattern: Accepting official sources uncritically because they're "authoritative." Why it fails: Official sources can be wrong, incomplete, outdated, or deliberately misleading. Authority reduces probability of error but doesn't eliminate it. Fix: Cross reference official sources with other evidence. Note when official sources have incentives to misrepresent. Distinguish between "official position" and "verified fact." 5. Narrative Anchoring Pattern: Starting with a hypothesis about what's "really happening" and investigating to prove it. Why it fails: Confirmation bias shapes what evidence you seek and how you interpret it

claim-investigation