---

name: check description: "Full Reality Check analysis - fetch source, perform 3-stage analysis, extract claims, register to database, and validate. The flagship command for rigorous source analysis."

Full Analysis Workflow (Codex)

Full Reality Check analysis - fetch source, perform 3-stage analysis, extract claims, register to database, and validate. The flagship command for rigorous source analysis.

Invocation

Copy$check <url>

Note: Codex reserves /... for built-in commands. Use $check instead.

The flagship Reality Check command for rigorous source analysis.

Prerequisites

Environment

Set REALITYCHECK_DATA to point to your data repository:

Copyexport REALITYCHECK_DATA=/path/to/realitycheck-data/data/realitycheck.lance

The PROJECT_ROOT is derived from this path - all analysis files go there.

Red Flags: Wrong Repository

IMPORTANT: Always write to the DATA repository, never to the framework repository.

If you see these directories, you're in the framework repo (wrong place for data):

• scripts/
• tests/
• integrations/
• methodology/

Stop and verify REALITYCHECK_DATA is set correctly.

Data Source of Truth

LanceDB is the source of truth, not YAML files.

• Query sources: rc-db source get <id> or rc-db source list
• Query claims: rc-db claim get <id> or rc-db claim list
• Search: rc-db search "query"

Ignore YAML files like claims/registry.yaml or reference/sources.yaml - these are exports/legacy format.

Workflow Steps

1. Fetch - Retrieve and parse source content
   • Primary: WebFetch for most URLs
   • Alternative: curl -L -sS "URL" | rc-html-extract - --format json
   • rc-html-extract returns structured {title, published, text, headings, word_count}
   • Use the extract tool when you need clean metadata or main text extraction
2. Metadata - Extract title, author, date, type, generate source-id
3. Stage 1: Descriptive - Neutral summary, key claims, argument structure
4. Stage 2: Evaluative - Evidence quality, fact-checking, disconfirming evidence
5. Stage 3: Dialectical - Steelman, counterarguments, synthesis
6. Extract - Format claims as YAML
7. Register - Add source and claims to database
8. Audit Log - Append in-document log + register analysis_logs row
9. Validate - Run integrity checks
10. README - Update data project analysis index
11. Commit - Stage and commit changes to data repo
12. Push - Push to remote
13. Report - Generate summary

---

Multi-source Requests (Compare / Contrast)

If the prompt includes multiple sources (multiple URLs/repos/papers) or explicitly asks for compare/contrast, $check is responsible for the full multi-source workflow end-to-end:

1. Run the source-analysis workflow once per source (one analysis/sources/<source-id>.md per source)
2. Then, in the same run, also write a single cross-source synthesis at analysis/syntheses/<synth-id>.md

The synthesis should link back to the relevant source analyses and resolve (or clearly frame) points of agreement and disagreement.

Use $synthesize as a standalone command when you want to:

• create a synthesis later from existing source analyses
• update/refine an existing synthesis without re-running checks

---

Analysis Output Contract

Every analysis must produce a human-auditable analysis file at: PROJECT_ROOT/analysis/sources/<source-id>.md

The analysis must include:

1. Metadata (Source ID, URL, author, date/type)
2. Legends (top-of-file quick reference)
3. Three-stage analysis (Stages 1-3)
4. Claim tables with evidence + credence
5. Extracted claims artifact (embedded YAML or separate file)
6. Analysis Log (append-only pass history + tool/model/tokens/cost when available)

If an analysis lacks claim tables (IDs, evidence levels, credence) it is not complete.

Multi-source Output

For multi-source requests, produce:

• One source analysis per source: analysis/sources/<source-id>.md
• One synthesis (required unless the user explicitly asks not to): analysis/syntheses/<synth-id>.md

Required Elements

Stage 1 (Descriptive):

• Source Metadata table
• Core Thesis (1-3 sentences)
• Key Claims table (with Verified? and Falsifiable By columns)
• Argument Structure diagram
• Theoretical Lineage
• Scope & Limitations

Stage 2 (Evaluative):

• Key Factual Claims Verified (with Crux? column)
• Disconfirming Evidence Search
• Internal Tensions / Self-Contradictions
• Persuasion Techniques
• Unstated Assumptions
• Evidence Assessment
• Credence Assessment

Stage 3 (Dialectical):

• Steelmanned Argument
• Strongest Counterarguments
• Supporting Theories (with source IDs)
• Contradicting Theories (with source IDs)
• Synthesis Notes
• Claims to Cross-Reference

End:

• Claim Summary table (all claims)
• Claims to Register (YAML)
• Credence in Analysis (0.0-1.0)

---

Analysis Template

Use this structure for analysis documents:

Copy# Source Analysis: [Title]

> **Claim types**: `[F]` fact, `[T]` theory, `[H]` hypothesis, `[P]` prediction, `[A]` assumption, `[C]` counterfactual, `[S]` speculation, `[X]` contradiction
> **Evidence**: **E1** systematic review/meta-analysis; **E2** peer-reviewed/official stats; **E3** expert consensus/preprint; **E4** credible journalism/industry; **E5** opinion/anecdote; **E6** unsupported/speculative

## Metadata

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Source ID** | [author-year-shorttitle] |
| **Title** | [extracted from source] |
| **Author(s)** | [name(s)] |
| **Date** | [YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY] |
| **Type** | [PAPER/ARTICLE/BLOG/REPORT/INTERVIEW/etc.] |
| **URL** | [source URL] |
| **Reliability** | [0.0-1.0] |
| **Rigor Level** | [SPITBALL/DRAFT/REVIEWED/CANONICAL] |

## Stage 1: Descriptive Analysis

### Core Thesis
[1-3 sentence summary of main argument]

### Key Claims

| # | Claim | Claim ID | Type | Domain | Evid | Credence | Verified? | Falsifiable By |
|---|-------|----------|------|--------|------|----------|-----------|----------------|
| 1 | [claim text] | DOMAIN-YYYY-NNN | [F/T/H/P/A/C/S/X] | DOMAIN | E1-E6 | 0.00-1.00 | [source or ?] | [what would refute] |
| 2 | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | | | | | | | | |

**Column guide**:
- **Claim**: Concise statement of the claim
- **Claim ID**: Format `DOMAIN-YYYY-NNN` (e.g., TECH-2026-001)
- **Type**: `[F]` fact, `[T]` theory, `[H]` hypothesis, `[P]` prediction, `[A]` assumption, `[C]` counterfactual, `[S]` speculation, `[X]` contradiction
- **Domain**: Primary domain code (TECH/LABOR/ECON/GOV/SOC/RESOURCE/TRANS/GEO/INST/RISK/META)
- **Evid**: Evidence level E1-E6
- **Credence**: Probability estimate 0.00-1.00
- **Verified?**: Source reference if verified, `?` if unverified
- **Falsifiable By**: What evidence would refute this claim

### Argument Structure

[Is this a chain argument? What's the logical flow?]

[Claim A] | implies v [Claim B] | requires v [Claim C] | leads to v [Conclusion]

Copy
**Chain Analysis** (if applicable):
- **Weakest Link**: [Which step?]
- **Why Weak**: [Explanation]
- **If Link Breaks**: [What happens to conclusion?]
- **Alternative Paths**: [Can conclusion be reached differently?]

### Theoretical Lineage

[What traditions/thinkers does this build on?]

- **Primary influences**: [List key thinkers, schools of thought]
- **Builds on**: [Specific theories or frameworks this extends]
- **Departs from**: [Where this diverges from its intellectual predecessors]
- **Novel contributions**: [What's genuinely new here]

### Scope & Limitations
[What does this source attempt to explain? What does it explicitly not address?]

## Stage 2: Evaluative Analysis

### Internal Coherence
[Does the argument follow logically? Any contradictions?]

### Key Factual Claims Verified

> **Requirement**: Must include >=1 **crux claim** (central to thesis), not just peripheral numerics.

| Claim (paraphrased) | Crux? | Source Says | Actual | External Source | Status |
|---------------------|-------|-------------|--------|-----------------|--------|
| [e.g., "China makes 50% of X"] | N | [assertion] | [verified value] | [URL/ref] | ok / x / ? |
| [e.g., "Elite consensus on Y"] | **Y** | [assertion] | [verified or ?] | [URL/ref] | ok / x / ? |

**Column guide**:
- **Claim**: Paraphrased factual claim from the source
- **Crux?**: Is this claim central to the argument? Mark crux claims with **Y**
- **Source Says**: What the source asserts
- **Actual**: What verification found (or `?` if unverified)
- **External Source**: URL or reference used for verification
- **Status**: `ok` = verified, `x` = refuted, `?` = unverified

### Disconfirming Evidence Search

> For top 2-3 claims, actively search for counterevidence or alternative explanations (even 5 min changes behavior).

| Claim | Counterevidence Found | Alternative Explanation | Search Notes |
|-------|----------------------|-------------------------|--------------|
| [top claim 1] | [what contradicts it, or "none found"] | [other way to explain the data] | [what you searched] |
| [top claim 2] | [what contradicts it, or "none found"] | [other way to explain the data] | [what you searched] |
| [top claim 3] | [what contradicts it, or "none found"] | [other way to explain the data] | [what you searched] |

**Purpose**: Combat confirmation bias by explicitly searching for evidence against the source's claims.

### Internal Tensions / Self-Contradictions

| Tension | Parts in Conflict | Implication |
|---------|-------------------|-------------|
| [description of tension] | [Premise A] vs [Conclusion B] | [what it means for validity] |
| | | |

**Purpose**: Identify logical inconsistencies within the source's own argument.

### Persuasion Techniques

| Technique | Example from Source | Effect on Reader |
|-----------|---------------------|------------------|
| [e.g., Composition fallacy] | [quote or paraphrase] | [how it biases interpretation] |
| [e.g., Appeal to authority] | [quote or paraphrase] | [how it biases interpretation] |
| | | |

**Common techniques to watch for**:
- Composition/division fallacies
- Appeal to authority/emotion
- Cherry-picking data
- Motte-and-bailey
- Strawmanning alternatives
- False dichotomies
- Weasel words / hedging
- Anchoring with extreme examples

### Unstated Assumptions

| Assumption | Claim ID | Critical? | Problematic? |
|------------|----------|-----------|--------------|
| [assumption text] | [which claim depends on this] | Y/N | Y/N |
| | | | |

**Column guide**:
- **Assumption**: The unstated premise underlying the argument
- **Claim ID**: Which claim(s) depend on this assumption
- **Critical?**: Would the argument fail if this assumption is false?
- **Problematic?**: Is this assumption questionable or likely false?

**Purpose**: Surface hidden premises that may not be shared by all readers.

### Evidence Assessment
[Quality and relevance of supporting evidence]

### Credence Assessment
- **Overall Credence**: [0.0-1.0]
- **Reasoning**: [why this level?]

## Stage 3: Dialectical Analysis

### Steelmanned Argument
[Strongest possible version of this position]

### Strongest Counterarguments
1. [Counter + source if available]
2. [Counter + source if available]

### Supporting Theories

| Theory/Framework | Source ID | How It Supports |
|------------------|-----------|-----------------|
| [theory name] | [source-id] | [brief explanation of alignment] |
| | | |

### Contradicting Theories

| Theory/Framework | Source ID | Point of Conflict |
|------------------|-----------|-------------------|
| [theory name] | [source-id] | [brief explanation of conflict] |
| | | |

**Purpose**: Place this source in the broader theoretical landscape. Link to existing analyses where available.

### Synthesis Notes
[How does this update our overall understanding?]

### Claims to Cross-Reference
[Which claims should be checked against other sources?]

---

### Claim Summary

| ID | Type | Domain | Evidence | Credence | Claim |
|----|------|--------|----------|----------|-------|
| DOMAIN-YYYY-NNN | [F/T/H/P/A/C/S/X] | DOMAIN | E1-E6 | 0.00 | [claim text] |

**Notes**:
- All claims extracted from the source should appear in this table
- Use this for the complete claim inventory
- Key Claims table (above) highlights the most significant claims with additional columns

### Claims to Register

\`\`\`yaml
claims:
  - id: "DOMAIN-YYYY-NNN"
    text: "[Precise claim statement]"
    type: "[F/T/H/P/A/C/S/X]"
    domain: "[DOMAIN]"
    evidence_level: "E[1-6]"
    credence: 0.XX
    operationalization: "[How to test/measure this claim]"
    assumptions: ["..."]
    falsifiers: ["What would refute this"]
    source_ids: ["[source-id]"]
\`\`\`

---

**Analysis Date**: [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Analyst**: [human/claude/gpt/etc.]
**Credence in Analysis**: [0.0-1.0]

**Credence Reasoning**:
- [Why this credence level?]
- [What would increase/decrease credence?]
- [Key uncertainties remaining]

---

## Analysis Log

| Pass | Date | Tool | Model | Duration | Tokens | Cost | Notes |
|------|------|------|-------|----------|--------|------|-------|
| 1 | YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM | codex | gpt-5.2 | 8m | ? | ? | Initial 3-stage analysis |

Tip: If you run `rc-db analysis add --analysis-file ...`, the CLI will **update this table** best-effort. If you provide `--usage-from ... --estimate-cost`, it can populate tokens/cost automatically.

### Revision Notes

**Pass 1**: [What changed in this pass? What was added/updated and why?]

---

Evidence Hierarchy

Use this hierarchy to rate strength of evidential support for claims.

Claim Types

Domain Codes

Credence Calibration

To maintain well-calibrated credence:

Aggregation notes:

• A theory with many 0.7 credence claims is not itself 0.7 credence
• Credence in overall theory depends on logical structure and weakest critical links
• Chain arguments: overall credence <= weakest link
• Explicitly model dependencies when possible

---

Database Commands

Use installed commands if available, otherwise fall back to uv:

Copy# Check database stats
rc-db stats
# or: uv run python scripts/db.py stats

# Register source
rc-db source add \
  --id "SOURCE_ID" \
  --title "TITLE" \
  --type "TYPE" \
  --author "AUTHOR" \
  --year YEAR \
  --url "URL" \
  --analysis-file "analysis/sources/SOURCE_ID.md" \
  --topics "tag1,tag2" \
  --domains "TECH,LABOR"

# Update source metadata later
rc-db source update "SOURCE_ID" \
  --analysis-file "analysis/sources/SOURCE_ID.md" \
  --topics "tag1,tag2" \
  --domains "TECH,LABOR" \
  --claims-extracted "DOMAIN-YYYY-NNN,DOMAIN-YYYY-NNN"

# Register claim
rc-db claim add \
  --id "CLAIM_ID" \
  --text "CLAIM_TEXT" \
  --type "[TYPE]" \
  --domain "DOMAIN" \
  --evidence-level "EX" \
  --credence 0.XX \
  --source-ids "SOURCE_ID"

# Recommended: import source + claims in one step (format: analysis/sources/<source-id>.yaml)
rc-db import "analysis/sources/SOURCE_ID.yaml" --type all

# Search claims
rc-db search "query" --limit 10

# Get specific record
rc-db claim get CLAIM_ID
rc-db source get SOURCE_ID

# List records
rc-db claim list --domain TECH
rc-db source list --type ARTICLE

# Analysis audit log
rc-db analysis add \
  --source-id "SOURCE_ID" \
  --tool codex \
  --cmd check \
  --analysis-file "analysis/sources/SOURCE_ID.md" \
  --model "gpt-4o" \
  --usage-from codex:"/path/to/rollout-*.jsonl" \
  --estimate-cost \
  --notes "Initial analysis + registration"
rc-db analysis list --source-id "SOURCE_ID"
rc-db analysis get ANALYSIS-YYYY-NNN

Validation

Copyrc-validate
# or: uv run python scripts/validate.py

Export

Copyrc-export yaml claims -o claims.yaml
rc-export yaml sources -o sources.yaml
rc-export yaml analysis-logs -o analysis-logs.yaml
rc-export md summary -o summary.md
rc-export md analysis-logs -o analysis-logs.md

---

Update README (REQUIRED)

After registration and validation, update the data project's README.md:

1. Add Syntheses Table Entry (if created)

If you produced a synthesis document, add a row to the "Syntheses" table (kept above "Source Analyses"):

Copy| YYYY-MM-DD | [Topic](analysis/syntheses/<synth-id>.md) | `[DRAFT/REVIEWED]` | Brief summary |

Insert at the top of the table (below header row), keeping entries reverse-chronological.

2. Add Source Analyses Table Entry

Edit $PROJECT_ROOT/README.md now. Find the "Source Analyses" table and insert a new row:

Copy| YYYY-MM-DD | [Title](analysis/sources/<source-id>.md) | `[REVIEWED]` | Brief summary |

Insert at the top of the table (below header row), keeping entries reverse-chronological.

3. Update Stats Tables

Run the stats update script to refresh claim/source counts:

Copy# From the realitycheck framework directory
scripts/update-readme-stats.sh "$PROJECT_ROOT"
# or: bash scripts/update-readme-stats.sh "$(dirname "$REALITYCHECK_DATA")"

This updates the "Current Status" and "Claim Domains" tables automatically.

---

Commit and Push (REQUIRED)

You MUST commit and push after every successful analysis. This is not optional.

Copy# From the data project root
cd "$(dirname "$REALITYCHECK_DATA")"

# Stage all changes
git add data/ analysis/ tracking/ README.md claims/ reference/

# Commit with descriptive message
git commit -m "data: add [source-id] - [brief description]"

# Push to remote
git push

Do not stop until changes are committed and pushed. The analysis is incomplete without version control.

---

Continuation Mode

When using --continue on an existing analysis:

1. Find existing analysis: Look for analysis/sources/[source-id].md
2. Read current state: Load the existing analysis and registered claims
3. Iterate, don't overwrite: Add to the existing analysis rather than replacing it
4. Focus areas:
   • Extract claims that were skipped or noted as "TODO"
   • Deepen specific sections (more counterfactuals, stronger steelman)
   • Add evidence that was found after initial analysis
   • Address questions or gaps identified in the original pass
   • Cross-reference with newly added claims in the database
5. Preserve content: Append new sections, update claim counts, note what changed

---

Related Skills

• $synthesize
• $search
• $validate
• $stats