The problem
Teams repeat research because past findings are hard to find.
Recruiting tools can launch tests but cannot search history. Repositories can search but cannot launch.
Synthesis takes weeks and loses the link back to evidence.
03
Researcher
The whole research loop. Evidence all the way.
Researcher checks what you already know, plans the study, sets it up, synthesises with citations and hands findings to your backlog. It asks before it launches or writes anything.
Or get all nine agents in the UCD Team bundle.
What it does
Searches the web and your research repositories first
Writes research questions, a method, sample and ethics note
Drafts studies in UserTesting or Optimal Workshop, and launches only after your yes
Synthesises with participant counts and confidence ratings
Drafts insight pages and backlog items for approval
How it works
Get this on Gumroad and download the zip.
Unzip it into a project folder and open it in your AI tool.
Say `start research on <question or brief>`.
It works one stage at a time and stops for your yes.
Discover
Desk research, Repository search
Plan
Research questions, Study design, Recruitment brief
Set up
Study build
Synthesise
Qualitative synthesis, Quantitative summary, Insight report and hand-off
Built to a standard
GOV.UK Service Standard points 1 and 2, with a full evidence chain.
Every claim cites its source. Nothing is written to your tools without your approval.
Who it is for
Research ops leads, lead researchers and delivery managers on UK public sector programmes.
What you need
An AI tool that reads project instructions: Claude Code, Cursor, or a tool that reads AGENTS.md. Claude Projects and custom bots work too, with copy-and-paste outputs.
Your own AI subscription or API key. Nothing to host.
- Optional
Optional connections: Web search, Condens MCP, Dovetail MCP, Optimal Workshop MCP, UserTesting MCP, Jira / Confluence.
What is in the zip
| File | What it does |
|---|---|
00-root-instructions.md | Who the agent is, the rules, the gates |
01-discover.md | Stage 1: Discover |
02-plan.md | Stage 2: Plan |
03-setup.md | Stage 3: Set up |
04-synthesise.md | Stage 4: Synthesise |
05-tools.md | Connections and permissions |
06-manifest.md | Which skill uses which tool |
07-adapters.md | How to load it in your tool |
LICENCE.md | What you may and may not do |
README.md | Start here: set-up in two minutes |
guardrails.md | Risks, controls and sign-off |
memory.md | What is kept and where |
adapters/AGENTS.md | Adapter for your AI tool |
adapters/CLAUDE.md | Adapter for your AI tool |
adapters/chat-system-prompt.md | Adapter for your AI tool |
adapters/researcher.mdc | Adapter for your AI tool |
evals/eval-suite.md | Tests and pass marks |
samples/01-council-tax-abandonment.md | Synthetic sample input |
samples/02-carers-allowance.md | Synthetic sample input |
samples/03-nav-tree-test.md | Synthetic sample input |
Questions
- Does it replace user researchers?
- No. It does the operational work. Researchers design, moderate and own the findings.
- Which tools does it need?
- None. Every connection is optional; without them it works from files you give it.
- How does it handle personal data?
- It uses participant codes, never names, and never moves data between tools.
- Can I change the files?
- Yes. They are plain markdown. The licence lets you adapt them for your own work.
Designed before it was built
Designed before it was built
This agent was designed with the five-question method: purpose, boundaries, what it touches, when a person steps in, and how you know it works. [Read the design](./anatomy).
About the author
Designed by Vijay Kandhalu.