What problem does it solve? Genealogical research without a plan leads to haphazard searching and missed records. This Skill builds a structured, sequenced research plan for a genealogy question — which record sets to search, in what order, from which repositories, with fallbacks — conforming to the Genealogical Proof Standard and BCG Standards 9-18. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Plan creation and revision: Creates new plans, reviews active ones, and supersedes invalidated plans, writing plans and plan_items to research.json via the research_append MCP tool with schema validation and a one-active-plan invariant. - Record discovery: Uses collections_search, volume_search, and external_links_search to find which FamilySearch collections, digitized volumes, and third-party repositories cover a place and period. - GPS-conformant sequencing: Orders items by probability, cost, and dependency; enforces topical breadth, FAN-cluster items for parentage questions, boundary-change handling, and fallback linkages. - Use Case: Ask "what records should I search to prove Thomas Flynn's parentage in Schuylkill County?" and receive a sequenced plan of probate, land, and church record searches with rationales and fallbacks. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to plan research for a specific genealogy question, such as "plan research for who were Patrick Flynn's parents in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania."
