OSINT: Open-Source Intelligence Research

Purpose: Conduct structured, multi-wave open-source intelligence research on a subject (person, organization, event, or topic) using publicly available sources. Produce a formatted intelligence briefing with sourced analysis and prediction matrices.

Pattern: The Investigative Spiral -- each wave narrows focus, increases depth, and builds on prior findings.

Scope & Ethics

This skill is for research using publicly available information only:

• News media, government databases, court records
• Academic publications, think tank analyses
• Public social media, corporate filings
• Sanctions lists, wanted databases, org charts

Never:

• Attempt to access private/authenticated systems
• Dox private individuals
• Generate information that enables targeting or violence
• Fabricate or speculate beyond what sources support

Methodology: The Four Waves

Wave 1: Broad Reconnaissance

Goal: Establish baseline profile. Cast wide net.

Launch 3-4 parallel WebSearch queries covering different angles:

WebSearch: "$SUBJECT profile background biography"
WebSearch: "$SUBJECT latest news [current year]"
WebSearch: "$SUBJECT [domain] structure leadership"
WebSearch: "$SUBJECT [government/legal] status charges"

Output: Basic identity, timeline, key relationships, current status.

Wave 2: Targeted Deep Dive

Goal: Drill into key figures, relationships, and dynamics identified in Wave 1.

Launch 3-4 parallel WebSearch queries on specific findings:

WebSearch: "[Key Figure A] role connection to $SUBJECT"
WebSearch: "[Organization] structure members sanctions"
WebSearch: "[Event/Conflict] details timeline analysis"
WebSearch: "[Financial/Legal] aspect indictments court records"

Supplement with WebFetch on high-value URLs found in Wave 1 (government profiles, think tank reports, court documents).

Output: Detailed profiles of key figures, org charts, relationship maps.

Wave 3: Analytical Sources

Goal: Get expert analysis, academic research, and predictive frameworks.

Target authoritative analytical sources:

• Think tanks: Brookings, ACLED, InSight Crime, CFR, ICG, RAND
• Government: DEA, State Dept, Treasury/OFAC, DNI/NCTC, FBI
• Academic: university research centers, peer-reviewed journals
• Investigative: Bellingcat, OCCRP

WebSearch: "$SUBJECT [analytical angle] analysis expert assessment"
WebFetch: [think tank URL] "Extract all analytical details about..."
WebFetch: [government URL] "Extract complete profile/designation..."

Output: Expert predictions, historical parallels, structural analysis.

Wave 4: User-Directed Drill-Down

Goal: Go deep on whatever angle the user requests.

This wave is triggered by user direction ("dig deeper into X"). Apply the same multi-parallel search pattern but focused entirely on the requested angle.

Output: Exhaustive detail on the specific sub-topic.

Source Hierarchy

Prioritize sources by reliability:

Rule: Never state something as fact from Tier 6 alone. Always triangulate across tiers.

Output Structure: Intelligence Briefing

Standard Report Sections

# OSINT [PROFILE/BRIEFING/ANALYSIS]: $SUBJECT

## 1. IDENTITY / OVERVIEW
[Basic profile, aliases, DOB, origin, physical description if known]

## 2. TIMELINE / HISTORY
[Chronological key events, rise to prominence, arrests, etc.]

## 3. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
[Org chart table: Name | Alias | Role | Status | Reward]
[Key relationships, family connections, alliances]

## 4. OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS
[How they operate, territorial control, revenue streams, methods]

## 5. CURRENT DYNAMICS
[Breaking news, recent developments, ongoing conflicts]

## 6. SCENARIO ANALYSIS
[Prediction matrix with probability, timeline, triggers]
| Scenario | Probability | Timeline | Trigger |

## 7. KEY METRICS
[Numbers table: members, revenue, territory, etc.]

## 8. SOURCES
[All URLs as markdown hyperlinks, organized by tier]

Formatting Standards

• Tables for structured data (org charts, metrics, scenarios)
• Bold for key names, terms, and emphasis
• Tiered headers for scannable structure
• Source links always included at bottom
• Prediction matrices with probability ratings (LOW/MEDIUM/MEDIUM-HIGH/HIGH/CERTAIN)

Error Recovery

Modifiers

Usage Examples

# Full OSINT research
/osint "subject name"

# Quick profile only
/osint @depth:1 @output:profile "target name"

# Focused angle
/osint @focus:finances "organization name"

Origin

Extracted from a real OSINT research session (Feb 2026). The session involved 4 progressive research waves, 27 parallel web searches, and 10 deep article extractions, producing 2 structured intelligence briefings with prediction matrices, org charts, and link analysis. The multi-wave parallel search methodology proved significantly more effective than sequential single queries.

Part of the Claude Code Skills collection -- skills extracted from real AI-assisted development sessions.