dark-research-lab 0.1.1

Dark Research Lab - autonomous research paper factory

DRL -- Dark Research Lab

Autonomous research paper factory for social science. Turn a git repo into a reproducible academic paper with AI-driven analysis, literature indexing, and LaTeX compilation.

Install

uv tool install dark-research-lab

Or with pipx:

pipx install dark-research-lab

Requires Python 3.10+. Both methods add drl to your PATH automatically.

Quick Start

# Initialize a new research project
drl setup

# Walk through configuration
/drl:onboard

# Customize for your field (labor economics, political science, etc.)
/drl:flavor

# Index literature -- drop PDFs into literature/pdfs/, then:
drl index

# Decompose your research question into epics
/drl:architect

# Run the full pipeline (spec -> plan -> work -> review -> synthesis)
drl loop

How It Works

DRL wraps compound-agent with research-specific skills, agents, and guardrails:

Researcher
    |
    v
 drl CLI (Go binary in a Python wheel)
    |
    +-- Claude Code (executes skills/agents)
    +-- Beads (epic tracking with dependency graphs)
    +-- Literature RAG (PDF extraction + embedding via ca-embed)
    +-- LaTeX toolchain (3-pass pdflatex + bibtex)
    +-- Advisory Fleet (optional: Gemini, Codex reviewers)

Each research question passes through a cook-it cycle:

1. Spec -- research question, hypotheses, literature gap
2. Plan -- methodology, variables, statistical models
3. Work -- analysis, tables, figures, section drafting
4. Review -- methodology audit + external model review
5. Synthesis -- lessons captured, paper section finalized

Every methodological decision is logged to docs/decisions/ for full traceability. A reproducibility package (lockfile + data manifest + run script) is generated at compilation time.

Project Structure

paper/          LaTeX source and compiled outputs
src/            Analysis scripts
literature/     PDFs and indexed knowledge base
docs/           Decisions, specs, agent notes
tests/          Test suite
.claude/        Skills, agents, hooks, commands

Commands

Command	Purpose
drl setup	Initialize or update project templates
drl index	Index literature PDFs for RAG search
drl loop	Run infinity loop over all epics
/drl:compile	Compile LaTeX paper + reproducibility package
/drl:flavor	Customize skills for your research field
/drl:onboard	Guided first-time setup
/drl:architect	Decompose research question into epics

Documentation

• System Specification
• Architecture Decisions
• Agent Configuration

License

MIT