Read docs/editorial-style.md; its technical-evidence register governs prose.

Reserve Research

Read the current methodology version, docs/process/stablecoin-research-sidecars.md, docs/report-cards.md, the coin’s base/merged entry, and its reserves sidecar. shared/lib/stablecoins/schema.ts and shared/types/reserves.ts own shapes/tolerances. Research does not authorize mutations. When implementation is explicitly approved, write reserves, reserveReview, and custodyProfile only to shared/data/stablecoins/domains/reserves/<id>.json; create it when absent.

For pinned RPC reads and provenance, follow Pinned On-Chain Evidence.

Workflow

1. Inventory collateral, peg mechanism, backing/governance flags, proof configuration, existing reserve slices/review, and custody profile. Preserve non-reserve fields unless explicitly in scope.
2. Gather primary evidence: transparency dashboards, attestations, issuer/protocol docs, legal filings/fund facts, and protocol dashboards. Use secondary sources only to fill or corroborate gaps.
3. Convert credible findings into concrete slices totaling 100 within the source-owned tolerance. Do not fabricate percentages.
4. Populate current backing fields from evidence: assetClass, issuerOrObligor, liquidityHorizon, riskFactors, and maturityDaysMax only for a stated hard maximum—never convert weighted-average maturity. Link tracked stablecoin backing with coinId and justified depType.
5. Keep schema-required legacy risk accurate using shared/lib/reserve-asset-risk.ts; for an unlisted symbol, choose the more conservative defensible tier and explain uncertainty. The current backing pillar uses structured slice fields, not this legacy tier.
6. Author/refresh reserveReview with sources, basis/date, reviewed scope, reviewer/date/confidence, and required dispositions. Add custodyProfile only when its provider/control claims are evidenced.

For research-only work, present proposed JSON, sources, retrieval/observation times, basis date, approximations, reviewed gaps, and confidence without applying or generating data. For an addition, return the reserve portion of the addition/evidence handoff packet, including authorized fields/owner and proposed versus changed source paths.

For approved implementation, patch only the authorized sidecar fields. In coordinated work, return the packet and leave shared generation/catalog checks to the addition orchestrator after all specialists land. For a standalone approved edit, own the applicable Phase 7 generation/check pass after source edits are complete. Report observed versus unexercised verification in either mode.

Keep slice names specific; unknown structure remains explicit. A slice without assetClass or coinId is bounded unknown, not safe. A one-coin data update is not a methodology change.