OSINT Skills

A CLAUDE.md for OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) research methodology — multi-wave investigative spiral, structured intel briefing output, ethical scope boundaries.

## The methodology Five waves, each narrows focus + increases depth: 1. **Surface map** — what's publicly known 2. **Context** — affiliations, timeline, geography 3. **Patterns** — recurring themes + anomalies 4. **Predictions** — likely next moves + watch signals 5. **Briefing** — structured deliverable The pattern: don't dump all available information. Distill, layer, structure. Full content: [`CLAUDE.md`](CLAUDE.md). ## Scope **In scope**: - Public web, news media, government records, court filings - Academic publications, think-tank analyses - Public social media, corporate filings - Public statements (interviews, podcasts, articles, talks) **Out of scope**: - Paywalled databases, social engineering, hacking - Doxxing of private individuals - Information requiring credentials or subterfuge ## Install curl -o CLAUDE.md https://raw.githubusercontent.com/HermeticOrmus/osint-skills/main/CLAUDE.md Or as a [Claude Code skill](skills/osint/) or [Cursor rule](.cursor/rules/osint.mdc). ## When to use - Pre-partnership due diligence - Pre-investment subject research - Competitive intelligence - Journalism research - Historical research on a person, company, or event ## When NOT to use - "Look up my ex" / personal stalking — not OSINT, won't help - Anything requiring real-time monitoring (different discipline: media monitoring) - Anything requiring access to private data (out of scope by construction) ## Anti-patterns the methodology prevents - Confirmation bias (run a steel-man for the alternative) - Source laundering (trace claims to primary sources) - Currency confusion (always stamp source date) - Single-signal extrapolation (one anomaly is data, a pattern is signal) - Going past public sources ## See also - [`hermetic-laws-skills`](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/hermetic-laws-skills) — the principle framing - [`vibe-engineer-skills`](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/vibe-engineer-skills) — direct AI codegen well ## License MIT. The methodology is yours to use; the ethics are yours to honor. ## Part of the Libre Open-Source Stack for Claude Code This repository is part of a growing family of open-source toolkits for Claude Code. ### Libre suite — comprehensive plugin bundles - [LibreUIUX-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreUIUX-Claude-Code) — UI/UX development (152 agents, 70 plugins, 76 commands, 74 skills) - [LibreArch-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreArch-Claude-Code) — Software architecture and system design - [LibreCopy-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreCopy-Claude-Code) — Technical writing and documentation engineering - [LibreDevOps-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreDevOps-Claude-Code) — DevOps engineering and infrastructure automation - [LibreEmbed-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreEmbed-Claude-Code) — Embedded systems, firmware, and IoT development - [LibreFinTech-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreFinTech-Claude-Code) — Financial technology development - [LibreGEO-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreGEO-Claude-Code) — AI-search optimization (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews) - [LibreGameDev-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreGameDev-Claude-Code) — Game development across Godot, Unity, Unreal - [LibreMLOps-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreMLOps-Claude-Code) — ML engineering and AI operations - [LibreMobileDev-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreMobileDev-Claude-Code) — Mobile app development (Flutter, React Native, native iOS, native Android) - [LibreSecOps-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreSecOps-Claude-Code) — Security operations - [LibreSessionFlow-Claude-Code](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/LibreSessionFlow-Claude-Code) — Session lifecycle: handoff, pickup, absorb, explore, close ### Skills mini-repos — single CLAUDE.md drop-ins - [vibe-engineer-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/vibe-engineer-skills) — Direct AI codegen well: hypothesis before help, scoped prompts, validate before accepting - [markdown-discipline-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/markdown-discipline-skills) — Strip AI-slop from markdown (no em dashes, no marketing fluff) - [shell-safety-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/shell-safety-skills) — `set -euo pipefail` discipline plus 15 failure-mode examples - [commit-standard-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/commit-standard-skills) — Ormus Commit Standard v1.0 plus commit-msg hook and commitlint - [unwoke-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/unwoke-skills) — Strip AI theater (ten sins to eliminate, symmetric engagement) - [python-conventions-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/python-conventions-skills) — Modern Python 3.11+ (types, pathlib, async, ruff, mypy, uv) - [typescript-conventions-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/typescript-conventions-skills) — TypeScript strict mode, discriminated unions, Result types - [hermetic-laws-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/hermetic-laws-skills) — Seven Hermetic Principles applied to engineering - [riper-workflow-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/riper-workflow-skills) — Research / Innovate / Plan / Execute / Review systematic dev - [six-day-cycle-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/six-day-cycle-skills) — Sustainable shipping cadence with mandatory rest - [token-optimization-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/token-optimization-skills) — Claude Code token and context optimization - [calcinate-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/calcinate-skills) — Stage 1 of the Magnum Opus (burn project bloat) - [claude-md-overhaul-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/claude-md-overhaul-skills) — Audit CLAUDE.md and MEMORY.md against caps - [session-handoff-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/session-handoff-skills) — Session handoff and pickup discipline - [naming-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/naming-skills) — Product naming methodology (mine the brand's vocabulary) - [magnum-opus-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/magnum-opus-skills) — Seven-stage alchemy applied to project transformation - [mem-search-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/mem-search-skills) — Search claude-mem cross-session memory: search, filter, fetch - [hypothesis-debugging-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/hypothesis-debugging-skills) — Hypothesis-driven debugging: reproduce, isolate, test, fix - [vibe-proof-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/vibe-proof-skills) — Security hardening for vibe-coded full-stack apps - [tdd-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/tdd-skills) — Test-driven development (Red-Green-Refactor) for JS/TS and Python - [mars-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/mars-skills) — Production-readiness audit: the five mortal sins of vibe-coded MVPs - [git-workflow-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/git-workflow-skills) — Clean git workflow: branch, atomic commits, reviewable PRs - [code-review-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/code-review-skills) — Domain-aware code review: classify the code, then focus - [code-comprehension-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/code-comprehension-skills) — Understand an unfamiliar codebase fast - [dx-audit-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/dx-audit-skills) — Audit developer experience: docs, onboarding, tooling friction - [setup-env-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/setup-env-skills) — Set up a project's development environment - [automate-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/automate-skills) — Turn repetitive tasks into reliable automation scripts - [quick-fix-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/quick-fix-skills) — Fast troubleshooting for common issues - [prime-context-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/prime-context-skills) — Prime project context at the start of a session - [auto-docs-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/auto-docs-skills) — Generate and maintain project documentation - [learning-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/learning-skills) — Learn any technology: roadmaps, explanations, practice, cheatsheets, comparisons - [linux-sysadmin-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/linux-sysadmin-skills) — Linux system administration: security, performance, diagnostics, monitoring, maintenance ### Template source - [andrej-karpathy-skills](https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/andrej-karpathy-skills) — the canonical single-file CLAUDE.md pattern (fork of jiayuan_jy's original)