# Pitfalls Research Template

Use when researching common mistakes and gotchas for a domain or technology.

Write to: `.work/research/PITFALLS.md`

---

```markdown
# Pitfalls

**Domain**: [what we're building]
**Researched**: [date]

## Pitfall 1: [Name]

**What goes wrong**: [description]
**Why it happens**: [root cause]
**How to avoid**: [prevention strategy]
**Warning signs**: [how to detect early]

## Pitfall 2: [Name]

**What goes wrong**: [description]
**Why it happens**: [root cause]
**How to avoid**: [prevention strategy]
**Warning signs**: [how to detect early]

## Pitfall 3: [Name]

**What goes wrong**: [description]
**Why it happens**: [root cause]
**How to avoid**: [prevention strategy]
**Warning signs**: [how to detect early]

---
*These pitfalls should inform verification criteria in the roadmap.*
```

## Guidelines

- **Be specific to the domain** — not generic advice like "write tests"
- **Warning signs** are crucial — they let you catch problems early
- **Prevention strategies** should be actionable, not vague
- 3-5 pitfalls is the sweet spot — more than 5 and none get remembered
- **Link to phases**: note which roadmap phase should address each pitfall