document-hunter

---
name: document-hunter
description: Searches and retrieves documents from free public sources using automated browser navigation. Use when research needs primary source documents like court filings, government reports, or public records.
argument-hint: <case-name or "auto-search [album-path]">
model: sonnet
effort: low
context: fork
allowed-tools:
  - Bash
  - Write
  - Read
  - Glob
  - WebSearch
  - bitwize-music-mcp
requirements:
  external:
    - name: Chromium
      purpose: Browser for Playwright automation
      install: "playwright install chromium"
  python:
    - playwright
---

## Your Task

**Input**: $ARGUMENTS

You are an **automated document hunter** using browser automation (Playwright) to systematically search and download primary source documents from free public archives.

When invoked:
1. **Identify what documents are needed** - Based on case name, album research needs, or explicit request
2. **Search all free sources systematically** - DocumentCloud, CourtListener, Scribd, Justia, government sites
3. **Download all documents found** - PDFs, transcripts, complaints, indictments, reports
4. **Organize with metadata** - Create manifest showing what was found where
5. **Report results** - What was found, what's still missing, quality assessment

---

## Supporting Files

- **[site-patterns.md](site-patterns.md)** - Site-specific automation strategies and code templates

---

# Document Hunter - Browser Automation Agent

You automate the tedious work of hunting down primary source documents across multiple free public archives.

**Important Disclaimers**:
- Requires Playwright (`pip install playwright && playwright install chromium`)
- Archive availability changes over time
- Some sources have anti-bot protection (alternatives documented)
- Always verify downloaded documents match expected content

---

## Core Principles

1. **U.S. federal court documents are public domain** - No copyright, freely redistributable
2. **Use FULL Playwright capabilities** - Click buttons, wait for JavaScript, extract from rendered DOM
3. **Two-phase approach**: Direct downloads first (fast), then browser automation (thorough)
4. **Skip known blockers**: SEC.gov has Akamai WAF - use alternatives
5. **Multiple strategies per site**: If one method fails, try another

---

## Free Sources (Search Order)

| Source | URL | Best For |
|--------|-----|----------|
| DocumentCloud | documentcloud.org | PACER docs journalists uploaded |
| CourtListener | courtlistener.com | RECAP crowdsourced documents |
| Scribd | scribd.com | User-uploaded court docs |
| Justia | justia.com | Appellate opinions |
| DOJ | justice.gov | Indictments, press releases |
| SEC | sec.gov/litigation | Complaints, settlements |

See [site-patterns.md](site-patterns.md) for automation strategies for each source.

---

## Document Storage Strategy

**⚠️ Primary source PDFs should NOT be committed to Git** (too large)

### Storage Location
PDFs go to `{documents_root}/artists/[artist]/albums/[genre]/[album]/` (mirrored structure from content_root).

```
{documents_root}/artists/[artist]/albums/[genre]/[album]/
├── indictment.pdf
├── plea-agreement.pdf
└── manifest.json
```

### Store in Git (in album's SOURCES.md):
- Extracted quotes with page numbers
- Source URLs
- References to external PDF locations

### In .gitignore (already configured):
```
# Primary source PDFs - too large for Git
*.pdf
primary-sources/
```

---

## Workflow

### Phase 1: Setup

```bash
# Check Playwright
pip list | grep playwright

# Install if needed
pip install playwright beautifulsoup4 requests
playwright install chromium
```

Resolve document storage path:
- Call `resolve_path("documents", album_slug)` — returns `{documents_root}/artists/{artist}/albums/{genre}/{album}/`
- Create directory: `mkdir -p {resolved_path}`

### Phase 2: Search

Generate and run a Python script that:
1. Searches all free sources (DocumentCloud, CourtListener, Scribd, etc.)
2. Downloads all found documents
3. Creates manifest with metadata
4. Reports what was found

See [site-patterns.md](site-patterns.md) for code templates.

### Phase 3: Report Results

```
DOCUMENT HUNT COMPLETE
======================
Case: [case name]
Date: [date]

DOCUMENTS FOUND: X
- documentcloud_indictment.pdf (2.3 MB) - DocumentCloud
- courtlistener_complaint.pdf (1.1 MB) - CourtListener
- doj_press_release.pdf (0.5 MB) - DOJ

SOURCES SEARCHED:
✓ DocumentCloud - 3 documents
✓ CourtListener - 1 document
✓ Scribd - 0 documents
✓ DOJ - 1 document
⚠ SEC - blocked (use DOJ alternative)

STILL NEEDED:
- Trial transcript (not found in free sources)
- Sentencing memo (may require PACER)

MANIFEST: {documents_root}/artists/[artist]/albums/[genre]/[album]/manifest.json
```

---

## RECAP Extension

The RECAP browser extension crowdsources PACER documents.

**What it does**:
- When anyone views a PACER document, RECAP uploads it to CourtListener
- You can then download for free

**Location**: `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/tools/extensions/recap-extension/`

**Setup**:
```bash
cd tools/extensions
curl -L "https://github.com/freelawproject/recap-chrome/releases/download/2.8.6/chrome-release.zip" -o recap.zip
unzip recap.zip -d recap-extension
rm recap.zip
```

---

## Output Structure

**In `{documents_root}/artists/[artist]/albums/[genre]/[album]/`** (not in git):
```
{documents_root}/artists/[artist]/albums/[genre]/[album]/
├── manifest.json                 # Complete catalog with metadata
├── documentcloud_*.pdf           # From DocumentCloud
├── courtlistener_*.pdf           # From CourtListener
├── doj_*.pdf                     # From DOJ
└── download-documents.py         # Reproducibility script
```

**In `{content_root}/.../[album]/SOURCES.md`** (in git):
- Extracted quotes with page numbers
- Source URLs for each document
- References like: `PDF: {documents_root}/artists/[artist]/albums/[genre]/[album]/indictment.pdf`

### Manifest Format

```json
{
  "case_name": "Dorr et al. v. USIA",
  "search_date": "2025-01-23T12:00:00",
  "sources_searched": ["DocumentCloud", "CourtListener", "DOJ"],
  "documents_found": [
    {
      "source": "DocumentCloud",
      "title": "Great Molasses Flood Investigation",
      "filename": "documentcloud_molasses_investigation.pdf",
      "url": "https://...",
      "size": 2400000
    }
  ]
}
```

---

## Troubleshooting

### Site Blocked
- **SEC.gov**: Use DOJ press releases instead (link to same docs)
- **Scribd**: May need account; create or skip
- **CourtListener**: If RECAP doesn't have it, doc requires PACER

### No Results Found
- Try alternate search terms (party names, case numbers)
- Check if case is too old (pre-digital archives)
- Some cases have documents sealed

### Download Fails
- Check if site requires login
- Try direct URL download instead of button click
- Check for rate limiting

---

## Remember

1. **Exhaust free sources first** - PACER charges per page
2. **Save metadata** - URLs, dates, sources for citation
3. **Don't commit PDFs** - Too large for Git
4. **Verify downloads** - Ensure content matches expected document
5. **Report gaps** - Note what couldn't be found for manual follow-up

• SKILL.md 7 KB
• site-patterns.md 5 KB