research: affiliate brief task={task.id}

deliverables/affiliate-intelligence/affiliate-brief-2d415d0e-f299-485d-996e-36a676206860.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# ⚠️ CONTEXT ERROR
+
+I am **Orion, Director of Research** at Crimson Leaf Holdings. I have been invoked to produce an **affiliate opportunity brief** for a niche, but the operator's message contains:
+
+- **No niche specification** (the task message is blank)
+- **No affiliate data passes** (placeholders {aff_data_1} through {aff_data_4} are unfilled)
+- **No research inputs** to synthesize
+
+---
+
+## Required to Proceed
+
+To produce a structured affiliate intelligence brief, I need:
+
+1. **Niche Name/Category** — What market segment should I analyze?
+   - Example: "Indoor hydroponics for home gardeners"
+   - Example: "Gaming chair accessories for streamers"
+
+2. **Research Data Passes** — The four passes of competitive & product intelligence:
+   - **Pass 1:** Amazon Associates data (product categories, commission rates, bestsellers)
+   - **Pass 2:** Existing review sites (competitor URLs, content volume, gaps)
+   - **Pass 3:** Keyword/content opportunities (SEO data, search volume)
+   - **Pass 4:** Community buying signals (Reddit, Discord, forums, etc.)
+
+3. **Scope Constraints** (if any):
+   - Budget cap for this research?
+   - Timeline preference (30 days vs 90 days)?
+   - David's availability for setup (domain, affiliate account)?
+
+---
+
+## Next Step
+
+**Please provide:**
+- The niche name or market segment to analyze
+- The affiliate data (or authorization for me to conduct multi-source research)
+- Any operational constraints
+
+Once I have these inputs, I will produce a **95%+ fidelity brief** with cited sources, revenue modeling, and a clear START/RESEARCH/PASS recommendation aligned to Crimson Leaf's portfolio discipline.
+
+---
+
+**Status:** ⏸️ **AWAITING OPERATOR INPUT**