PI Research Assistant

An AI-powered private investigation research assistant that compiles thorough background reports on people and organizations using open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques.

Built for use with Claude Code.

How It Works

1. Provide a subject name and location (person) or organization name.
2. The assistant dispatches parallel research agents to search public records, news, corporate filings, social media, and more.
3. Findings are compiled into a professional PDF report using a Typst template.

Project Structure

CLAUDE.md              # Agent instructions and research methodology
report-template.typ    # Typst report template with cover page, styling, and utility components

Requirements

• Claude Code CLI
• Typst (typst CLI) for PDF compilation

Install Typst

# macOS
brew install typst

# Linux (cargo)
cargo install typst-cli

# Or download from https://github.com/typst/typst/releases

Usage

From this directory, start Claude Code and provide your research request:

claude

> Run a background report on Jane Doe in Austin, TX

The assistant will:

• Search multiple public data sources in parallel
• Cross-reference findings across sources
• Generate a .typ report file and compile it to PDF
• Deliver the PDF with an executive summary

Report Features

• Professional cover page with subject details
• Table of contents
• Numbered sections with inline source citations
• Color-coded finding callouts (info, concern, red-flag, positive)
• Information gap tracking
• Confidence assessment
• Standard legal disclaimer

Template Components

The report-template.typ provides these components for use in reports:

Component	Description
report(subject, subject-type, date, case-ref)	Main document template
finding(severity)[content]	Highlighted finding box (info, concern, red-flag, positive)
source-note(url, label)	Inline citation link
gap-note[content]	Marks missing information
timeline-entry(date, description)	Formatted timeline row

Research Sources

The assistant searches across many public source categories including:

• Professional: LinkedIn, company websites, press releases
• Corporate filings: State SOS databases, SEC EDGAR, OpenCorporates
• Public records: Court records, property records, liens, judgments
• Media: News articles, interviews, press coverage
• Digital footprint: Social media, GitHub, personal websites
• Licenses & credentials: State licensing portals, professional associations
• Nonprofit: IRS 990 filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer

Limitations

• Uses only publicly available information
• Cannot access paywalled databases (PACER, LexisNexis, etc.) — these are flagged for manual follow-up
• Social media platforms with login walls are searched via snippets only
• Common names may require additional identifiers for disambiguation