Claude Think Tank: using a Git repo as a policy research environment

This might be my favorite workspace template so far. Claude Think Tank is a template repository that transforms a Git repo into a structured policy research environment powered by Claude Code. If you do any kind of deep research, advocacy work, or policy analysis, this is the template for you.

The gather and distill approach

The methodology behind this template is what I call "gather and distill." You start by aggregating context and source materials, formulate research questions as prompts, execute them with Claude's help, organize the outputs, and then synthesize everything into actionable policy recommendations. It's an iterative process where your research base compounds over time.

The repository structure reflects this workflow. Context and sources live in context/, research prompts move through a pipeline from drafting/ to to-run/ to run/, and outputs get organized by date. When you're ready, the policy/ directory is where research gets translated into actionable recommendations.

Built-in research workflows

The template comes loaded with slash commands that streamline the research process. /define-policy-challenge walks you through scoping your research focus. /run-prompt executes a research question with proper context. /synthesize-research combines multiple outputs into coherent analysis. There's even /generate-podcast and /export-pdf for turning research into different deliverable formats.

The specialized agents are where it gets really interesting. The policy-writer agent is trained for your specific domain, and the research execution agent handles running prompts with the right context loaded. It's like having a research assistant that never forgets anything you've told it.

Why a Git repo for research?

This might seem like an odd choice, but version-controlling your research has real advantages. Every finding, every iteration of your analysis, every policy draft is tracked and traceable. You can see how your understanding evolved over time. And because it's a Git repo, you can collaborate with others, branch off for different policy scenarios, and maintain a complete audit trail.

I've been using this approach for comparative policy analysis, advocacy preparation, and long-form investigative research. The structure scales well from quick one-off research questions to multi-month policy development projects. The key insight is that structure enables creativity rather than constraining it, and Claude Code makes the structure effortless to maintain.

Check out the template on GitHub and fork it for your own research projects.