HOME
Starting in August 2026

Investigating with AI Agents

Five sessions over two weeks: understand AI agents, check claims, monitor sources, build a knowledge base, and move a real lead forward.

Codex Claude Cowork Antigravity Goose
01 Understand

Know what agents can do.

02 Check

Confidence from evidence.

03 Monitor

Routines, then Scoutpost.

04 Remember

Build reusable knowledge.

05 Investigate

Spotlight ties it together.

Before class
  • Setup instructions arrive by email before training starts.
  • Follow the email for Codex, Claude Cowork, Antigravity, or Goose.
  • Bring one rough lead, question, or claim from your beat.
Format

5 live sessions x 60 minutes across two weeks. Recordings released within 48 hours. Exercises use copyable prompts and the participant's own beat.

Course map
S1
Understand

Know what AI agents are for.

  • See the difference between chat in a browser and an agent that can work with files.
  • Understand what a model is, and why local models matter for sensitive work.
  • Learn how tools and MCP let an agent use services like search or monitoring.
  • Use simple skill files so good reporting habits become reusable instructions.
Deliverable

A plain-English map of the AI agent toolkit

S2
Check

Give every claim a confidence level.

  • Learn grounding: the agent must save and cite the files behind its answer.
  • Use SIFT as a simple habit: stop, inspect the source, find better coverage, trace the claim.
  • Ask the AI to produce source files, direct quotes, and links.
  • Label each claim as high, medium, or low confidence based on the evidence.
Deliverable

A source-backed claim check with confidence labels

S3
Monitor

Turn repeated checks into routines.

  • Learn Automations or Routines in the desktop app: jobs that run again later and surface alerts.
  • Choose a page, social profile, council source, or beat you should not check by hand.
  • Walk through Scoutpost: Page, Beat, Social, and Civic Scouts.
  • Treat Scoutpost alerts as leads with source links and verification status.
Deliverable

One routine and one Scoutpost alert pattern

S4
Remember

Build a reporting memory you can reuse.

  • Understand Markdown: simple files that keep notes, sources, and findings portable.
  • Query Markdown documents with QMD so AI can search across your reporting memory.
  • See how knowledge graphs help AI connect people, places, events, and documents across hops.
  • Create your knowledge base in Tolaria or Obsidian; use Mycroft as an optional installer.
Deliverable

A knowledge base in Tolaria or Obsidian

S5
Investigate

Use Spotlight to bring the system together.

  • See Spotlight as the wrapper around evidence, monitoring, and knowledge-base work.
  • Bring the lead you refined during training.
  • Turn it into questions, source targets, findings, uncertainties, and next checks.
  • Leave with a real lead advanced, not a fake classroom exercise.
Deliverable

A real lead with evidence and next steps

Membership

Coming August 2026 Buried Signals x Indicator

Tools, training, and live workflows for investigations with AI.

Members get tools, field guides, office hours, webinars, and walkthroughs from real reporting workflows and newsroom case studies.

See Membership