Research Plugins
Interpretive Orchestration: Epistemic Partnership for Qualitative Research
A Claude Code plugin for human-AI collaborative qualitative research - 12 integrated skills, 4 agents, 3 enforceable stages, built on the Cognitio Emergens framework. Not a tool for faster coding - a partner for deeper thinking.
Interpretive Orchestration is a comprehensive Claude Code plugin that transforms qualitative research through structured human-AI collaboration. It's not a tool for faster coding—it's infrastructure for deeper thinking.
Info
Created by: Xule Lin & Kevin Corley (Imperial College London)
Version: v0.2.4
Framework: Cognitio Emergens (Lin, 2025) — Partnership Agency for interpretive inquiry
Paper: Interpretive Orchestration (Lin, 2026, Strategic Organization) — the methodology this plugin operationalizes
GitHub: linxule/interpretive-orchestration
Starter project: interpretive-orchestration-starter — a ready-to-use VS Code workspace with beginner-friendly settings
Warning
Not for Automation: This plugin deliberately enforces methodological rigor. You cannot skip stages or bypass human judgment. If you want speed over depth, this isn't for you. If you want to become a better interpretive researcher, welcome to the atelier.
What Makes This Different?
Traditional AI approach:
- Give AI your data → Get instant analysis → Review output
- AI automates manual labor (the "calculator mindset")
- Faster but not necessarily deeper
Interpretive Orchestration approach:
- Build your foundation first → Collaborate with visible reasoning → Synthesize with tradition
- AI asks questions that deepen YOUR reflexivity
- Scale AND interpretive depth through Partnership Agency
"Human and AI boundaries dissolve into unified epistemic system generating insights neither could produce independently." — Cognitio Emergens (Lin, 2025)
The philosophy: Friction over flow. If the plugin stops you, it's asking you to think.
The Atelier of Co-Apprenticeship
Both human and AI are apprentices to the craft tradition of interpretive inquiry. Neither masters the other. Both learn from craft principles: rigor, reflexivity, theoretical sensitivity, interpretive depth.
Solo Practice
What you do: Manual coding of 10-15 documents, memo-writing, framework development
AI role: @stage1-listener watches but doesn't intervene
Why it matters: Builds the irreplaceable theoretical sensitivity that makes partnership meaningful. This stage is enforced - doors to collaborative workspace stay locked until complete.
Side-by-Side Collaboration
What you do: Guide AI, refine patterns, parallel theoretical + empirical streams
AI role: @dialogical-coder with 4-stage visible reasoning:
- What I observe in the data
- What patterns I'm noticing
- What theoretical connections emerge
- What remains uncertain
The Whisperer: @research-configurator translates technical decisions to research language - no coding knowledge required!
Dialogue with Tradition
What you do: Interpret significance, synthesize findings
AI role: @scholarly-companion asks tradition's questions (Gioia, Corley, Constructivist GT)
Outcome: Work that can withstand methodological scrutiny
Skills Architecture
Skills are auto-discoverable capability packages that Claude loads when relevant to your request.
| Skill | Triggers | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
project-setup | "initialize", "new project" | Socratic onboarding + config |
gioia-methodology | "data structure", "Gioia" | Data structure building (1st→2nd→aggregate) |
literature-sweep | "literature", "Stream A" | Search + fetch + organize papers |
interview-ingest | "transcribe", "convert audio" | Audio/PDF conversion |
deep-reasoning | "think through", "plan" | Sequential Thinking integration |
paradox-navigation | "tension", "both/and" | Lotus Wisdom integration |
Full list of all 12 skills with complete triggers in CLAUDE.md on GitHub.
Bundled MCPs
No API keys required for core functionality!
| MCP | Purpose in Plugin | Command |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential Thinking | Structured reasoning chains | /qual-think-through |
| Lotus Wisdom | Navigate paradoxes, integrate tensions | /qual-wisdom-check |
| Markdownify | Convert PDFs, transcribe audio, extract from videos | /qual-import-pdf |
Optional MCPs (require API keys):
| MCP | Purpose | Key Required |
|---|---|---|
| MinerU | High-accuracy PDF parsing (90%+) | MINERU_API_KEY |
| Vox MCP | Multi-model access | Provider API keys |
| Exa | Literature search | EXA_API_KEY |
| Jina | Fetch articles | JINA_API_KEY |
| Zotero | Bibliography management | ZOTERO_API_KEY |
Quick Start
New to Claude Code? See INSTALL.md for complete setup instructions (Windows, macOS, Linux).
Want a pre-configured environment? Use the Starter Project — a ready-to-use VS Code workspace with beginner-friendly settings.
Already have Claude Code?
cd your-qualitative-project
claude
/plugin install linxule/interpretive-orchestration
/qual-check-setup # Verify installation
/qual-init # Begin Socratic onboardingThen: Complete Stage 1 manual coding (10-15 documents) before AI-assisted analysis. This builds the irreplaceable theoretical sensitivity that makes partnership meaningful.
Key Commands
| Command | Stage | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
/qual-init | 0 | Begin Socratic philosophy establishment |
/qual-status | Any | Check where you are in the journey |
/qual-think-through | 1+ | Deep sequential reasoning |
/qual-wisdom-check | 1+ | Navigate interpretive paradoxes |
/qual-parallel-streams | 2 | Run theoretical + empirical streams |
/qual-synthesize | 2+ | Merge discovery streams |
/qual-reflect | Any | End-of-session dialogue |
Agents
The plugin provides four specialised agents, each scoped to a particular stage of the atelier methodology.
| Agent | Stage | Role |
|---|---|---|
@stage1-listener | 1 | Thinking partner — asks questions, never suggests codes |
@dialogical-coder | 2 | 4-stage visible reasoning for reflexive coding |
@research-configurator | 2 | "The Whisperer" — technical setup without jargon |
@scholarly-companion | 3 | Asks tradition's questions about theoretical significance |
@research-configurator ("The Whisperer") bridges research goals and technical implementation for non-coding researchers, covering model selection, cost estimation, batch processing strategy, saturation monitoring, and more. Invoke with @research-configurator Help me set up my analysis.
Methodology Hooks
The plugin enforces the sandwich methodology through automated hooks:
- PreStage2 - Blocks AI coding until Stage 1 foundation complete
- PostFiveDocuments - Triggers interpretive pause every 5 documents
- EpistemicCoherence - Checks philosophical consistency
If you're blocked, it's asking you to think. That's intentional epistemic friction.
Who Should Use This?
- PhD students learning qualitative methods
- Researchers committed to methodological rigor
- Those working with Gioia methodology or Constructivist GT
- Anyone valuing depth over speed
- Researchers who want defensible AI-assisted work
- Those interested in human-AI epistemic partnership
Connection to Research Memex
This plugin is the practical implementation of interpretive orchestration - the core philosophy that animates Research Memex.
The progression:
- Core Principles → Understand the philosophy
- Individual MCPs → Learn the tools (Sequential Thinking, Lotus Wisdom, Vox)
- Interpretive Orchestration Plugin → Apply it all to qualitative research
Resources
- GitHub: linxule/interpretive-orchestration - Full documentation, INSTALL.md, QUICK-START.md
- Framework Paper: Cognitio Emergens (Lin, 2025)
- Implementation Paper: Interpretive Orchestration (Lin, 2026, Strategic Organization)
- Quick Reference: QUICK-START.md
- Architecture: ARCHITECTURE.md