Verify once, reuse forever

The knowledge base that turns research from a cost into an asset, and the stamp that keeps it honest.

6 min read

Level 0

Curious

0 XP

150 XP to ApprenticeNo streak yet0 badges0% done

Ask what a tool costs and you get a price. It will be confidently wrong about as often as it is right, and there is no way to tell which from the answer.

So the rule is blunt: never state a price or a statistic that was not fetched in this session. Fetch it, then write it down so nobody has to fetch it again.

## Acme Suite

Pricing (Verified: 2026-08-04, acme.com/pricing)
| Plan       | Price      | Seats | Note                    |
|------------|------------|-------|-------------------------|
| Starter    | $39/mo     | 3     | No API access           |
| Growth     | $149/mo    | 10    | API, 50k calls          |
| Enterprise | Quote only | –     | Confirmed by sales page |

Positioning: leans mid-market. Docs are strong, support is slow
(consistent across 4 reviews read 2026-08-04).

Do NOT claim: real-time sync. The docs say 15-minute intervals.

The `Verified:` date is the whole mechanism. Six months from now it tells you instantly whether to trust this or re-check it.

The stamp is not optional

A fact without a date is a rumour with good posture. Every entry gets a source URL and the date you read it.

Why this compounds

Article one costs you forty minutes of price-checking. Article two covers four of the same tools, so it costs fifteen. By article ten you are mostly writing.

The knowledge base is the only part of this system that gets more valuable the more you use it. Everything else is a fixed cost.

Log your research sources too

Separate file, same idea, different reason. Every authoritative statistic goes in a log with the articles that used it.

## "43% of distributors still take orders by phone"
Source: <industry body>, 2026 State of Distribution, p.14
URL: ...
Read: 2026-07-30
Used in: vendor-management, order-workflow, phone-ordering, ai-for-ops
  ^ FOUR articles. Do not use again. Find a different source.

Without this file you cite your favourite study in every article you write, and it starts to look like you only read one thing.

Challenge

Which entry can you trust?

30 XP+8 perfect

You are writing an article and need a competitor's price. Four entries exist in the knowledge base. Which one do you use as-is?

Pick the usable entry.

Finished reading?

Mark it done to bank the XP and keep your streak alive. Any challenges on this page score separately, so you can come back for a perfect run later.