docs: add working status badge to README

chore: add research_sessions/ to .gitignore

feat: increase default max-tool-calls from 100 to 500

feat: add -tc short alias for --max-tool-calls

docs: prioritize visuals over text in README

docs: simplify README and showcase progress UI upfront

docs: simplify README.md with updated usage instructions and examples

docs: simplify manual_input.md to a single instruction line

first commit