
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Given the function $f(x)=\cos\left( \frac{\pi}{3} + x \right)\cos\left( \frac{\pi}{3} - x \right)-\sin x\cos x + \frac{1}{4}$,  
(1) Find the smallest positive period and the maximum value of the function $f(x)$;  
(2) Determine the interval where $f(x)$ is monotonically decreasing on $[0, \pi]$.

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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