Novelty Check
GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent
Validates that a research idea is genuinely novel vs. An agent skill from GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.
Verify research idea novelty against recent literature. An agent skill from AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.
Install Novelty Check
$ npx skills add AI4Scientist/nano-scientist --skill novelty-check -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install AI4Scientist/nano-scientist novelty-check --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/novelty-check .claude/skills/novelty-check && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "novelty-check" agent skill from https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist/tree/main/skills/novelty-check into .claude/skills/novelty-check/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "novelty-check", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist/tree/main/skills/novelty-checkType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add AI4Scientist/nano-scientist --skill novelty-check -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install AI4Scientist/nano-scientist novelty-check --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/novelty-check .agents/skills/novelty-check && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "novelty-check" agent skill from https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist/tree/main/skills/novelty-check into .agents/skills/novelty-check/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "novelty-check", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add AI4Scientist/nano-scientist --skill novelty-check -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install AI4Scientist/nano-scientist novelty-check --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/novelty-check .cursor/skills/novelty-check && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "novelty-check" agent skill from https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist/tree/main/skills/novelty-check into .cursor/skills/novelty-check/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "novelty-check", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.git --path skills/novelty-check--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add AI4Scientist/nano-scientist --skill novelty-check -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install AI4Scientist/nano-scientist novelty-check --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/novelty-check .gemini/skills/novelty-check && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "novelty-check" agent skill from https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist/tree/main/skills/novelty-check into .gemini/skills/novelty-check/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "novelty-check", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install AI4Scientist/nano-scientist novelty-checkInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add AI4Scientist/nano-scientist --skill novelty-check -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/novelty-check .github/skills/novelty-check && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "novelty-check" agent skill from https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist/tree/main/skills/novelty-check into .github/skills/novelty-check/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "novelty-check", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add AI4Scientist/nano-scientist --skill novelty-check -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install AI4Scientist/nano-scientist novelty-check --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/novelty-check .opencode/skills/novelty-check && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "novelty-check" agent skill from https://github.com/AI4Scientist/nano-scientist/tree/main/skills/novelty-check into .opencode/skills/novelty-check/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "novelty-check", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
novelty-check- GitHub stars
- 128
- Used in
- 4 other repos
- Token cost
- ~823 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 302 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 74
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- None found
At a glance
Verify research idea novelty against recent literature. An agent skill from AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.
- Works in 2 steps: Read the user's method description → Identify 3-5 core technical claims that…
- Wants to verify a research idea is novel before implementing
- SKILL.md covers Constants, Instructions and Review Tracing
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Novelty Check is an agent skill from AI4Scientist/nano-scientist. Verify research idea novelty against recent literature. Use when user says "查新", "novelty check", "有没有人做过", "check novelty", or wants to verify a research idea is novel before implementing.
Its SKILL.md is about 820 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Research & Science, covering Creative writing and fiction, Hypothesis generation and Academic paper search. It works with OpenAI, Model Context Protocol and arXiv. The repository describes itself as: An autonomous research agent that turns a topic into a peer-reviewed technical report.
When your agent uses it
- Wants to verify a research idea is novel before implementing
- Tasks that involve Creative writing and fiction
- Tasks that involve Hypothesis generation
Example prompts
- “novelty check”
- “有没有人做过”
- “check novelty”
- “/novelty-check”
Requirements
- Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): WebSearch, WebFetch, Grep, Read, Glob, mcp__codex__codex
Workflow steps
2 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Read the user's method description
- Identify 3-5 core technical claims that would need to be novel
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 7132192. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:
WebSearchWebFetchGrepReadGlobmcp__codex__codex
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are markdown).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Novelty Check loads about 823 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 51 tokens; SKILL.md has 302 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
Without a licence we can't republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 302 words (~823 tokens).
“Check whether a proposed method/idea has already been done in the literature: $ARGUMENTS”
- name
- novelty-check
- allowed-tools
- WebSearch, WebFetch, Grep, Read, Glob, mcp__codex__codex
- argument-hint
- method-or-idea-description
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills/novelty-check of AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 7132192
Used in 4 other repositories
We found 16 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 4 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in AI4Scientist/nano-scientist, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.
- OpenLAIR/dr-clawskills/aris-novelty-check
- wanshuiyin/Auto-claude-code-research-in-sleepskills/novelty-checkskills/skills-codex/novelty-check+2 more
- brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skillsskills/42-wanshuiyin-ARIS/skills/novelty-checkskills/67-econfin-workflow-toolkit/novelty-check+3 more
- Tai609/NebulaMatruntime/skills-bundle/aris-novelty-checkruntime/aris/skills-nebulamat/aris-novelty-check+1 more
Compare with similar skills
Novelty Check next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novelty Check this skillAI4Scientist/nano-scientist | 128 | 4 repos | ~823 | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Novelty CheckGRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent | 106 | — | ~1k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Paper Searchopenags/paper-search-mcp | 2.8k | — | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Arxiv MCP Serverblazickjp/arxiv-mcp-server | 3.2k | — | ~353 | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Nature Academic Searchwp-a/nature-academic-search | 304 | — | ~1.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Research ReviewGRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent | 106 | 5 repos | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Notes | None |
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Related
Works with
Categories
Questions about Novelty Check
What does Novelty Check do?
Verify research idea novelty against recent literature. An agent skill from AI4Scientist/nano-scientist. Novelty Check is an agent skill from AI4Scientist/nano-scientist. Verify research idea novelty against recent literature.
When should I use Novelty Check?
Novelty Check fits situations like: wants to verify a research idea is novel before implementing; tasks that involve Creative writing and fiction; tasks that involve Hypothesis generation.
How do I install Novelty Check in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add AI4Scientist/nano-scientist --skill novelty-check -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/novelty-check in AI4Scientist/nano-scientist) into .claude/skills/novelty-check in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Novelty Check in Codex?
Run `npx skills add AI4Scientist/nano-scientist --skill novelty-check -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/novelty-check in AI4Scientist/nano-scientist) into .agents/skills/novelty-check in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Novelty Check in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add AI4Scientist/nano-scientist --skill novelty-check -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/novelty-check, .gemini/skills/novelty-check, .github/skills/novelty-check and .opencode/skills/novelty-check in your project.
What does Novelty Check need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Novelty Check is instructions for the agent only. Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: WebSearch, WebFetch, Grep, Read, Glob, mcp__codex__codex.
Does Novelty Check access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Novelty Check safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Novelty Check use?
No licence was found for Novelty Check or its repository. Without one, default copyright applies: ask the author before reusing or redistributing it.
How many tokens does Novelty Check use?
About 823 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Novelty Check?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Novelty Check: Novelty Check (GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent, 106 stars), Paper Search (openags/paper-search-mcp, 2.8k stars), Arxiv MCP Server (blazickjp/arxiv-mcp-server, 3.2k stars) and Nature Academic Search (wp-a/nature-academic-search, 304 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Novelty Check?
AI4Scientist (a GitHub organization) maintains it in AI4Scientist/nano-scientist, which has 128 GitHub stars. The repository holds 74 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on June 3, 2026.
Source: AI4Scientist/nano-scientist on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.