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Agent skill

Crossref Database

by aipoch in aipoch/medical-research-skills

Access CrossRef metadata for scholarly works; use when you need to resolve a DOI or search CrossRef to retrieve bibliographic details, citation/reference counts, or funder information for research…

MITAuto-check passedResearch & Science

Install Crossref Database

skills CLI
$ npx skills add aipoch/medical-research-skills --skill crossref-database -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install aipoch/medical-research-skills crossref-database --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/aipoch/medical-research-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/'scientific-skills/Evidence Insight/crossref-database' .claude/skills/crossref-database && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Facts

Skill name
crossref-database
GitHub stars
2k
Token cost
~1.5k tokens
SKILL.md length
662 words
Files
4 (incl. scripts)
Skills in repo
567
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Access CrossRef metadata for scholarly works; use when you need to resolve a DOI or search CrossRef to retrieve bibliographic details, citation/reference counts, or funder information for research…

  • Works in 2 steps: Resolve a DOI → Search for works (keyword query)
  • You need to resolve a DOI
  • SKILL.md covers Validation Shortcut, When to Use, Key Features and Dependencies, plus 11 more sections
  • Runs Python scripts from its folder; calls python and pip

What it does

Crossref Database is an agent skill from aipoch/medical-research-skills. Access CrossRef metadata for scholarly works; use when you need to resolve a DOI or search CrossRef to retrieve bibliographic details, citation/reference counts, or funder information for research and citation management.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.5k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 4 other files, including scripts (for example `crossref-database_audit_result_v2.json`, `scripts/query_crossref.py` and `scripts/validate_skill.py`).

It sits in Research & Science, covering Citation management. The repository describes itself as: Hundreds of agent skills for medical research, including protocol design, data analysis, evidence insights, and academic writing. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • You need to resolve a DOI
  • Search CrossRef to retrieve bibliographic details
  • Citation/reference counts
  • Funder information for research and citation management

Example prompts

  • “/crossref-database”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

2 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Resolve a DOI
  2. Search for works (keyword query)

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 686e09d. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Ships 2 files in scripts/ (Python), which the agent can run.

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • python
    • pip

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use pip, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    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

Crossref Database loads about 1.5k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 60 tokens; SKILL.md has 662 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~60
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.5k

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); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from aipoch/medical-research-skills at commit 686e09d, republished under its MIT licence (© aipoch). 662 words, ~1,466 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/crossref-database/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 3 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
crossref-database
description
Access CrossRef metadata for scholarly works; use when you need to resolve a DOI or search CrossRef to retrieve bibliographic details, citation/reference counts, or funder information for research and citation management.
license
MIT
author
AIPOCH

Source: https://github.com/aipoch/medical-research-skills

Validation Shortcut

Run this minimal command first to verify the supported execution path:

bash
python scripts/query_crossref.py --help

When to Use

  • You have a DOI and need authoritative bibliographic metadata (title, authors, venue, publication date).
  • You need to search CrossRef by keywords (title/author/topic) to find candidate works and their DOIs.
  • You want to retrieve reference counts and cited-by counts for quick impact/context checks.
  • You need to verify or enrich citation records across publishers for citation management workflows.
  • You want to identify funder information associated with a publication.

Key Features

  • DOI Resolution: Resolve a DOI to CrossRef metadata and canonical URLs.
  • Work Search: Query CrossRef by free-text keywords (e.g., title, author, subject).
  • Metadata Lookup: Retrieve titles, authors, publication dates, journal/container information, etc.
  • Citation Metrics: Fetch reference-count and is-referenced-by-count (cited-by).
  • Funder Extraction: Identify funding organizations recorded in CrossRef metadata.

Dependencies

  • habanero (recommended: >=1.2.0)

Install:

bash
pip install "habanero>=1.2.0"

Example Usage

1) Resolve a DOI
bash
python scripts/query_crossref.py --doi "10.1371/journal.pone.0029797"
2) Search for works (keyword query)
bash
python scripts/query_crossref.py --query "climate change" --limit 5

Implementation Details

  • Data Source: CrossRef REST API via the Python habanero client.
  • Inputs
    • --doi: A DOI string to resolve to a single work record.
    • --query: A free-text query used to search works (e.g., title/author keywords).
    • --limit: Maximum number of results to return for searches.
  • Returned Fields (typical)
    • Bibliographic: title, author, issued/publication date, container-title (journal/venue), publisher.
    • Identifiers/links: DOI, URL.
    • Counts: reference-count, is-referenced-by-count.
    • Funding: funder entries when available.
  • Notes
    • Availability of citation counts and funder data depends on what publishers deposit into CrossRef; some records may omit these fields.
    • Search results are ranked by CrossRef relevance; refine queries and limits as needed for higher precision.

When Not to Use

  • Do not use this skill when the required source data, identifiers, files, or credentials are missing.
  • Do not use this skill when the user asks for fabricated results, unsupported claims, or out-of-scope conclusions.
  • Do not use this skill when a simpler direct answer is more appropriate than the documented workflow.

Required Inputs

  • A clearly specified task goal aligned with the documented scope.
  • All required files, identifiers, parameters, or environment variables before execution.
  • Any domain constraints, formatting requirements, and expected output destination if applicable.
  1. Validate the request against the skill boundary and confirm all required inputs are present.
  2. Select the documented execution path and prefer the simplest supported command or procedure.
  3. Produce the expected output using the documented file format, schema, or narrative structure.
  4. Run a final validation pass for completeness, consistency, and safety before returning the result.
Show full SKILL.md (261 more words)Show less

Output Contract

  • Return a structured deliverable that is directly usable without reformatting.
  • If a file is produced, prefer a deterministic output name such as crossref_database_result.md unless the skill documentation defines a better convention.
  • Include a short validation summary describing what was checked, what assumptions were made, and any remaining limitations.

Validation and Safety Rules

  • Validate required inputs before execution and stop early when mandatory fields or files are missing.
  • Do not fabricate measurements, references, findings, or conclusions that are not supported by the provided source material.
  • Emit a clear warning when credentials, privacy constraints, safety boundaries, or unsupported requests affect the result.
  • Keep the output safe, reproducible, and within the documented scope at all times.

Failure Handling

  • If validation fails, explain the exact missing field, file, or parameter and show the minimum fix required.
  • If an external dependency or script fails, surface the command path, likely cause, and the next recovery step.
  • If partial output is returned, label it clearly and identify which checks could not be completed.

Quick Validation

Run this minimal verification path before full execution when possible:

bash
python scripts/query_crossref.py --help

Expected output format:

text
Result file: crossref_database_result.md
Validation summary: PASS/FAIL with brief notes
Assumptions: explicit list if any

Deterministic Output Rules

  • Use the same section order for every supported request of this skill.
  • Keep output field names stable and do not rename documented keys across examples.
  • If a value is unavailable, emit an explicit placeholder instead of omitting the field.

Completion Checklist

  • Confirm all required inputs were present and valid.
  • Confirm the supported execution path completed without unresolved errors.
  • Confirm the final deliverable matches the documented format exactly.
  • Confirm assumptions, limitations, and warnings are surfaced explicitly.

© aipoch, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 3 other files (scripts) in scientific-skills/Evidence Insight/crossref-database of aipoch/medical-research-skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • crossref-database_audit_result_v2.json
  • scripts/query_crossref.py
  • scripts/validate_skill.py

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 686e09d

Compare with similar skills

Crossref Database 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.

Crossref Database compared with similar skills
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Crossref Database this skillaipoch/medical-research-skills2k—~1.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
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NetworkxzLanqing/codex-claude-academic-skills4.6k16 repos~3.2kAutomated safety check: PassBSD-3-Clause
Citation Verification GuideGalaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar5.7k3 repos~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Systematic Review ScreenerImbad0202/academic-research-skills51k—~8.4kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Literature Reviewneflibata-feng/MyArxiv-Agent12621 repos~5.9kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT

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Categories

Questions about Crossref Database

What does Crossref Database do?

Access CrossRef metadata for scholarly works; use when you need to resolve a DOI or search CrossRef to retrieve bibliographic details, citation/reference counts, or funder information for research…. Crossref Database is an agent skill from aipoch/medical-research-skills. Access CrossRef metadata for scholarly works; use when you need to resolve a DOI or search CrossRef to retrieve bibliographic details, citation/reference counts, or funder information for research and citation management.

When should I use Crossref Database?

Crossref Database fits situations like: you need to resolve a DOI; search CrossRef to retrieve bibliographic details; citation/reference counts; funder information for research and citation management.

How do I install Crossref Database in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add aipoch/medical-research-skills --skill crossref-database -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (scientific-skills/Evidence Insight/crossref-database in aipoch/medical-research-skills) into .claude/skills/crossref-database in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Crossref Database in Codex?

Run `npx skills add aipoch/medical-research-skills --skill crossref-database -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (scientific-skills/Evidence Insight/crossref-database in aipoch/medical-research-skills) into .agents/skills/crossref-database in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Crossref Database 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 aipoch/medical-research-skills --skill crossref-database -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/crossref-database, .gemini/skills/crossref-database, .github/skills/crossref-database and .opencode/skills/crossref-database in your project.

What does Crossref Database need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Crossref Database needs Python for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (python and pip). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Crossref Database access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use pip, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Crossref Database 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. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Crossref Database use?

Crossref Database is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Crossref Database use?

About 1.5k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.9k 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 Crossref Database?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Crossref Database: Content Research Writer (weapp-tailwindcss/weapp-tailwindcss, 1.9k stars), Networkx (zLanqing/codex-claude-academic-skills, 4.6k stars), Citation Verification Guide (Galaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar, 5.7k stars) and Systematic Review Screener (Imbad0202/academic-research-skills, 51k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Crossref Database?

aipoch (a GitHub organization) maintains it in aipoch/medical-research-skills, which has 1,974 GitHub stars. The repository holds 567 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 17, 2026.

Source: aipoch/medical-research-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.