Show Me Your Work Decision Log
cursor/plugins
Keeps a TSV decision log for long or unattended agent runs, one row per decision with what, why, evidence and result, so a reviewer can check the work later.
Agent skill
Autoresearch Universal
by balukosuri in balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill
Self-improving prompt optimization using the Karpathy autoresearch pattern.
Install Autoresearch Universal
The automated check flagged lines worth reading first. See the safety section below.
$ npx skills add balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill --skill autoresearch-universal -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill autoresearch-universal --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "autoresearch-universal" agent skill from https://github.com/balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill/tree/main into .claude/skills/autoresearch-universal/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "autoresearch-universal", 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.
$ npx skills add balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill --skill autoresearch-universal -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill autoresearch-universal --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "autoresearch-universal" agent skill from https://github.com/balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill/tree/main into .agents/skills/autoresearch-universal/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "autoresearch-universal", 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 balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill --skill autoresearch-universal -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill autoresearch-universal --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "autoresearch-universal" agent skill from https://github.com/balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill/tree/main into .cursor/skills/autoresearch-universal/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "autoresearch-universal", 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.
$ npx skills add balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill --skill autoresearch-universal -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill autoresearch-universal --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "autoresearch-universal" agent skill from https://github.com/balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill/tree/main into .gemini/skills/autoresearch-universal/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "autoresearch-universal", 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 balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill autoresearch-universalInstalls 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 balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill --skill autoresearch-universal -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "autoresearch-universal" agent skill from https://github.com/balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill/tree/main into .github/skills/autoresearch-universal/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "autoresearch-universal", 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 balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill --skill autoresearch-universal -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill autoresearch-universal --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "autoresearch-universal" agent skill from https://github.com/balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill/tree/main into .opencode/skills/autoresearch-universal/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "autoresearch-universal", 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
autoresearch-universal- GitHub stars
- 207
- Token cost
- ~5.8k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 2,771 words
- Files
- 3
- Skills in repo
- 1
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- None found
At a glance
Self-improving prompt optimization using the Karpathy autoresearch pattern.
- Works in 5 steps: Repo Discovery → Target Selection → Metric Definition → …
- The user asks to optimize
- SKILL.md covers Phase 1 — Repo Discovery, Phase 2 — Target Selection, Phase 3 — Metric Definition and Phase 4 — Baseline + Loop Setup, plus 2 more sections
- Calls pytest, go and npx
What it does
Autoresearch Universal is an agent skill from balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill. Self-improving prompt optimization using the Karpathy autoresearch pattern. Scans any repo, suggests optimization targets, auto-defines binary eval metrics, and runs an autonomous generate-eval-score-mutate loop to improve prompts over time. Use when the user asks to optimize, improve, or run autoresearch on anything in their codebase.
Its SKILL.md is about 5.8k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files (for example `ARTICLE.md` and `README.md`).
It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Autonomous loops.
When your agent uses it
- The user asks to optimize
- Run autoresearch on anything in their codebase
Example prompts
- “/autoresearch-universal”
Requirements
- Node.js
- Docker
Workflow steps
5 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
- Repo Discovery
- Target Selection
- Metric Definition
- Baseline + Loop Setup
- Autoresearch Loop
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 4870864. 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
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
pytestgonpx
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npx, 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
Autoresearch Universal loads about 5.8k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 90 tokens; SKILL.md has 2,771 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: warnings
The automated check found patterns that need a careful read before installing.
- WarningTells the agent its actions are pre-authorized / not to stop for confirmationSKILL.md:441
1. **Never ask for permission to continue** once the loop has started. You are autonomous.
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 2,771 words (~5,750 tokens).
“You are an autonomous research agent applying the Karpathy autoresearch pattern to optimize prompts and processes. You scan the repo, suggest targets, define binary eval criteria, and run a self-improving loop: generate outputs, evaluate them, keep winners, mutate the prompt…”
- name
- autoresearch-universal
Files
SKILL.md and 2 other files in the repository root of balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill.
- SKILL.md
- ARTICLE.md
- README.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 4870864
Compare with similar skills
Autoresearch Universal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autoresearch Universal this skillbalukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill | 207 | — | ~5.8k | Automated safety check: Warn | None | |
| Show Me Your Work Decision Logcursor/plugins | 11k | 8 repos | ~1.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Autoresearch Iteration Loopuditgoenka/autoresearch | 6.5k | 1 repos | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Install Loop Engineeringcobusgreyling/loop-engineering | 11k | 1 repos | ~648 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| LoopyForward-Future/loopy | 3.2k | — | ~3.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| AI Performance Improvement Plantanweai/pua | 20k | 2 repos | ~6.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
Similar skills
- Official
Autoresearch Iteration Loop
uditgoenka/autoresearch
Runs an autonomous modify, verify, keep-or-discard loop against any metric, with subcommands for planning, debugging, fixing, security audits, shipping and more.
Install Loop Engineering
cobusgreyling/loop-engineering
Installs Loop Engineering into a project through the single @cobusgreyling/loop CLI, scaffolding a report-only loop and a readiness score.
Loopy
Forward-Future/loopy
Discover, find, compare, audit, repair, adapt, craft, run, debrief, save, and prepare repeatable AI-agent loops for publication.
AI Performance Improvement Plan
tanweai/pua
Pushes an agent to exhaust every option, investigate before asking and take initiative beyond the literal request, instead of giving up or waiting passively.
LoopX Self Repair
loopx-project/loopx
Diagnoses surprising LoopX behavior, such as stale recommendations or tiny progress, assigns it to the responsible layer and repairs it at the lowest durable level.
Related
Categories
Questions about Autoresearch Universal
What does Autoresearch Universal do?
Self-improving prompt optimization using the Karpathy autoresearch pattern. Autoresearch Universal is an agent skill from balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill. Self-improving prompt optimization using the Karpathy autoresearch pattern.
When should I use Autoresearch Universal?
Autoresearch Universal fits situations like: the user asks to optimize; run autoresearch on anything in their codebase.
How do I install Autoresearch Universal in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill --skill autoresearch-universal -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (the balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill repository) into .claude/skills/autoresearch-universal in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Autoresearch Universal in Codex?
Run `npx skills add balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill --skill autoresearch-universal -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (the balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill repository) into .agents/skills/autoresearch-universal in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Autoresearch Universal 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 balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill --skill autoresearch-universal -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/autoresearch-universal, .gemini/skills/autoresearch-universal, .github/skills/autoresearch-universal and .opencode/skills/autoresearch-universal in your project.
What does Autoresearch Universal need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Autoresearch Universal needs the command-line tools its instructions call (pytest, go and npx). Our summary lists: Node.js; Docker.
Does Autoresearch Universal access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npx, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Autoresearch Universal safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md flagged 1 warning(s): tells the agent its actions are pre-authorized / not to stop for confirmation. Read the flagged lines before installing; the check is not a guarantee either way.
What licence does Autoresearch Universal use?
No licence was found for Autoresearch Universal or its repository. Without one, default copyright applies: ask the author before reusing or redistributing it.
How many tokens does Autoresearch Universal use?
About 5.8k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 23k 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 Autoresearch Universal?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Autoresearch Universal: Show Me Your Work Decision Log (cursor/plugins, 11k stars), Autoresearch Iteration Loop (uditgoenka/autoresearch, 6.5k stars), Install Loop Engineering (cobusgreyling/loop-engineering, 11k stars) and Loopy (Forward-Future/loopy, 3.2k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Autoresearch Universal?
balukosuri (a GitHub user) maintains it in balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill, which has 207 GitHub stars. The repository was last updated on March 23, 2026.
Source: balukosuri/Andrej-Karpathy-s-Autoresearch-As-a-Universal-Skill on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.