Matplotlib
zLanqing/codex-claude-academic-skills
Low-level plotting library for full customization. An agent skill from zLanqing/codex-claude-academic-skills.
Download water level data from USGS using the dataretrieval package.
Install Usgs Data Download
$ npx skills add benchflow-ai/skillsbench --skill usgs-data-download -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install benchflow-ai/skillsbench usgs-data-download --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/benchflow-ai/skillsbench.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download .claude/skills/usgs-data-download && 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 "usgs-data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench/tree/main/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download into .claude/skills/usgs-data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "usgs-data-download", 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/benchflow-ai/skillsbench/tree/main/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-downloadType 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 benchflow-ai/skillsbench --skill usgs-data-download -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install benchflow-ai/skillsbench usgs-data-download --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download .agents/skills/usgs-data-download && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "usgs-data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench/tree/main/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download into .agents/skills/usgs-data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "usgs-data-download", 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 benchflow-ai/skillsbench --skill usgs-data-download -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install benchflow-ai/skillsbench usgs-data-download --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download .cursor/skills/usgs-data-download && 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 "usgs-data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench/tree/main/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download into .cursor/skills/usgs-data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "usgs-data-download", 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/benchflow-ai/skillsbench.git --path tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download--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 benchflow-ai/skillsbench --skill usgs-data-download -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install benchflow-ai/skillsbench usgs-data-download --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download .gemini/skills/usgs-data-download && 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 "usgs-data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench/tree/main/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download into .gemini/skills/usgs-data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "usgs-data-download", 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 benchflow-ai/skillsbench usgs-data-downloadInstalls 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 benchflow-ai/skillsbench --skill usgs-data-download -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download .github/skills/usgs-data-download && 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 "usgs-data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench/tree/main/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download into .github/skills/usgs-data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "usgs-data-download", 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 benchflow-ai/skillsbench --skill usgs-data-download -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install benchflow-ai/skillsbench usgs-data-download --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download .opencode/skills/usgs-data-download && 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 "usgs-data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/benchflow-ai/skillsbench/tree/main/tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download into .opencode/skills/usgs-data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "usgs-data-download", 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
usgs-data-download- GitHub stars
- 1.8k
- Token cost
- ~886 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 238 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 189
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Download water level data from USGS using the dataretrieval package.
- Accessing real-time
- SKILL.md covers Overview, Installation, nwis Module (Recommended) and Parameter Codes, plus 6 more sections
- Calls pip
- Historical streamflow data
What it does
Usgs Data Download is an agent skill from benchflow-ai/skillsbench. Download water level data from USGS using the dataretrieval package. Use when accessing real-time or historical streamflow data, downloading gage height or discharge measurements, or working with USGS station IDs.
Its SKILL.md is about 890 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 Data & Analytics. The repository describes itself as: SkillsBench evaluates how well skills work and how effective agents are at using them. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Accessing real-time
- Historical streamflow data
- Downloading gage height
- Discharge measurements
Example prompts
- “/usgs-data-download”
Requirements
- Python 3
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 9a1f4dd. 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:
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
Usgs Data Download loads about 886 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 58 tokens; SKILL.md has 238 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
The full file from benchflow-ai/skillsbench at commit 9a1f4dd, republished under its MIT licence (© benchflow-ai). 238 words, ~886 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/usgs-data-download/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- usgs-data-download
- description
- Download water level data from USGS using the dataretrieval package. Use when accessing real-time or historical streamflow data, downloading gage height or discharge measurements, or working with USGS station IDs.
- license
- MIT
USGS Data Download Guide
Overview
This guide covers downloading water level data from USGS using the dataretrieval Python package. USGS maintains thousands of stream gages across the United States that record water levels at 15-minute intervals.
Installation
pip install dataretrievalnwis Module (Recommended)
The NWIS module is reliable and straightforward for accessing gage height data.
from dataretrieval import nwis
# Get instantaneous values (15-min intervals)
df, meta = nwis.get_iv(
sites='<station_id>',
start='<start_date>',
end='<end_date>',
parameterCd='00065'
)
# Get daily values
df, meta = nwis.get_dv(
sites='<station_id>',
start='<start_date>',
end='<end_date>',
parameterCd='00060'
)
# Get site information
info, meta = nwis.get_info(sites='<station_id>')Parameter Codes
| Code | Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
00065 | Gage height | feet | Water level above datum |
00060 | Discharge | cfs | Streamflow volume |
nwis Module Functions
| Function | Description | Data Frequency |
|---|---|---|
nwis.get_iv() | Instantaneous values | ~15 minutes |
nwis.get_dv() | Daily values | Daily |
nwis.get_info() | Site information | N/A |
nwis.get_stats() | Statistical summaries | N/A |
nwis.get_peaks() | Annual peak discharge | Annual |
Returned DataFrame Structure
The DataFrame has a datetime index and these columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
site_no | Station ID |
00065 | Water level value |
00065_cd | Quality code (can ignore) |
Downloading Multiple Stations
from dataretrieval import nwis
station_ids = ['<id_1>', '<id_2>', '<id_3>']
all_data = {}
for site_id in station_ids:
try:
df, meta = nwis.get_iv(
sites=site_id,
start='<start_date>',
end='<end_date>',
parameterCd='00065'
)
if len(df) > 0:
all_data[site_id] = df
except Exception as e:
print(f"Failed to download {site_id}: {e}")
print(f"Successfully downloaded: {len(all_data)} stations")Extracting the Value Column
# Find the gage height column (excludes quality code column)
gage_col = [c for c in df.columns if '00065' in str(c) and '_cd' not in str(c)]
if gage_col:
water_levels = df[gage_col[0]]
print(water_levels.head())Common Issues
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Empty DataFrame | Station has no data for date range | Try different dates or use get_iv() |
get_dv() returns empty | No daily gage height data | Use get_iv() and aggregate |
| Connection error | Network issue | Wrap in try/except, retry |
| Rate limited | Too many requests | Add delays between requests |
Best Practices
- Always wrap API calls in try/except for failed downloads
- Check
len(df) > 0before processing - Station IDs are 8-digit strings with leading zeros (e.g., '04119000')
- Use
get_iv()for gage height, as daily data is often unavailable - Filter columns to exclude quality code columns (
_cd) - Break up large requests into smaller time periods to avoid timeouts
© benchflow-ai, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download of benchflow-ai/skillsbench.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 9a1f4dd
Compare with similar skills
Usgs Data Download 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usgs Data Download this skillbenchflow-ai/skillsbench | 1.8k | — | ~886 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| MatplotlibzLanqing/codex-claude-academic-skills | 4.7k | 17 repos | ~2.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Exploratory Data Analysisspacering-net/codeg | 3.9k | 14 repos | ~3.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Scikit LearnzLanqing/codex-claude-academic-skills | 4.7k | 16 repos | ~3.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | BSD-3-Clause | |
| Chart Visualizationbytedance/deer-flow | 84k | 1 repos | ~840 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| TimesFM Forecastinggoogle-research/timesfm | 34k | — | ~4.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 |
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Categories
Questions about Usgs Data Download
What does Usgs Data Download do?
Download water level data from USGS using the dataretrieval package. Usgs Data Download is an agent skill from benchflow-ai/skillsbench. Download water level data from USGS using the dataretrieval package.
When should I use Usgs Data Download?
Usgs Data Download fits situations like: accessing real-time; historical streamflow data; downloading gage height; discharge measurements.
How do I install Usgs Data Download in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add benchflow-ai/skillsbench --skill usgs-data-download -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download in benchflow-ai/skillsbench) into .claude/skills/usgs-data-download in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Usgs Data Download in Codex?
Run `npx skills add benchflow-ai/skillsbench --skill usgs-data-download -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (tasks/flood-risk-analysis/environment/skills/usgs-data-download in benchflow-ai/skillsbench) into .agents/skills/usgs-data-download in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Usgs Data Download 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 benchflow-ai/skillsbench --skill usgs-data-download -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/usgs-data-download, .gemini/skills/usgs-data-download, .github/skills/usgs-data-download and .opencode/skills/usgs-data-download in your project.
What does Usgs Data Download need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Usgs Data Download needs the command-line tools its instructions call (pip). Our summary lists: Python 3.
Does Usgs Data Download 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 Usgs Data Download 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 Usgs Data Download use?
Usgs Data Download 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 Usgs Data Download use?
About 886 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.5k 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 Usgs Data Download?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Usgs Data Download: Matplotlib (zLanqing/codex-claude-academic-skills, 4.7k stars), Exploratory Data Analysis (spacering-net/codeg, 3.9k stars), Scikit Learn (zLanqing/codex-claude-academic-skills, 4.7k stars) and Chart Visualization (bytedance/deer-flow, 84k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Usgs Data Download?
benchflow-ai (a GitHub organization) maintains it in benchflow-ai/skillsbench, which has 1,835 GitHub stars. The repository holds 189 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on July 23, 2026.
Source: benchflow-ai/skillsbench on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.