Sharpening
LeoYeAI/openclaw-master-skills
Sharpening techniques for knives, tools, and bladed implements.
A skill your agent uses when building or sharpening the theoretical argument of a Comparative Political Studies (CPS) manuscript so it yields portable, testable comparative implications.
MITAuto-check passed
Install Cps Theory Building
$ npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill cps-theory-building -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills cps-theory-building --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/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building .claude/skills/cps-theory-building && 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 "cps-theory-building" agent skill from https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills/tree/main/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building into .claude/skills/cps-theory-building/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cps-theory-building", 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/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills/tree/main/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-buildingType 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 brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill cps-theory-building -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills cps-theory-building --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building .agents/skills/cps-theory-building && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "cps-theory-building" agent skill from https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills/tree/main/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building into .agents/skills/cps-theory-building/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cps-theory-building", 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 brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill cps-theory-building -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills cps-theory-building --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building .cursor/skills/cps-theory-building && 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 "cps-theory-building" agent skill from https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills/tree/main/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building into .cursor/skills/cps-theory-building/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cps-theory-building", 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/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.git --path Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building--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 brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill cps-theory-building -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills cps-theory-building --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building .gemini/skills/cps-theory-building && 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 "cps-theory-building" agent skill from https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills/tree/main/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building into .gemini/skills/cps-theory-building/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cps-theory-building", 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 brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills cps-theory-buildingInstalls 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 brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill cps-theory-building -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building .github/skills/cps-theory-building && 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 "cps-theory-building" agent skill from https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills/tree/main/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building into .github/skills/cps-theory-building/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cps-theory-building", 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 brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill cps-theory-building -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills cps-theory-building --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building .opencode/skills/cps-theory-building && 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 "cps-theory-building" agent skill from https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills/tree/main/Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building into .opencode/skills/cps-theory-building/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cps-theory-building", 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
cps-theory-building- GitHub stars
- 1.2k
- Token cost
- ~1.1k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 481 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 2,387
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
A skill your agent uses when building or sharpening the theoretical argument of a Comparative Political Studies (CPS) manuscript so it yields portable, testable comparative implications.
- Works in 5 steps: A named mechanism. State the causal… → Observable implications. List 2–4… → Scope conditions. Say where the… → …
- Sharpening the theoretical argument of a Comparative Political Studies (CPS) manuscript so it yields portable
- SKILL.md covers When to trigger, What a CPS argument must deliver, Modes of theorizing in CPS and The portability test…, plus 4 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Cps Theory Building is an agent skill from brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills. Use when building or sharpening the theoretical argument of a Comparative Political Studies (CPS) manuscript so it yields portable, testable comparative implications. Builds the mechanism and its observable implications; it does not run the empirics.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
The repository describes itself as: Journal-specific Claude Code/Codex skill packs covering mainstream journals — AER, QJE, Nature, Cell, 管理世界, 经济研究 & 200+ more — your fast track to getting published. ｜ 覆盖主流期刊的… The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Sharpening the theoretical argument of a Comparative Political Studies (CPS) manuscript so it yields portable
- Testable comparative implications
Example prompts
- “/cps-theory-building”
Workflow steps
5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- A named mechanism. State the causal process in one sentence: *actor → incentive/constraint →
- Observable implications. List 2–4 predictions, including at least one that **distinguishes your
- Scope conditions. Say where the mechanism should hold and where it should fail. A theory that
- Comparative statics / variation. State how the outcome should change as the key cause varies
- Micro-foundations where the claim is macro. If the argument is about regimes or systems, name the
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 932eb23. 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
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
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
Cps Theory Building loads about 1.1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 68 tokens; SKILL.md has 481 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 brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills at commit 932eb23, republished under its MIT licence (© brycewang-stanford). 481 words, ~1,097 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/cps-theory-building/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- cps-theory-building
- description
- Use when building or sharpening the theoretical argument of a Comparative Political Studies (CPS) manuscript so it yields portable, testable comparative implications. Builds the mechanism and its observable implications; it does not run the empirics.
Theory Building (cps-theory-building)
CPS rewards arguments that travel. A good CPS theory is a mechanism with scope conditions that generates observable implications a comparativist can test in more than one setting. Theory can be verbal-causal, formal/game-theoretic, or comparative-historical — but it must do more than label; it must predict what should differ across cases and when the mechanism turns off.
When to trigger
- Turning a comparative puzzle into a stated argument with implications
- A reviewer said the paper "lacks a theory," "is descriptive," or "the mechanism is a black box"
- Your finding has no portable claim — nothing another comparativist could import
- You need to specify scope conditions and the contrast with the rival from
cps-literature-positioning
What a CPS argument must deliver
- A named mechanism. State the causal process in one sentence: actor → incentive/constraint → behavior → outcome. Give it a portable name so it can be cited and carried.
- Observable implications. List 2–4 predictions, including at least one that distinguishes your mechanism from the rival (not just "outcome happens").
- Scope conditions. Say where the mechanism should hold and where it should fail. A theory that predicts everything predicts nothing; scope conditions make it comparative and falsifiable.
- Comparative statics / variation. State how the outcome should change as the key cause varies
across cases or over time — this is what the design (
cps-research-design) will exploit. - Micro-foundations where the claim is macro. If the argument is about regimes or systems, name the actor-level behavior that must hold for the macro pattern to obtain.
Modes of theorizing in CPS
| Mode | Strength | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal-causal | Accessible, flexible | vague mechanism, unfalsifiable scope |
| Formal / game-theoretic | Precise comparative statics | model-empirics gap; assumptions doing all the work |
| Comparative-historical | Process and sequence, path dependence | selection on the outcome; ad hoc periodization |
| Typological | Organizes variation | categories without a mechanism behind them |
Show full SKILL.md (178 more words)Show less
The portability test (CPS-specific)
Write one sentence: "In a different region/regime — say ___ — the same mechanism predicts ___." If you cannot, the argument is a local description, not a comparative theory. Then write the distinguishing implication: "If the rival account were right instead of mine, we would see ___; my mechanism predicts ___ instead."
Checklist
- Mechanism stated in one sentence, with a portable name
- 2–4 observable implications, at least one distinguishing the rival
- Scope conditions: where it holds and where it fails
- Comparative statics stated (how outcome moves with the cause)
- Micro-foundations supplied if the claim is macro-level
- Portability sentence written for a second setting
Anti-patterns
- A label masquerading as a mechanism ("institutions matter")
- No scope conditions — the theory "explains" every case, so it is unfalsifiable
- Formal model whose comparative statics are never tested, or a loose analogy to the empirics
- Comparative-historical narrative that selects on the outcome
- A finding with no portable claim — nothing another comparativist could carry to a new case
Output format
【Mechanism】one sentence: actor → incentive → behavior → outcome (+ portable name)
【Observable implications】incl. the one distinguishing the rival
【Scope conditions】holds where / fails where
【Comparative statics】how outcome moves with the cause
【Portability】a named second setting where it should also hold
【Next】cps-research-designSupplementary resources
../../resources/exemplars/library.md— verified CPS papers with portable mechanisms../../resources/worked-examples/01-introduction.md— argument stated early in CPS house style
© brycewang-stanford, 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 Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building of brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 932eb23
Compare with similar skills
Cps Theory Building 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cps Theory Building this skillbrycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills | 1.2k | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| SharpeningLeoYeAI/openclaw-master-skills | 2.2k | — | ~5.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Geo Comparesickn33/agentic-awesome-skills | 47k | 1 repos | ~2.7k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Integration Theoryparcadei/Continuous-Claude-v3 | 3.9k | 1 repos | ~929 | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Compare Python TypecheckersJetBrains/intellij-community | 21k | — | ~617 | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Recipe Compare Sheet Tabsgoogleworkspace/cli | 31k | — | ~182 | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 |
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Questions about Cps Theory Building
What does Cps Theory Building do?
A skill your agent uses when building or sharpening the theoretical argument of a Comparative Political Studies (CPS) manuscript so it yields portable, testable comparative implications. Cps Theory Building is an agent skill from brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills. Use when building or sharpening the theoretical argument of a Comparative Political Studies (CPS) manuscript so it yields portable, testable comparative implications.
When should I use Cps Theory Building?
Cps Theory Building fits situations like: sharpening the theoretical argument of a Comparative Political Studies (CPS) manuscript so it yields portable; testable comparative implications.
How do I install Cps Theory Building in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill cps-theory-building -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) into .claude/skills/cps-theory-building in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Cps Theory Building in Codex?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill cps-theory-building -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (Comparative-Political-Studies-Skills/skills/cps-theory-building in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) into .agents/skills/cps-theory-building in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Cps Theory Building 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 brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill cps-theory-building -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/cps-theory-building, .gemini/skills/cps-theory-building, .github/skills/cps-theory-building and .opencode/skills/cps-theory-building in your project.
What does Cps Theory Building need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Cps Theory Building is instructions for the agent only.
Does Cps Theory Building 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 Cps Theory Building 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 Cps Theory Building use?
Cps Theory Building is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Cps Theory Building use?
About 1.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.4k 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 Cps Theory Building?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Cps Theory Building: Sharpening (LeoYeAI/openclaw-master-skills, 2.2k stars), Geo Compare (sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills, 47k stars), Integration Theory (parcadei/Continuous-Claude-v3, 3.9k stars) and Compare Python Typecheckers (JetBrains/intellij-community, 21k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Cps Theory Building?
brycewang-stanford (a GitHub user) maintains it in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills, which has 1,231 GitHub stars. The repository holds 2,387 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 27, 2026.
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.