Agent skill

Usenixsec Topic Selection

by brycewang-stanford in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills

A skill your agent uses when deciding whether a project belongs at the USENIX Security Symposium or a sibling venue — routing among USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, ACM CCS, NDSS, and specialty venues…

MITAuto-check passed

Install Usenixsec Topic Selection

skills CLI
$ npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill usenixsec-topic-selection -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills usenixsec-topic-selection --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/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/USENIX-Security-Skills/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection .claude/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection && 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
usenixsec-topic-selection
GitHub stars
1.2k
Token cost
~1.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
559 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
2,387
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when deciding whether a project belongs at the USENIX Security Symposium or a sibling venue — routing among USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, ACM CCS, NDSS, and specialty venues…

  • Deciding whether a project belongs at the USENIX Security Symposium
  • SKILL.md covers What USENIX Security is…, The Big-Four routing table…, The "is it security research… and Scoping: one paper or two?, plus 3 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
  • A sibling venue — routing among USENIX Security

What it does

Usenixsec Topic Selection is an agent skill from brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills. Use when deciding whether a project belongs at the USENIX Security Symposium or a sibling venue — routing among USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, ACM CCS, NDSS, and specialty venues (PETS, SOUPS, RAID, WOOT), and confirming the work has the artifact/measurement/systems evidence USENIX Security rewards.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k 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

  • Deciding whether a project belongs at the USENIX Security Symposium
  • A sibling venue — routing among USENIX Security
  • Specialty venues (PETS
  • Confirming the work has the artifact/measurement/systems evidence USENIX Security rewards

Example prompts

  • “/usenixsec-topic-selection”

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

Usenixsec Topic Selection loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 81 tokens; SKILL.md has 559 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~81
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.3k

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). 559 words, ~1,317 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
usenixsec-topic-selection
description
Use when deciding whether a project belongs at the USENIX Security Symposium or a sibling venue — routing among USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, ACM CCS, NDSS, and specialty venues (PETS, SOUPS, RAID, WOOT), and confirming the work has the artifact/measurement/systems evidence USENIX Security rewards.

USENIX Security Topic Selection

The most expensive USENIX Security mistake is made before writing: submitting a paper whose center of gravity is somewhere else. USENIX Security is now USENIX's flagship summer event (USENIX ATC ended after 2025, leaving Security as the association's premier venue), and it draws a specific kind of security paper. This skill decides fit and routes the misfits before a cycle is spent.

What USENIX Security is especially strong for

The venue rewards security research whose evidence can be audited and reused — a bias reflected in its mandatory Open Science policy and two-phase artifact evaluation. It is the natural home for:

  • Systems and software security with a working artifact (defenses, hardening, program analysis, fuzzing, TEE/OS/firmware work).
  • Empirical security measurement at scale (internet-wide scanning, ecosystem studies, abuse and fraud measurement).
  • Vulnerability discovery and analysis with responsible disclosure.
  • Usable security and privacy with a systems or measurement backbone.
  • Applied cryptography and privacy tech evaluated as built systems.

The through-line: a security contribution other researchers can pick up, run, and extend. If the artifact, dataset, or measurement is the beating heart of the paper, USENIX Security is likely the right seat.

The Big-Four routing table (from the USENIX Security seat)

If the paper is most centrally...PreferBecause
An auditable systems/measurement artifactUSENIX SecurityOpen-science + AE culture rewards reusable evidence
Broad security with strong theory/formal framingIEEE S&P (Oakland)S&P's remit spans foundational and policy-adjacent security
Applied crypto, or a topic in a CCS-strong subcommunityACM CCSDeep applied-crypto and large PC coverage
Network/protocol-centered, or wants a specific spring slotNDSSNetwork-and-distributed-systems framing, one annual cycle
Privacy-defining (PETs, anonymity, disclosure control)PETS/PoPETsPrivacy-specialist reviewers
Human-subjects / usability-centeredSOUPSUsable-security expert pool
Offense/PoC or exploit-forwardWOOT (or S&P/CCS)Offensive-research venue
Systems contribution with security as an applicationOSDI/SOSP/NSDISystems PC judges the systems core

The four flagships heavily overlap; the deciding question is which committee's expertise the paper most needs, not which deadline is soonest. A measurement paper wants USENIX Security's measurement reviewers; a lattice-crypto proof wants CCS's or S&P's crypto reviewers. Route by reviewer fit.

Show full SKILL.md (215 more words)Show less

The "is it security research here?" test

Some projects are systems or ML papers wearing a security hat. Apply a subtraction test: remove the adversary — does a contribution remain that USENIX Security reviewers would still value? If the paper is really a performance result with a threat-model paragraph bolted on, systems reviewers at OSDI/NSDI will judge the core better. If removing the adversary collapses the contribution, it is genuinely a security paper — now pick among the security venues by reviewer fit above.

Scoping: one paper or two?

USENIX Security's 13-page body enforces focus. Signals a project is oversized:

  • Two distinct threat models each with a full evaluation.
  • An attack and a defense each strong enough to stand alone.
  • A measurement study plus a systems tool that only share a dataset.

Splitting usually produces two stronger papers than one crowded one — and with two cycles a year plus the sibling venues, the calendar rewards the split (see usenixsec-workflow).

Readiness gate before committing

text
[ ] The contribution survives the remove-the-adversary test
[ ] There is an artifact/dataset/measurement reviewers could reuse
    (or a defensible Open Science reason there isn't)
[ ] Ethics/disclosure path is clear and, for live work, already moving
[ ] The nearest prior work is at USENIX Security or a Big-Four sibling,
    not a distant field — the reviewer pool will recognize the problem
[ ] The evidence bar (adaptive attacker / base rates / vantage validity)
    is reachable before the target cycle's deadline

Fail two or more and either reshape the paper or route it elsewhere before writing.

Reverify each cycle

  • Topic scope statements in the current CFP; committees re-weight subareas yearly.
  • Sibling-venue deadlines when routing away (all four flagships run per cycle).
  • Whether the current CFP solicits SoK submissions and on what terms (待核实).

Output format

text
[Fit verdict] USENIX Security / sibling venue / reshape first
[Subtraction test] contribution remaining after removing the adversary
[Reviewer-fit routing] chosen venue + the committee-expertise reason
[Scope] one paper / split, with the split lines if any
[Readiness] gate items passed n/6 + blockers

© 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 USENIX-Security-Skills/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection of brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 932eb23

Compare with similar skills

Usenixsec Topic Selection 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.

Usenixsec Topic Selection compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Usenixsec Topic Selection this skillbrycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills1.2k—~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
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Topic Modelingbrycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills4.5k—~3.7kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Bestblogs Topicginobefun/BestBlogs4k—~670Automated safety check: PassNone
Zsxq Topicitwanger/toBeBetterJavaer18k—~564Automated safety check: PassNone
Pubmed Topic Recommendaipoch/medical-research-skills2k—~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about Usenixsec Topic Selection

What does Usenixsec Topic Selection do?

A skill your agent uses when deciding whether a project belongs at the USENIX Security Symposium or a sibling venue — routing among USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, ACM CCS, NDSS, and specialty venues…. Usenixsec Topic Selection is an agent skill from brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills. Use when deciding whether a project belongs at the USENIX Security Symposium or a sibling venue — routing among USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, ACM CCS, NDSS, and specialty venues (PETS, SOUPS, RAID, WOOT), and confirming the work has the artifact/measurement/systems evidence USENIX Security rewards.

When should I use Usenixsec Topic Selection?

Usenixsec Topic Selection fits situations like: deciding whether a project belongs at the USENIX Security Symposium; A sibling venue — routing among USENIX Security; specialty venues (PETS; confirming the work has the artifact/measurement/systems evidence USENIX Security rewards.

How do I install Usenixsec Topic Selection in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill usenixsec-topic-selection -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (USENIX-Security-Skills/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) into .claude/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Usenixsec Topic Selection in Codex?

Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill usenixsec-topic-selection -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (USENIX-Security-Skills/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) into .agents/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Usenixsec Topic Selection 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 usenixsec-topic-selection -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection, .gemini/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection, .github/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection and .opencode/skills/usenixsec-topic-selection in your project.

What does Usenixsec Topic Selection need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Usenixsec Topic Selection is instructions for the agent only.

Does Usenixsec Topic Selection 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 Usenixsec Topic Selection 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 Usenixsec Topic Selection use?

Usenixsec Topic Selection 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 Usenixsec Topic Selection use?

About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.3k 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 Usenixsec Topic Selection?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Usenixsec Topic Selection: Topics (ZimoLiao/scholaraio, 577 stars), Topic Modeling (brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills, 4.5k stars), Bestblogs Topic (ginobefun/BestBlogs, 4k stars) and Zsxq Topic (itwanger/toBeBetterJavaer, 18k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Usenixsec Topic Selection?

brycewang-stanford (a GitHub user) maintains it in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills, which has 1,228 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.