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Agent skill

Signal From Expert

by davidondrej in davidondrej/skills

Compare the user's notes with an expert's work on a topic. An agent skill from davidondrej/skills.

MITAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Signal From Expert

skills CLI
$ npx skills add davidondrej/skills --skill signal-from-expert -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install davidondrej/skills signal-from-expert --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/davidondrej/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/thinking-and-docs/signal-from-expert .claude/skills/signal-from-expert && 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
signal-from-expert
GitHub stars
4.1k
Token cost
~787 tokens
SKILL.md length
333 words
Files
4 (incl. scripts, assets)
Skills in repo
51
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Compare the user's notes with an expert's work on a topic. An agent skill from davidondrej/skills.

  • Works in 6 steps: Read the corpus → Choose sources → Scrape and save → …
  • Development work in your project
  • SKILL.md covers Inputs, Workflow and Failures
  • Runs Python scripts from its folder; calls python3; reaches paulgraham.com

What it does

Signal From Expert is an agent skill from davidondrej/skills. Compare the user's notes with an expert's work on a topic. Return relevant exact quotes, source locations, and at least one gap in the user's thinking. Use only when /signal-from-expert is explicitly invoked.

Its SKILL.md is about 790 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 6 other files, including scripts and assets (for example `agents/openai.yaml`, `assets/essays-AGENTS.md` and `scripts/fetch-sources.py`).

It sits in Development. The repository describes itself as: access to david ondrej's personal agent skills. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Development work in your project

Example prompts

  • “s notes with an expert”
  • “/signal-from-expert”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

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

  1. Read the corpus
  2. Choose sources
  3. Scrape and save
  4. Read all sources
  5. Write the analysis
  6. Save and show

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 387c2b8. 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 1 file in scripts/ (Python), which the agent can run.

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • python3

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

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • paulgraham.com

    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

Signal From Expert loads about 787 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 57 tokens; SKILL.md has 333 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~57
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~787

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 davidondrej/skills at commit 387c2b8, republished under its MIT licence (© davidondrej). 333 words, ~787 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/signal-from-expert/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 3 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
signal-from-expert
description
Compare the user's notes with an expert's work on a topic. Return relevant exact quotes, source locations, and at least one gap in the user's thinking. Use only when /signal-from-expert is explicitly invoked.
disable-model-invocation
true
triggers
user, model

Signal from Expert

Inputs

Require a corpus (files or folders of the user's thinking), expert, and topic. URLs are optional. Ask for missing inputs in one plain-text question.

Workflow

1. Read the corpus

Read every named file in full with cat -n. Do not read other files for context.

2. Choose sources

Check <repo>/essays/<expert-slug>/ for saved pieces. Load the deepapi skill; if the key is unset, load the DeepAPI credential using your configured method. Make 5+ separate POST /v1/search/web calls, varying <expert> <topic> queries across essays, talks, interviews, and specific sub-questions. Pick the 5–8 most relevant pieces and merge with the user's URLs and saved sources.

Show titles and URLs, one per line, and ask "go?". Wait for approval before scraping.

3. Scrape and save

From the skill directory, fetch all URLs in one batch:

bash
python3 scripts/fetch-sources.py --expert "Paul Graham" --out <repo>/essays/paul-graham \
  https://paulgraham.com/startupideas.html https://paulgraham.com/schlep.html

The helper saves each page as NN-slug.md with a header and verbatim text. Check every head/tail preview for the real first and last lines. Remove leftover layout junk without changing the prose.

If <repo>/essays/AGENTS.md is missing, copy assets/essays-AGENTS.md there.

4. Read all sources

Read every saved source in full with cat -n before writing; use its line numbers for citations.

5. Write the analysis

Use this format with 4 numbered items by default. Repeat the item block as needed, then end with the concluding paragraph:

markdown
# DD-MM-YYYY — Signal from <Expert>

Corpus: <files>. Sources: `essays/<expert-slug>/` (N pieces). Agent analysis, not the user's words.

## 1. <Short claim; prefix with "Gap:" for a gap>

<Quote the user's relevant words and explain the connection in 1–2 lines.>

> "<Exact expert quote, 1–4 sentences>"

Full section: `essays/<expert-slug>/NN-slug.md:START-END`

**Co-founder read:** <One paragraph connecting the findings and what to do next.>
  • Include at least one Gap: item showing where the expert's work challenges the user's thinking or reveals something missing, backed by a quote.
  • Quote both people exactly; never paraphrase the user's reasoning. Keep expert quotes short and point to full passages in saved files.
  • One claim per item. Plain English. No hedging. Exclude private personal matters unrelated to the topic.
6. Save and show

Save as <corpus folder>/signal-<expert-slug>.md (a single file's parent folder). Show the full analysis in chat. Do not commit.

Failures

  • Truncated source: rerun with a higher --max-chars.
  • Poor search results: ask for URLs instead of guessing.
  • Fewer than 3 sources: say so and ask; do not pad with weak pieces.

© davidondrej, 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, assets) in skills/thinking-and-docs/signal-from-expert of davidondrej/skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • agents/openai.yaml
  • assets/essays-AGENTS.md
  • scripts/fetch-sources.py

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 387c2b8

Compare with similar skills

Signal From Expert 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.

Signal From Expert compared with similar skills
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Signal From Expert this skilldavidondrej/skills4.1k—~787Automated safety check: PassMIT
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Typescript Advanced Typesrolling-scopes/rsschool-app10k25 repos~4.2kAutomated safety check: PassMPL-2.0
PR Babysitteropeninterpreter/openinterpreter69k3 repos~4.2kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Code Review ChecklistshareAI-lab/learn-claude-code78k4 repos~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Signal From Expert

What does Signal From Expert do?

Compare the user's notes with an expert's work on a topic. An agent skill from davidondrej/skills. Signal From Expert is an agent skill from davidondrej/skills. Compare the user's notes with an expert's work on a topic.

When should I use Signal From Expert?

Signal From Expert fits situations like: development work in your project.

How do I install Signal From Expert in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add davidondrej/skills --skill signal-from-expert -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/thinking-and-docs/signal-from-expert in davidondrej/skills) into .claude/skills/signal-from-expert in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Signal From Expert in Codex?

Run `npx skills add davidondrej/skills --skill signal-from-expert -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/thinking-and-docs/signal-from-expert in davidondrej/skills) into .agents/skills/signal-from-expert in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Signal From Expert 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 davidondrej/skills --skill signal-from-expert -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/signal-from-expert, .gemini/skills/signal-from-expert, .github/skills/signal-from-expert and .opencode/skills/signal-from-expert in your project.

What does Signal From Expert need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Signal From Expert needs Python for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (python3). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Signal From Expert access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. In commands or code: paulgraham.com; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Signal From Expert 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 Signal From Expert use?

Signal From Expert 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 Signal From Expert use?

About 787 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.1k 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 Signal From Expert?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Signal From Expert: Vercel Composition Patterns (supabase/supabase, 111k stars), Finishing a Development Branch (obra/superpowers, 297k stars), Typescript Advanced Types (rolling-scopes/rsschool-app, 10k stars) and PR Babysitter (openinterpreter/openinterpreter, 69k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Signal From Expert?

davidondrej (a GitHub user) maintains it in davidondrej/skills, which has 4,112 GitHub stars. The repository holds 51 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.

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