Agent skill

Data Download

by GRIND-Lab-Core in GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent

Discover, evaluate, and download publicly available datasets from the internet.

No licenceAuto-check: warningsResearch & Science

Install Data Download

The automated check flagged lines worth reading first. See the safety section below.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill data-download -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent data-download --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/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/data-download .claude/skills/data-download && 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/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/data-download into .claude/skills/data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "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

$skill-installer install https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/data-download

Type 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill data-download -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent data-download --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/data-download .agents/skills/data-download && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/data-download into .agents/skills/data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill data-download -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent data-download --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/data-download .cursor/skills/data-download && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/data-download into .cursor/skills/data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "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

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.git --path skills/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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill data-download -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent data-download --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/data-download .gemini/skills/data-download && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/data-download into .gemini/skills/data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "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.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent data-download

Installs 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).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill data-download -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/data-download .github/skills/data-download && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/data-download into .github/skills/data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill data-download -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent data-download --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/data-download .opencode/skills/data-download && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "data-download" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/data-download into .opencode/skills/data-download/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "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: data-download
GitHub stars: 106
Token cost: ~8.1k tokens
SKILL.md length: 2,709 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 19
Repo updated: May 6, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: None found

At a glance

Discover, evaluate, and download publicly available datasets from the internet.

Works in 7 steps: Understand the Data Need → Discover Data Sources → Evaluate and Select Sources → …
User says download data
SKILL.md covers Overview, Constants, Phase 0: Understand the Data… and Phase 1: Discover Data Sources, plus 6 more sections
Calls curl and wget; reaches api.census.gov and api.open-meteo.com; needs API_KEY

What it does

Data Download is an agent skill from GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent. Discover, evaluate, and download publicly available datasets from the internet. Infers data needs from a research question or task, selects authoritative sources, downloads reproducibly, validates file integrity, and documents provenance. Pauses for user input when authentication, API keys, or major tradeoffs require a decision. Use when user says "download data", "get data", "find a dataset", "I need boundary files", "download census data", or needs any external dataset for analysis.

Its SKILL.md is about 8.1k 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 Research & Science, covering Hypothesis generation. The repository describes itself as: Fully automatic AI research agent for Geoscientists, Remote Sensing researchers, and GIScientists. Features harness engineering, GeoBenchmark (OLS/GWR/MGWR), journal templates…

When your agent uses it

User says download data
I need boundary files
Download census data
Needs any external dataset for analysis

Example prompts

“download data”
“get data”
“find a dataset”
“/data-download”

Requirements

Python 3
A credential in API_KEY
Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Bash(*), Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent

Workflow steps

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

Understand the Data Need
Discover Data Sources
Evaluate and Select Sources
Download
5: Human Checkpoint — Data Synthesis
Validate Downloads
Document Provenance

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 5f7a246. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:
- Bash(*)
- Read
- Write
- Edit
- Grep
- Glob
- WebSearch
- WebFetch
- Agent
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- curl
- wget
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:
- api.census.gov
- api.open-meteo.com
- raw.githubusercontent.com
- planetarycomputer.microsoft.com
- overpass-api.de
- www2.census.gov
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names these keys or tokens, usually read from environment variables:
- API_KEY
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Data Download loads about 8.1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 126 tokens; SKILL.md has 2,709 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~126
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~8.1k

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:736

t << 'EOF' > file`) to write in chunks. Do NOT ask the user for permission — just do it silently.

NotePre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: Bash)SKILL.md

allowed-tools: Bash(*), Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent

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 2,709 words (~8,100 tokens).

“Find and download data for: $ARGUMENTS”

— opening of SKILL.md by GRIND-Lab-Core

name: data-download
allowed-tools: Bash(*), Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent
argument-hint: data-need-or-research-question

Outline of SKILL.md

Data Download: Discover, Evaluate, and Acquire Research Data
Overview
Constants
Phase 0: Understand the Data Need
Step 0.1: Infer Data Requirements
Step 0.2: Categorize the Data Need
Phase 1: Discover Data Sources
Step 1.1: Source Search Strategy
Step 1.2: Source Catalog
Phase 2: Evaluate and Select Sources
Step 2.1: Evaluation Criteria
Step 2.2: Access Classification and Pause Logic
Step 2.3: Present Options When Tradeoffs Exist
Step 2.4: Size Check
Phase 3: Download
Step 3.1: Directory Setup
Step 3.2: Download Methods
Step 3.3: Rate Limiting and Courtesy
Phase 3.5: Human Checkpoint — Data Synthesis
Phase 4: Validate Downloads
Step 4.1: Basic File Checks
Step 4.2: Format-Specific Validation
Step 4.3: Content Sanity Checks
Phase 5: Document Provenance
Step 5.1: Update the Data Manifest
Step 5.2: Create/Update Manifest Header
Step 5.3: Per-Dataset Metadata (optional)
Source Reference: Common Data Sources by Category
Administrative Boundaries
Elevation / Terrain

Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/data-download of GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 5f7a246

Compare with similar skills

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.

Data Download compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Data Download this skillGRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent	106	—	~8.1k	Automated safety check: Warn	None	5 mo ago
Hypothesis Generationspacering-net/codeg	3.9k	14 repos	~3.6k	Automated safety check: Notes	MIT	today
Nature Paper CardYuan1z0825/nature-skills	47k	2 repos	~2.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	yesterday
Hypothesis GenerationK-Dense-AI/claude-scientific-writer	2.4k	2 repos	~3.9k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Good QuestionRimagination/good-question	305	1 repos	~4.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	16 days ago
High Stakes Analytics Decision Lablimingrui679-design/high-stakes-analytics-decision-lab	1k	—	~2.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	4 days ago

Similar skills

Hypothesis Generation
spacering-net/codeg
Structured hypothesis formulation from observations. An agent skill from spacering-net/codeg.
3.9k GitHub starsUsed in 14 repos~3.6k tokens
Research & ScienceAuto-check: notes
Nature Paper Card
Yuan1z0825/nature-skills
Builds a structured deep-reading card for one scientific paper, covering methods, how experiments support claims, limitations and research ideas, with a script to prepare the source.
47k GitHub starsUsed in 2 repos~2.1k tokens
Research & ScienceAuto-check passed
Hypothesis Generation
K-Dense-AI/claude-scientific-writer
Formulate evidence-bounded scientific questions, candidate hypotheses, rival explanations, causal or associational claims, discriminating predictions, measurements, and preregistration-ready…
2.4k GitHub starsUsed in 2 repos~3.9k tokens
Research & ScienceAuto-check passed
Good Question
Rimagination/good-question
A skill your agent uses when a researcher is choosing, framing, refining, or stress-testing a research question, hypothesis, thesis topic, project idea, grant direction, paper angle, or stalled…
305 GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~4.3k tokens
Research & ScienceAuto-check passed
High Stakes Analytics Decision Lab
limingrui679-design/high-stakes-analytics-decision-lab
Build or review source-backed descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analysis for consequential decisions.
1k GitHub stars~2.2k tokensUpdated 4 days ago
Research & ScienceAuto-check passed
Claim-Driven Experiment Planner
zjYao36/Auto-Research-Refine
Turns a refined research proposal into a claim-to-evidence-to-run-order roadmap instead of a sprawling benchmark wishlist.
128 GitHub starsUsed in 6 repos~2.3k tokens
Research & ScienceAuto-check: notes

Questions about Data Download

What does Data Download do?

Discover, evaluate, and download publicly available datasets from the internet. Data Download is an agent skill from GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent. Discover, evaluate, and download publicly available datasets from the internet.

When should I use Data Download?

Data Download fits situations like: user says download data; I need boundary files; download census data; needs any external dataset for analysis.

How do I install Data Download in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill data-download -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/data-download in GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent) into .claude/skills/data-download in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Data Download in Codex?

Run `npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill data-download -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/data-download in GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent) into .agents/skills/data-download in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use 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 GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill 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/data-download, .gemini/skills/data-download, .github/skills/data-download and .opencode/skills/data-download in your project.

What does Data Download need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Data Download needs the command-line tools its instructions call (curl and wget) and credentials named API_KEY. Our summary lists: Python 3; A credential in API_KEY. Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Bash(*), Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent.

Does Data Download access the network?

SKILL.md names 6 domains. In commands or code: api.census.gov, api.open-meteo.com, raw.githubusercontent.com, planetarycomputer.microsoft.com, overpass-api.de and www2.census.gov; the agent is likely to contact these when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Data Download 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 Data Download use?

No licence was found for Data Download or its repository. Without one, default copyright applies: ask the author before reusing or redistributing it.

How many tokens does Data Download use?

About 8.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 32k 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 Data Download?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Data Download: Hypothesis Generation (spacering-net/codeg, 3.9k stars), Nature Paper Card (Yuan1z0825/nature-skills, 47k stars), Hypothesis Generation (K-Dense-AI/claude-scientific-writer, 2.4k stars) and Good Question (Rimagination/good-question, 305 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Data Download?

GRIND-Lab-Core (a GitHub organization) maintains it in GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent, which has 106 GitHub stars. The repository holds 19 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on May 6, 2026.

Source: GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Data Download

Install Data Download

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

Hypothesis Generation

Nature Paper Card

Hypothesis Generation

Good Question

High Stakes Analytics Decision Lab

Claim-Driven Experiment Planner

More from GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent

Research Review

Deploy Experiment

Experiment Design

Experiment Design Pipeline

Generate Idea

Paper Writing Pipeline

Questions about Data Download

Install Data Download

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent

Related

Questions about Data Download