Idea Creator
AI4Scientist/nano-scientist
Generate and rank research ideas given a broad direction. An agent skill from AI4Scientist/nano-scientist.
Generate and rank research ideas given a broad direction. An agent skill from GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.
Install Generate Idea
The automated check flagged lines worth reading first. See the safety section below.
$ npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill generate-idea -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent generate-idea --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/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/generate-idea .claude/skills/generate-idea && 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 "generate-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/generate-idea into .claude/skills/generate-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "generate-idea", 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/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/generate-ideaType 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 GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill generate-idea -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent generate-idea --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ 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/generate-idea .agents/skills/generate-idea && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "generate-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/generate-idea into .agents/skills/generate-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "generate-idea", 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 GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill generate-idea -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent generate-idea --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ 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/generate-idea .cursor/skills/generate-idea && 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 "generate-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/generate-idea into .cursor/skills/generate-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "generate-idea", 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/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.git --path skills/generate-idea--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 GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill generate-idea -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent generate-idea --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ 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/generate-idea .gemini/skills/generate-idea && 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 "generate-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/generate-idea into .gemini/skills/generate-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "generate-idea", 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 GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent generate-ideaInstalls 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 GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill generate-idea -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ 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/generate-idea .github/skills/generate-idea && 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 "generate-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/generate-idea into .github/skills/generate-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "generate-idea", 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 GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill generate-idea -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent generate-idea --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ 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/generate-idea .opencode/skills/generate-idea && 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 "generate-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent/tree/main/skills/generate-idea into .opencode/skills/generate-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "generate-idea", 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
generate-idea- GitHub stars
- 106
- Token cost
- ~3.2k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 1,188 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 19
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- None found
At a glance
Generate and rank research ideas given a broad direction. An agent skill from GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.
- Works in 6 steps: Get Literature Reivew Results → Idea Generation (brainstorm with… → First-Pass Filtering → …
- User input brainstorm ideas
- SKILL.md covers Overview, Constants, Workflow and Key Rules, plus 1 more section
- Calls python
What it does
Generate Idea is an agent skill from GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent. Generate and rank research ideas given a broad direction. Use when user input "brainstorm ideas", "generate research ideas", "what can we work on", or wants to explore a research area for publishable directions.
Its SKILL.md is about 3.2k 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 Agent Workflows, covering Brainstorming and Hypothesis generation. It works with OpenAI. 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 input brainstorm ideas
- Generate research ideas
- What can we work on
- Wants to explore a research area for publishable directions
Example prompts
- “brainstorm ideas”
- “generate research ideas”
- “what can we work on”
- “/generate-idea”
Requirements
- Python 3
- Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Bash(*), Read, Write, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
- Get Literature Reivew Results
- Idea Generation (brainstorm with external LLM)
- First-Pass Filtering
- Deep Validation (for top ideas)
- Parallel Pilot Experiments (for top 2-3 ideas)
- Output — Ranked Idea Report
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(*)ReadWriteGrepGlobWebSearchWebFetchAgent
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
python
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
Generate Idea loads about 3.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 56 tokens; SKILL.md has 1,188 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: 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:241
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, 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 1,188 words (~3,155 tokens).
“Generate publishable research ideas for: $ARGUMENTS”
- name
- generate-idea
- allowed-tools
- Bash(*), Read, Write, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent
- argument-hint
- research-direction
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills/generate-idea of GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 5f7a246
Compare with similar skills
Generate Idea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generate Idea this skillGRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent | 106 | — | ~3.2k | Automated safety check: Warn | None | |
| Idea CreatorAI4Scientist/nano-scientist | 128 | 5 repos | ~3.9k | Automated safety check: Warn | None | |
| LLM Councilgcpdev/llm-council-skill | 461 | 1 repos | ~1k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Chatgpt App Builderalpic-ai/skybridge | 2.1k | — | ~1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| MCP App Builderalpic-ai/skybridge | 2.1k | — | ~906 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Skybridgealpic-ai/skybridge | 2.1k | — | ~923 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Guide developers through creating and updating ChatGPT plugins.
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Skybridge
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Use only the current SciAtlas multi-step idea-generation workflow (sciatlasideagen) to take a novice user from zero setup to final literature-grounded research idea seeds, including setup…
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Related
Works with
Categories
Questions about Generate Idea
What does Generate Idea do?
Generate and rank research ideas given a broad direction. An agent skill from GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent. Generate Idea is an agent skill from GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent. Generate and rank research ideas given a broad direction.
When should I use Generate Idea?
Generate Idea fits situations like: user input brainstorm ideas; generate research ideas; what can we work on; wants to explore a research area for publishable directions.
How do I install Generate Idea in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill generate-idea -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/generate-idea in GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent) into .claude/skills/generate-idea in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Generate Idea in Codex?
Run `npx skills add GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent --skill generate-idea -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/generate-idea in GRIND-Lab-Core/night_owl_research_agent) into .agents/skills/generate-idea in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Generate Idea 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 generate-idea -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/generate-idea, .gemini/skills/generate-idea, .github/skills/generate-idea and .opencode/skills/generate-idea in your project.
What does Generate Idea need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Generate Idea needs the command-line tools its instructions call (python). Our summary lists: Python 3. Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Bash(*), Read, Write, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent.
Does Generate Idea 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 Generate Idea 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 Generate Idea use?
No licence was found for Generate Idea or its repository. Without one, default copyright applies: ask the author before reusing or redistributing it.
How many tokens does Generate Idea use?
About 3.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 13k 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 Generate Idea?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Generate Idea: Idea Creator (AI4Scientist/nano-scientist, 128 stars), LLM Council (gcpdev/llm-council-skill, 461 stars), Chatgpt App Builder (alpic-ai/skybridge, 2.1k stars) and MCP App Builder (alpic-ai/skybridge, 2.1k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Generate Idea?
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.