Agent skill

Fallback Python Shell

Use runshell with Python heredoc when executecodesandbox or readfile fail

Install Fallback Python Shell

skills CLI

$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill fallback-python-shell -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace fallback-python-shell --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/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell .claude/skills/fallback-python-shell && 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 "fallback-python-shell" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell into .claude/skills/fallback-python-shell/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "fallback-python-shell", 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/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell

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 HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill fallback-python-shell -a codex

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

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace fallback-python-shell --agent codex

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

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell .agents/skills/fallback-python-shell && 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 "fallback-python-shell" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell into .agents/skills/fallback-python-shell/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "fallback-python-shell", 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 HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill fallback-python-shell -a cursor

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

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace fallback-python-shell --agent cursor

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

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell .cursor/skills/fallback-python-shell && 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 "fallback-python-shell" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell into .cursor/skills/fallback-python-shell/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "fallback-python-shell", 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/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git --path benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell

--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 HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill fallback-python-shell -a gemini-cli

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

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace fallback-python-shell --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/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell .gemini/skills/fallback-python-shell && 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 "fallback-python-shell" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell into .gemini/skills/fallback-python-shell/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "fallback-python-shell", 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 HKUDS/OpenSpace fallback-python-shell

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 HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill fallback-python-shell -a github-copilot

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

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell .github/skills/fallback-python-shell && 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 "fallback-python-shell" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell into .github/skills/fallback-python-shell/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "fallback-python-shell", 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 HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill fallback-python-shell -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 HKUDS/OpenSpace fallback-python-shell --agent opencode

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

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell .opencode/skills/fallback-python-shell && 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 "fallback-python-shell" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell into .opencode/skills/fallback-python-shell/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "fallback-python-shell", 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: fallback-python-shell
GitHub stars: 7.7k
Token cost: ~1k tokens
SKILL.md length: 244 words
Files: 2
Skills in repo: 199
Repo updated: Aug 12, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Use runshell with Python heredoc when executecodesandbox or readfile fail

Works in 4 steps: Use python3 << 'EOF' (quoted EOF… → Indent Python code starting from column… → End with EOF on its own line with no… → …
Documents & Office work in your project
SKILL.md covers When to Use, Core Technique, Common Use Cases and Best Practices, plus 1 more section
Calls python3

What it does

Fallback Python Shell is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace. Use runshell with Python heredoc when executecodesandbox or readfile fail

Its SKILL.md is about 1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 1 other file.

It sits in Documents & Office. It works with Python. The repository describes itself as: "OpenSpace: The Skill Management Layer for AI Agents" -- https://open-space.cloud/. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

Documents & Office work in your project

Example prompts

“/fallback-python-shell”

Requirements

Python 3

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

Use python3 << 'EOF' (quoted EOF prevents variable expansion in the heredoc)
Indent Python code starting from column 0 (no extra indentation from shell)
End with EOF on its own line with no leading/trailing whitespace
Print results to stdout to capture them in the tool response

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 3827781. 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
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- python3
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

Fallback Python Shell loads about 1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 25 tokens; SKILL.md has 244 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~25
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~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 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 HKUDS/OpenSpace at commit 3827781, republished under its MIT licence (© HKUDS). 244 words, ~1,037 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/fallback-python-shell/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.

name: fallback-python-shell
description: Use run_shell with Python heredoc when execute_code_sandbox or read_file fail

Shell-Based Python Fallback

When to Use

Use this fallback pattern when:

execute_code_sandbox returns 'unknown error'
read_file returns 'unknown error' for supported formats
You need to process documents, analyze data, or read files programmatically

Core Technique

Run Python code through run_shell using a heredoc. This bypasses sandbox execution issues while maintaining Python's full capabilities for file I/O and data processing.

Basic Pattern

bash

python3 << 'EOF'
# Your Python code here
import json
import os

# Example: Read and process a file
with open('/path/to/file.txt', 'r') as f:
    content = f.read()
    print(content)
EOF

Key Syntax Points

Use python3 << 'EOF' (quoted EOF prevents variable expansion in the heredoc)
Indent Python code starting from column 0 (no extra indentation from shell)
End with EOF on its own line with no leading/trailing whitespace
Print results to stdout to capture them in the tool response

Common Use Cases

Reading Files (Fallback for read_file)

bash

python3 << 'EOF'
import json

# Read text file
with open('document.txt', 'r') as f:
    content = f.read()
    print(content)

# Read JSON file
with open('data.json', 'r') as f:
    data = json.load(f)
    print(json.dumps(data, indent=2))
EOF

Processing Excel/CSV Files

bash

python3 << 'EOF'
import pandas as pd

# Read Excel file
df = pd.read_excel('data.xlsx', sheet_name='Sheet1')
print(df.to_string())
print(f"Shape: {df.shape}")

# Read CSV
df = pd.read_csv('data.csv')
print(df.head(10))
EOF

Reading PDF Files

bash

python3 << 'EOF'
import fitz  # PyMuPDF

doc = fitz.open('document.pdf')
for page_num in range(len(doc)):
    page = doc[page_num]
    text = page.get_text()
    print(f"=== Page {page_num + 1} ===")
    print(text)
doc.close()
EOF

Reading Word Documents

bash

python3 << 'EOF'
from docx import Document

doc = Document('document.docx')
for para in doc.paragraphs:
    print(para.text)
EOF

Data Analysis

bash

python3 << 'EOF'
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

df = pd.read_csv('data.csv')

# Basic statistics
print(f"Shape: {df.shape}")
print(f"Columns: {list(df.columns)}")
print(df.describe())

# Filter and aggregate
result = df.groupby('category').agg({'value': 'sum'})
print(result)
EOF

Best Practices

Error Handling: Wrap file operations in try/except blocks

bash

python3 << 'EOF'
try:
    with open('file.txt', 'r') as f:
        content = f.read()
        print(content)
except FileNotFoundError:
    print("ERROR: File not found")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"ERROR: {e}")
EOF

Large Output: For large files, process in chunks or print summaries

bash

python3 << 'EOF'
with open('large_file.csv', 'r') as f:
    for i, line in enumerate(f):
        if i < 10:
            print(line.strip())
        else:
            print("... truncated ...")
            break
EOF

Working Directory: Remember run_shell executes in the current working directory. Use absolute paths or ensure you're in the right directory.

Multiple Steps: Chain related operations in a single heredoc rather than multiple calls

bash

python3 << 'EOF'
# Do all related work in one call
with open('input.json') as f:
    data = json.load(f)

processed = [transform(x) for x in data]

with open('output.json', 'w') as f:
    json.dump(processed, f)

print("Processing complete")
EOF

Troubleshooting

Module not found: Some packages may not be available. Stick to standard library or commonly pre-installed packages (pandas, numpy are often available).
Permission errors: Ensure files aren't in protected directories.
Character encoding: Specify encoding explicitly: open('file.txt', 'r', encoding='utf-8')
Very long code: Split into multiple heredocs or write to a temporary .py file first.

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file in benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell of HKUDS/OpenSpace.

SKILL.md
.skill_id

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3827781

Compare with similar skills

Fallback Python Shell 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.

Fallback Python Shell compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Fallback Python Shell this skillHKUDS/OpenSpace	7.7k	—	~1k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	1 mo ago
Word Document Reader and WriterHKUDS/DeepTutor	41k	—	~2.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	3 days ago
Instrument Data To Allotropeaws-samples/amazon-bedrock-agents-healthcare-lifesciences	274	2 repos	~2.7k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	5 days ago
Word DOCX ToolkitTokenRhythm/opensquilla	7.1k	—	~1.7k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	2 days ago
Markdown to HTML ReportMegaSuperKitty/WeClaw	370	—	~456	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	5 mo ago
Mathmodel SkillhandsomeZR-netizen/mathmodel-skill	292	—	~2.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	11 days ago

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Questions about Fallback Python Shell

What does Fallback Python Shell do?

Use runshell with Python heredoc when executecodesandbox or readfile fail. Fallback Python Shell is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace.

When should I use Fallback Python Shell?

Fallback Python Shell fits situations like: documents & Office work in your project.

How do I install Fallback Python Shell in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill fallback-python-shell -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell in HKUDS/OpenSpace) into .claude/skills/fallback-python-shell in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Fallback Python Shell in Codex?

Run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill fallback-python-shell -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (benchmarks/gdpval/skills/fallback-python-shell in HKUDS/OpenSpace) into .agents/skills/fallback-python-shell in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Fallback Python Shell 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 HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill fallback-python-shell -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/fallback-python-shell, .gemini/skills/fallback-python-shell, .github/skills/fallback-python-shell and .opencode/skills/fallback-python-shell in your project.

What does Fallback Python Shell need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Fallback Python Shell needs the command-line tools its instructions call (python3). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Fallback Python Shell 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 Fallback Python Shell 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 Fallback Python Shell use?

Fallback Python Shell 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 Fallback Python Shell use?

About 1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.1k 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 Fallback Python Shell?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Fallback Python Shell: Word Document Reader and Writer (HKUDS/DeepTutor, 41k stars), Instrument Data To Allotrope (aws-samples/amazon-bedrock-agents-healthcare-lifesciences, 274 stars), Word DOCX Toolkit (TokenRhythm/opensquilla, 7.1k stars) and Markdown to HTML Report (MegaSuperKitty/WeClaw, 370 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Fallback Python Shell?

HKUDS (a GitHub organization) maintains it in HKUDS/OpenSpace, which has 7,743 GitHub stars. The repository holds 199 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 12, 2026.

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

Install Fallback Python Shell

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

Shell-Based Python Fallback

When to Use

Core Technique

Basic Pattern

Key Syntax Points

Common Use Cases

Reading Files (Fallback for read_file)

Processing Excel/CSV Files

Reading PDF Files

Reading Word Documents

Data Analysis

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from HKUDS/OpenSpace

Related

Questions about Fallback Python Shell