Set up and run molecular dynamics simulations of molecules in explicit solvent boxes using Packmol for box construction and MLIPs for dynamics.

MITAuto-check passedResearch & Science

Install Chem Solution Md

skills CLI
$ npx skills add learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills --skill chem-solution-md -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills chem-solution-md --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/learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/chem-solution-md .claude/skills/chem-solution-md && 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
chem-solution-md
GitHub stars
175
Token cost
~1.9k tokens
SKILL.md length
615 words
Files
14 (incl. scripts)
Skills in repo
129
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Set up and run molecular dynamics simulations of molecules in explicit solvent boxes using Packmol for box construction and MLIPs for dynamics.

  • Works in 5 steps: Prerequisites → MLIP Selection → Workflow → …
  • Tasks that involve Physical and earth sciences
  • SKILL.md covers Goal, 1. Prerequisites, 2. MLIP Selection and 3. Workflow, plus 3 more sections
  • Runs Python scripts from its folder

What it does

Chem Solution Md is an agent skill from learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills. Set up and run molecular dynamics simulations of molecules in explicit solvent boxes using Packmol for box construction and MLIPs for dynamics.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.9k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 18 other files, including scripts (for example `examples/Li_EC_MACE-MH-1/README.md`, `examples/Li_EC_MACE-MH-1/box_metadata.json` and `examples/Li_EC_MACE-MH-1/solution_analysis.json`).

It sits in Research & Science, covering Physical and earth sciences and Drug discovery and cheminformatics. It works with Model Context Protocol. The repository describes itself as: Integrating AtomisticSkills into Agentic IDEs (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Google Antigravity, Hermes Agent, etc). The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Physical and earth sciences
  • Tasks that involve Drug discovery and cheminformatics

Example prompts

  • “/chem-solution-md”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

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

  1. Prerequisites
  2. MLIP Selection
  3. Workflow
  4. Examples
  5. Constraints

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 7f2d86d. 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 2 files in scripts/ (Python), which the agent can run.

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

  • Network

    Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):

    • doi.org
    • pymatgen.org
    • github.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

Chem Solution Md loads about 1.9k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 40 tokens; SKILL.md has 615 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~40
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.9k

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 learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills at commit 7f2d86d, republished under its MIT licence (© learningmatter-mit). 615 words, ~1,899 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/chem-solution-md/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 13 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
chem-solution-md
description
Set up and run molecular dynamics simulations of molecules in explicit solvent boxes using Packmol for box construction and MLIPs for dynamics.
metadata.category
chemistry
metadata.venv
cpu, mlip

Solution-Phase Molecular Dynamics

<!-- mcp-tools-note -->

[!NOTE] Steps written server.tool are MCP tool calls: mace.load_model is the load_model tool of the mace server (mcp__mace__load_model, or mcp__plugin_atomistic-skills_mace__load_model when installed as a plugin). Without a connected server, run the same tools from the shell. Tools named in one command share a process, so a model loaded by load_model stays loaded:

bash
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../venv/run mlip python -m src.mcp_server.cli mace load_model key=value run_md key=value

Goal

Set up and run molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of molecules in explicit solvent. This skill covers three stages: (1) building a solvation box with Packmol, (2) running NPT/NVT MD using MLIPs, and (3) analyzing the trajectory for radial distribution functions (RDFs), coordination numbers, density convergence, and mean-square displacement (MSD).

[!IMPORTANT] This skill bridges gas-phase chem-* skills and condensed-phase mat-* skills by providing workflows for solvation dynamics, liquid structure characterization, and dissolution studies.

1. Prerequisites

  • Packmol binary must be installed and on PATH for the cpu environment.
  • RDKit must be available in the cpu environment (for SMILES → 3D geometry).
  • An MLIP backend must be available via MCP tools (MACE, MatGL, or FairChem).

2. MLIP Selection

Refer to the foundation-potentials skill for model selection.

[!NOTE]

  • Organic solvents: Use MACE-MH-1 with omol head, or UMA with omol task.
  • Aqueous inorganic systems: Use MACE-MH-1 with omat_pbe head, or MatGL/CHGNet.
  • Mixed organic-inorganic: Use UMA which handles both.

3. Workflow

Step 1: Build Solvation Box

Use the box-building script to create a solvated system with Packmol:

bash
# Pure solvent box (64 water molecules)
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../venv/run cpu python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/build_solvation_box.py \
    --solvent water \
    --num_solvent 64 \
    --output_dir research/my_folder/solvation_box

# Solute in solvent (NaCl in 64 water molecules)
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../venv/run cpu python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/build_solvation_box.py \
    --solute_smiles "[Na+].[Cl-]" \
    --solvent water \
    --num_solvent 64 \
    --output_dir research/my_folder/solvation_box

Key Parameters:

ArgumentDescription
--solventPre-defined solvent name (see available solvents below)
--solvent_smilesSMILES string for custom solvent
--solvent_filePath to solvent structure file
--solute_smilesSMILES string for solute (optional)
--solute_filePath to solute structure file (optional)
--num_solventNumber of solvent molecules (default: 64)
--box_sizeCubic box side in Å (auto-calculated from density if omitted)
--toleranceMinimum inter-molecular distance in Å (default: 2.0)
--output_dirOutput directory

Available pre-defined solvents: water, methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, dmso, dmf, thf, toluene, acetone, dichloromethane, chloroform, hexane

Output files:

  • solvated_box.cif — Periodic structure for MD
  • solvated_box.xyz — Non-periodic XYZ for visualization
  • box_metadata.json — Box size, atom counts, solute indices
Step 2: Run MD with MLIP

Use MCP run_md tools for NPT equilibration followed by NVT production.

NPT Equilibration (stabilize density):

bash
mace.load_model(
    model_name="MACE-MH-1",
    task_name="omol"
)
mace.run_md(
    structure_data="research/my_folder/solvation_box/solvated_box.cif",
    temperature=300,
    ensemble="npt",
    pressure=1.01325,        # 1 atm in bar
    steps=5000,              # 2.5 ps at 0.5 fs timestep
    timestep=0.5,            # 0.5 fs for systems with water (fast O-H vibrations)
    log_interval=10,
    monitor=True,
    monitor_type=["explosion", "volume"],
    output_dir="research/my_folder/npt_equilibration"
)

NVT Production (use the equilibrated structure):

bash
mace.run_md(
    structure_data="research/my_folder/npt_equilibration/final_structure.cif",
    temperature=300,
    ensemble="nvt",
    steps=20000,             # 10 ps at 0.5 fs timestep
    timestep=0.5,
    log_interval=10,
    monitor=True,
    monitor_type="explosion",
    output_dir="research/my_folder/nvt_production"
)
Show full SKILL.md (251 more words)Show less
Step 3: Analyze Trajectory

Run the analysis script on the production trajectory:

bash
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../venv/run cpu python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/analyze_solution_md.py \
    --trajectory research/my_folder/nvt_production/trajectory.traj \
    --rdf_pairs "Na-O,Cl-O,O-O" \
    --msd_elements "Na,Cl" \
    --log_interval_fs 5.0 \
    --output_dir research/my_folder/analysis

Key Parameters:

ArgumentDescription
--trajectoryPath to ASE .traj trajectory file
--rdf_pairsComma-separated element pairs for RDF, e.g. "Na-O,Cl-O"
--rmaxMaximum RDF distance in Å (default: 8.0)
--start_frameFirst frame to include in analysis (default: 0)
--strideFrame stride (default: 1)
--log_interval_fsTime between frames in fs (default: 10.0)
--msd_elementsComma-separated elements for MSD (optional)

Output files:

  • solution_analysis.json — Full results (RDF data, coordination numbers, density, MSD)
  • rdf_plots.png — RDF plots for each element pair
  • density_convergence.png — Density vs. time
  • msd_plot.png — MSD for specified elements (if requested)

4. Examples

Pure Water Box
bash
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../venv/run cpu python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/build_solvation_box.py \
    --solvent water --num_solvent 64 \
    --output_dir ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/examples/pure_water

Expected: 192 atoms (64 × 3), box ~12.4 Å

NaCl in Water
bash
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../venv/run cpu python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/build_solvation_box.py \
    --solute_smiles "[Na+].[Cl-]" --solvent water --num_solvent 64 \
    --output_dir ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/examples/NaCl_in_water

After MD + analysis, expected RDF peak positions:

  • Na–O first peak: ~2.4 Å
  • Cl–O first peak: ~3.2 Å
  • Na coordination number: ~5–6

5. Constraints

  • Timestep: Use 0.5 fs for water and systems with O–H/N–H bonds (fast vibrations). Can use 1.0 fs for heavier solvents without H.
  • Equilibration: NPT equilibration is critical. Verify density stabilization before production run.
  • System size: A minimum of 64 solvent molecules is recommended for reliable RDFs. Larger boxes (128–256) reduce finite-size effects.
  • PBC interactions: Ensure the box is large enough that periodic images do not interact (box side > 2 × rmax for RDF).
  • Environments:
    • cpu for box building and analysis scripts
    • MCP tools for MD (any MLIP backend)

References

  • Martínez et al., "PACKMOL: A package for building initial configurations for molecular dynamics simulations", J. Comput. Chem., 2009. DOI
  • pymatgen PackmolBoxGen: pymatgen.io.packmol

Author: Bowen Deng Contact: GitHub @learningmatter-mit

© learningmatter-mit, 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 13 other files (scripts) in skills/chem-solution-md of learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills.

  • SKILL.md
  • examples/Li_EC_MACE-MH-1/README.md
  • examples/Li_EC_MACE-MH-1/box_metadata.json
  • examples/Li_EC_MACE-MH-1/density_convergence.png
  • examples/Li_EC_MACE-MH-1/rdf_plots.png
  • examples/Li_EC_MACE-MH-1/solution_analysis.json
  • examples/pure_water_MACE-MH-1/README.md
  • examples/pure_water_MACE-MH-1/box_metadata.json
  • examples/pure_water_MACE-MH-1/density_convergence.png
  • examples/pure_water_MACE-MH-1/rdf_plots.png
  • examples/pure_water_MACE-MH-1/solution_analysis.json
  • resources/common_solvents.yaml
  • scripts/analyze_solution_md.py
  • scripts/build_solvation_box.py

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 7f2d86d

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Questions about Chem Solution Md

What does Chem Solution Md do?

Set up and run molecular dynamics simulations of molecules in explicit solvent boxes using Packmol for box construction and MLIPs for dynamics. Chem Solution Md is an agent skill from learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills. Set up and run molecular dynamics simulations of molecules in explicit solvent boxes using Packmol for box construction and MLIPs for dynamics.

When should I use Chem Solution Md?

Chem Solution Md fits situations like: tasks that involve Physical and earth sciences; tasks that involve Drug discovery and cheminformatics.

How do I install Chem Solution Md in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills --skill chem-solution-md -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/chem-solution-md in learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills) into .claude/skills/chem-solution-md in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Chem Solution Md in Codex?

Run `npx skills add learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills --skill chem-solution-md -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/chem-solution-md in learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills) into .agents/skills/chem-solution-md in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Chem Solution Md 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 learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills --skill chem-solution-md -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/chem-solution-md, .gemini/skills/chem-solution-md, .github/skills/chem-solution-md and .opencode/skills/chem-solution-md in your project.

What does Chem Solution Md need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Chem Solution Md needs Python for the scripts in its folder. Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Chem Solution Md access the network?

SKILL.md names 3 domains. As links in the text: doi.org, pymatgen.org and github.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Chem Solution Md 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 Chem Solution Md use?

Chem Solution Md 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 Chem Solution Md use?

About 1.9k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.6k 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 Chem Solution Md?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Chem Solution Md: Chemgraph (argonne-lcf/ChemGraph, 162 stars), Hcls Build Agent (aws-samples/amazon-bedrock-agents-healthcare-lifesciences, 274 stars), Tooluniverse (ynulihao/AgentSkillOS, 617 stars) and Chemgraph (argonne-lcf/ChemGraph, 162 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Chem Solution Md?

learningmatter-mit (a GitHub organization) maintains it in learningmatter-mit/AtomisticSkills, which has 175 GitHub stars. The repository holds 129 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.

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