Agent skill

Paperlocus

by littleZ05 in littleZ05/PaperLocus

Reference-aware whole-paper reading and structured research-note generation.

MITAuto-check passedResearch & Science

Install Paperlocus

skills CLI
$ npx skills add littleZ05/PaperLocus --skill paperlocus -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install littleZ05/PaperLocus paperlocus --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/littleZ05/PaperLocus.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/paperlocus .claude/skills/paperlocus && 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
paperlocus
GitHub stars
149
Token cost
~1.6k tokens
SKILL.md length
852 words
Files
3 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
1
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Reference-aware whole-paper reading and structured research-note generation.

  • Works in 3 steps: the current paper's title, abstract,… → a small set of core related papers, not… → a reusable Markdown note that records…
  • The user wants to understand an entire paper
  • SKILL.md covers Working Mode, Context Construction Strategy, Input Acquisition and First Decision: Classify The…, plus 4 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Paperlocus is an agent skill from littleZ05/PaperLocus. Reference-aware whole-paper reading and structured research-note generation. Use when the user wants to understand an entire paper, place it in the literature, compare it against core prior work or baselines, or decide whether a paper should be read as a method paper or as a Nature or Science-style evidence-chain paper.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.6k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 4 other files, including reference files (for example `agents/openai.yaml` and `references/paper_type_examples.md`).

It sits in Research & Science. It works with arXiv. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • The user wants to understand an entire paper
  • Place it in the literature
  • Compare it against core prior work
  • Decide whether a paper should be read as a method paper

Example prompts

  • “/paperlocus”

Workflow steps

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

  1. the current paper's title, abstract, introduction claims, method frame, and core experiments
  2. a small set of core related papers, not the entire bibliography
  3. a reusable Markdown note that records the paper's positioning and insights

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 5112f63. 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

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    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

Paperlocus loads about 1.6k tokens when it runs, and up to ~2k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 83 tokens; SKILL.md has 852 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~83
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.6k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~2k

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 littleZ05/PaperLocus at commit 5112f63, republished under its MIT licence (© littleZ05). 852 words, ~1,611 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/paperlocus/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
paperlocus
description
Reference-aware whole-paper reading and structured research-note generation. Use when the user wants to understand an entire paper, place it in the literature, compare it against core prior work or baselines, or decide whether a paper should be read as a method paper or as a Nature or Science-style evidence-chain paper.

PaperLocus

See the public README in the repository root for the project overview.

Working Mode

  • Treat this skill as a whole-paper reading and literature-positioning workflow.
  • Produce the output in the user's preferred language. Default to Chinese if the user writes in Chinese.
  • Build understanding from the paper itself first.
  • Prefer a reusable Markdown note over a one-off loose summary.

Context Construction Strategy

  • Do not dump the whole paper into context unless the user explicitly wants deep reading of the full text.
  • Prefer a layered context:
    1. the current paper's title, abstract, introduction claims, method frame, and core experiments
    2. a small set of core related papers, not the entire bibliography
    3. a reusable Markdown note that records the paper's positioning and insights
  • Prioritize:
    1. papers explicitly discussed or criticized in the introduction
    2. strong baselines repeatedly used in experiments
    3. only the same narrow subfield the user is currently working on

Input Acquisition

  • Accept PDF, local file, arXiv link, DOI, webpage, screenshot, or title-only input.
  • Prefer full text when available.
  • If only a title or partial artifact is available, recover the minimum missing context before making strong claims.
  • If some sections are missing or unreadable, say so explicitly and narrow the scope of the summary.
Input-Specific Handling
  • For PDF or local files:
    • extract title, abstract, section headers, introduction, method, experiments, and conclusion first
    • skip acknowledgments, checklists, and boilerplate unless they matter
  • For arXiv links, DOI links, or webpages:
    • recover bibliographic metadata and the main paper text or abstract before summarizing
    • prefer the paper itself over third-party commentary
  • For screenshots:
    • treat them as partial evidence only
    • do not pretend to understand the whole paper from a screenshot unless the screenshot truly covers the needed sections
  • For title-only requests:
    • first recover abstract-level context and basic metadata
    • if the paper text is still unavailable, provide a scoped triage note rather than a confident full-paper overview

First Decision: Classify The Paper Type

  • Decide whether the paper follows a computer-science conference or arXiv narrative, or a Nature or Science-family narrative.
  • If the type is unclear, state the uncertainty and default to the computer-science workflow unless the paper is clearly organized around scientific discovery and an evidence chain.
  • Use the checklist below before committing to a branch.
  • For concrete examples of the distinction, see references/paper_type_examples.md.
Paper Type Classification Checklist
  • Prefer the computer-science conference or arXiv branch when most of the following are true:
    1. the abstract is centered on a new model, algorithm, framework, benchmark, or training recipe
    2. the paper structure looks like introduction -> related work -> method -> experiments -> conclusion
    3. the introduction spends substantial space critiquing prior methods and motivating a technical design
    4. the main evidence is comparison against baselines, ablations, scaling curves, and benchmark metrics
    5. the contribution is framed as "we propose" more than "we discover" or "we show"
  • Prefer the Nature or Science-family branch when most of the following are true:
    1. the abstract is centered on a scientific finding, mechanism, or empirical claim about the world
    2. the paper structure is organized around findings and evidence rather than a standalone method section
    3. the introduction emphasizes a scientific question, gap in knowledge, or competing explanations
    4. the main evidence is an accumulated chain of experiments, observations, or measurements supporting a conclusion
    5. the contribution is framed as "we find", "we reveal", or "we show that X is true", with methods serving the finding
  • Mixed cases:
    • If the paper appears in a science journal but still reads like a method paper, classify by narrative logic, not venue alone.
    • If the paper proposes a method for a scientific domain, ask whether the central output is a tool or a scientific conclusion.
    • When uncertain, say which signals conflict, then choose the branch that best matches how the results section is organized.
Show full SKILL.md (224 more words)Show less

Computer-Science Conference Or arXiv Workflow

  • Explain the paper as built on A, changed B, therefore obtained C whenever the source supports that framing.
  • Extract:
    • the core sub-direction
    • the key prior works the paper critiques
    • the proposed framework
    • the main claimed contributions
  • For experiments, explain:
    • why each experiment exists
    • which claim it is meant to support
    • what metrics and baselines matter

Nature Or Science-Family Workflow

  • Identify the core scientific question.
  • State what existing understanding the paper challenges, extends, or fills in.
  • Separate the key finding from the method used to obtain it.
  • Explain what each major experiment or dataset is meant to prove.
  • Reconstruct the evidence chain that supports the central conclusion.
  • State the mechanism-level explanation, scope of applicability, and limitations.

Anti-Hallucination Rules

  • Separate paper claim, evidence, inference, and open question when precision matters.
  • Do not invent prior-work links, metrics, datasets, implementation details, or novelty claims that are not supported by the paper or a verified source.
  • Treat hallucination broadly:
    • not only fabricated facts
    • also distorted positioning against the field
    • also summaries that erase the comparison points a researcher would naturally use to understand the work

Output Template

Use a compact note with:

  • one-sentence summary
  • paper card
  • paper type
  • position in the literature
  • introduction arc or scientific question
  • method frame
  • experiment design and core results
  • main contributions
  • limitations, counterexamples, and checks
  • sections worth close reading

© littleZ05, 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 2 other files (references) in paperlocus of littleZ05/PaperLocus.

  • SKILL.md
  • agents/openai.yaml
  • references/paper_type_examples.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 5112f63

Compare with similar skills

Paperlocus 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.

Paperlocus compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Paperlocus this skilllittleZ05/PaperLocus149—~1.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Read arXiv Paperkarpathy/nanochat59k1 repos~494Automated safety check: PassMIT
Literature Reviewneflibata-feng/MyArxiv-Agent12620 repos~5.9kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Openalex Databaseneflibata-feng/MyArxiv-Agent12612 repos~3kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Citation Verification GuideGalaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar5.7k2 repos~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Citation ManagementK-Dense-AI/claude-scientific-writer2.4k2 repos~3.9kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT

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Works with

Questions about Paperlocus

What does Paperlocus do?

Reference-aware whole-paper reading and structured research-note generation. Paperlocus is an agent skill from littleZ05/PaperLocus. Reference-aware whole-paper reading and structured research-note generation.

When should I use Paperlocus?

Paperlocus fits situations like: the user wants to understand an entire paper; place it in the literature; compare it against core prior work; decide whether a paper should be read as a method paper.

How do I install Paperlocus in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add littleZ05/PaperLocus --skill paperlocus -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (paperlocus in littleZ05/PaperLocus) into .claude/skills/paperlocus in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Paperlocus in Codex?

Run `npx skills add littleZ05/PaperLocus --skill paperlocus -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (paperlocus in littleZ05/PaperLocus) into .agents/skills/paperlocus in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Paperlocus 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 littleZ05/PaperLocus --skill paperlocus -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/paperlocus, .gemini/skills/paperlocus, .github/skills/paperlocus and .opencode/skills/paperlocus in your project.

What does Paperlocus need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Paperlocus is instructions for the agent only.

Does Paperlocus 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 Paperlocus 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 Paperlocus use?

Paperlocus 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 Paperlocus use?

About 1.6k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 421 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Paperlocus?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Paperlocus: Read arXiv Paper (karpathy/nanochat, 59k stars), Literature Review (neflibata-feng/MyArxiv-Agent, 126 stars), Openalex Database (neflibata-feng/MyArxiv-Agent, 126 stars) and Citation Verification Guide (Galaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar, 5.7k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Paperlocus?

littleZ05 (a GitHub user) maintains it in littleZ05/PaperLocus, which has 149 GitHub stars. The repository was last updated on June 15, 2026.

Source: littleZ05/PaperLocus on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.