Literature PDF OCR Library Builder
LigphiDonk/Oh-my--paper
Searches and downloads legally accessible academic PDFs, OCRs them to Markdown, and organizes the results into a traceable, AI-readable literature library.
Converts research papers into executable skill packages via document conversion, critical analysis, and co-evolutionary refinement.
Install Paper To Skill
$ npx skills add Mathews-Tom/armory --skill paper-to-skill -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install Mathews-Tom/armory paper-to-skill --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/Mathews-Tom/armory.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/paper-to-skill .claude/skills/paper-to-skill && 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 "paper-to-skill" agent skill from https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory/tree/main/skills/paper-to-skill into .claude/skills/paper-to-skill/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-to-skill", 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/Mathews-Tom/armory/tree/main/skills/paper-to-skillType 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 Mathews-Tom/armory --skill paper-to-skill -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install Mathews-Tom/armory paper-to-skill --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/paper-to-skill .agents/skills/paper-to-skill && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "paper-to-skill" agent skill from https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory/tree/main/skills/paper-to-skill into .agents/skills/paper-to-skill/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-to-skill", 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 Mathews-Tom/armory --skill paper-to-skill -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install Mathews-Tom/armory paper-to-skill --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/paper-to-skill .cursor/skills/paper-to-skill && 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 "paper-to-skill" agent skill from https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory/tree/main/skills/paper-to-skill into .cursor/skills/paper-to-skill/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-to-skill", 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/Mathews-Tom/armory.git --path skills/paper-to-skill--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 Mathews-Tom/armory --skill paper-to-skill -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install Mathews-Tom/armory paper-to-skill --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/paper-to-skill .gemini/skills/paper-to-skill && 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 "paper-to-skill" agent skill from https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory/tree/main/skills/paper-to-skill into .gemini/skills/paper-to-skill/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-to-skill", 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 Mathews-Tom/armory paper-to-skillInstalls 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 Mathews-Tom/armory --skill paper-to-skill -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/paper-to-skill .github/skills/paper-to-skill && 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 "paper-to-skill" agent skill from https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory/tree/main/skills/paper-to-skill into .github/skills/paper-to-skill/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-to-skill", 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 Mathews-Tom/armory --skill paper-to-skill -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install Mathews-Tom/armory paper-to-skill --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/paper-to-skill .opencode/skills/paper-to-skill && 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 "paper-to-skill" agent skill from https://github.com/Mathews-Tom/armory/tree/main/skills/paper-to-skill into .opencode/skills/paper-to-skill/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-to-skill", 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
paper-to-skill- GitHub stars
- 329
- Token cost
- ~1.8k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 592 words
- Files
- 3 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 80
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Converts research papers into executable skill packages via document conversion, critical analysis, and co-evolutionary refinement.
- Works in 5 steps: Paper Intake → Critical Analysis → Skill Specification Extraction → …
- : convert this paper to a skill
- SKILL.md covers Reference Files, Prerequisites, Workflow and Output, plus 2 more sections
- Reaches arxiv.org
What it does
Paper To Skill is an agent skill from Mathews-Tom/armory. Converts research papers into executable skill packages via document conversion, critical analysis, and co-evolutionary refinement. Triggers on: "convert this paper to a skill", "paper-to-skill", "extract methodology from paper", "make a skill from this paper". NOT for literature review, use research-critique.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.8k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 4 other files, including reference files (for example `evals/cases.yaml` and `references/extraction-patterns.md`).
It sits in Research & Science, covering Document parsing and Literature review. The repository describes itself as: Curated, production-grade skills for AI coding agents. Battle-tested workflows for developers who use AI seriously. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- : convert this paper to a skill
- Extract methodology from paper
- Make a skill from this paper
Example prompts
- “convert this paper to a skill”
- “paper-to-skill”
- “extract methodology from paper”
- “/paper-to-skill”
Workflow steps
5 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 4594fb7. 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 (its code samples are yaml and markdown).
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:
arxiv.org
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
Paper To Skill loads about 1.8k tokens when it runs, and up to ~2.6k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 82 tokens; SKILL.md has 592 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 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 Mathews-Tom/armory at commit 4594fb7, republished under its MIT licence (© Mathews-Tom). 592 words, ~1,797 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/paper-to-skill/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- paper-to-skill
- description
- Converts research papers into executable skill packages via document conversion, critical analysis, and co-evolutionary refinement. Triggers on: "convert this paper to a skill", "paper-to-skill", "extract methodology from paper", "make a skill from this paper". NOT for literature review, use research-critique.
- metadata.version
- 1.0.1
- metadata.category
- research
- metadata.tags
- paper, arxiv, research, skill-generation, methodology-extraction
- metadata.difficulty
- advanced
- metadata.phase
- build
Paper-to-Skill Pipeline
Transform research papers into production-grade skill packages. The pipeline extracts the actionable methodology from a paper, structures it as a skill specification, and feeds it through co-evolutionary refinement to produce a validated package.
This closes the loop between research and practice: a paper published today can become an executable skill tomorrow, without manual authoring.
Reference Files
| File | Contents | Load When |
|---|---|---|
references/extraction-patterns.md | Patterns for extracting methodology from papers | Always |
Prerequisites
- The
to-markdownskill (for PDF/document conversion) - The
research-critiqueskill (for paper analysis) - The
test-engineeragent (for co-evolutionary skill generation)
Workflow
Phase 1: Paper Intake
Accept the paper in any supported format:
| Input Format | Action |
|---|---|
| arXiv ID (e.g., 2604.01687) | Fetch via https://arxiv.org/abs/<id>, convert PDF |
| arXiv URL | Extract ID, fetch and convert |
| PDF file path | Convert using to-markdown skill |
| URL to paper | Fetch via WebFetch, convert if PDF |
| Pasted text | Use directly |
For PDF conversion, invoke the to-markdown skill:
Convert this PDF to clean markdown, preserving section structure, tables, equations, and algorithm pseudocode. Drop references section but keep inline citations.
Phase 2: Critical Analysis
Invoke the research-critique skill on the converted paper:
Analyze this paper focusing on:
- Core contribution: what is the novel methodology?
- Algorithm description: extract the step-by-step procedure
- Input/output specification: what goes in, what comes out?
- Key parameters and their valid ranges
- Claimed results and the evidence supporting them
- Failure modes and limitations acknowledged by the authors
- Prerequisites and dependencies (tools, data, compute)
The critique output becomes the foundation for the skill specification.
Phase 3: Skill Specification Extraction
From the critique output, build a structured skill specification:
specification:
name: <kebab-case derived from paper's methodology name>
domain: <paper's application domain>
source_paper:
title: <paper title>
arxiv_id: <if available>
url: <paper URL>
authors: <first author et al.>
date: <publication date>
capabilities:
- <capability 1 derived from the methodology>
- <capability 2>
- <capability 3>
input_format: <what the skill accepts>
output_format: <what the skill produces>
algorithm_steps:
- step: 1
description: <from paper's algorithm>
parameters: [<key params with ranges>]
- step: 2
description: <next step>
failure_modes:
- <from paper's limitations section>
example_tasks:
- <task 1 the methodology would solve>
- <task 2>
- <task 3>Extraction rules:
- Prefer the paper's own algorithm pseudocode over prose descriptions
- Include parameter ranges from the paper's experiments (e.g., "learning rate: 0.001-0.01")
- Map the paper's terminology to armory conventions (e.g., "module" → "skill", "pipeline" → "workflow")
- If the paper describes multiple variants, extract the best-performing one
See references/extraction-patterns.md for patterns specific to common paper types.
Phase 4: Skill Generation
Hand off the specification to the test-engineer agent for co-evolutionary generation:
Evolve a skill for: [specification.domain]
Capabilities: [specification.capabilities] Algorithm: [specification.algorithm_steps] Input: [specification.input_format] Output: [specification.output_format] Failure modes: [specification.failure_modes] Example tasks: [specification.example_tasks]
Source: [specification.source_paper.title] ([specification.source_paper.url])
The test-engineer runs its full co-evolutionary loop (generate → verify → oracle → refine) using the specification as the task description.
Show full SKILL.md (233 more words)Show less
Phase 5: Attribution and Finalization
Ensure the generated skill properly attributes the source paper:
- Frontmatter: Add
source: <paper_url>to the metadata - Body: Include an attribution section at the end of SKILL.md:
markdown ## Attribution This skill implements the methodology from: > <paper title> > <authors> > <venue/arxiv, date> > <URL> - References: If the paper has supplementary materials (code, datasets), create a
source materials reference file in the generated skill's
references/directory linking to them - Verify the skill name does not conflict with existing packages in
manifest.yaml
Output
The complete skill package at skills/<name>/:
SKILL.mdwith attribution and paper-derived workflowevals/cases.yamlwith assertions generated by the co-evolutionary loopreferences/with extraction patterns and source materialsevals/evolution-log.yamlfrom the test-engineer's refinement process
Error Handling
| Error | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Paper has no clear algorithm | Extract the methodology from the experiments section |
| Paper is purely theoretical | Report: no actionable methodology; suggest literature-review instead |
| PDF conversion fails | Try alternative: fetch HTML version or request user paste text |
| Paper methodology requires data/compute | Note in skill's prerequisites; skill may be a workflow template only |
| test-engineer budget exhausted | Return best-scoring iteration with manual review warning |
Limitations
- Cannot extract visual methodologies (circuit diagrams, neural architecture figures) — works on textual algorithm descriptions only
- Papers with multiple interdependent contributions may produce overly complex skills — consider splitting into multiple skills
- Non-English papers require translation before processing
- The generated skill's quality depends on the paper's clarity of methodology description
© Mathews-Tom, 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 skills/paper-to-skill of Mathews-Tom/armory.
- SKILL.md
- evals/cases.yaml
- references/extraction-patterns.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 4594fb7
Compare with similar skills
Paper To Skill 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper To Skill this skillMathews-Tom/armory | 329 | — | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Literature PDF OCR Library BuilderLigphiDonk/Oh-my--paper | 739 | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Paper Figure Extractorjuliye2025/evil-read-arxiv | 1.7k | — | ~298 | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Bilingual Paper ReaderYuan1z0825/nature-skills | 47k | — | ~961 | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Nature Paper CardYuan1z0825/nature-skills | 47k | 2 repos | ~2.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Systematic Review ScreenerImbad0202/academic-research-skills | 51k | — | ~8.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence |
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Paper Figure Extractor
juliye2025/evil-read-arxiv
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Bilingual Paper Reader
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Creates a source-grounded Chinese-English reader for a research paper, with aligned text, figures, tables and equations, or answers questions about a given passage.
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.
Systematic Review Screener
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Screens records for systematic, scoping and rapid reviews against fixed eligibility rules, using two blinded AI reviewers and a third adjudicator, with traceable PRISMA counts.
Literature Review
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Conduct comprehensive, systematic literature reviews using multiple academic databases (PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, Semantic Scholar, etc.).
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Questions about Paper To Skill
What does Paper To Skill do?
Converts research papers into executable skill packages via document conversion, critical analysis, and co-evolutionary refinement. Paper To Skill is an agent skill from Mathews-Tom/armory. Converts research papers into executable skill packages via document conversion, critical analysis, and co-evolutionary refinement.
When should I use Paper To Skill?
Paper To Skill fits situations like: : convert this paper to a skill; extract methodology from paper; make a skill from this paper.
How do I install Paper To Skill in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add Mathews-Tom/armory --skill paper-to-skill -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/paper-to-skill in Mathews-Tom/armory) into .claude/skills/paper-to-skill in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Paper To Skill in Codex?
Run `npx skills add Mathews-Tom/armory --skill paper-to-skill -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/paper-to-skill in Mathews-Tom/armory) into .agents/skills/paper-to-skill in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Paper To Skill 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 Mathews-Tom/armory --skill paper-to-skill -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/paper-to-skill, .gemini/skills/paper-to-skill, .github/skills/paper-to-skill and .opencode/skills/paper-to-skill in your project.
What does Paper To Skill need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Paper To Skill is instructions for the agent only.
Does Paper To Skill access the network?
SKILL.md names 1 domain. In commands or code: arxiv.org; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Paper To Skill 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 Paper To Skill use?
Paper To Skill 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 Paper To Skill use?
About 1.8k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.2k 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 757 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Paper To Skill?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Paper To Skill: Literature PDF OCR Library Builder (LigphiDonk/Oh-my--paper, 739 stars), Paper Figure Extractor (juliye2025/evil-read-arxiv, 1.7k stars), Bilingual Paper Reader (Yuan1z0825/nature-skills, 47k stars) and Nature Paper Card (Yuan1z0825/nature-skills, 47k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Paper To Skill?
Mathews-Tom (a GitHub user) maintains it in Mathews-Tom/armory, which has 329 GitHub stars. The repository holds 80 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.
Source: Mathews-Tom/armory on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.