Academic Paper Strategist
AAASS554/codex-academic-paper-skills
A skill your agent uses when the user needs to plan, de-risk, or ground a software engineering / computer science undergraduate thesis from a real codebase before final writing.
Simulate your thesis defense before the real one — a committee of examiner archetypes probing YOUR actual thesis, the questions you hoped nobody would ask, and a debrief with preparation priorities.
Install The Thesis Defense
$ npx skills add mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill the-thesis-defense -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills the-thesis-defense --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/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/the-thesis-defense .claude/skills/the-thesis-defense && 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 "the-thesis-defense" agent skill from https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills/tree/main/skills/the-thesis-defense into .claude/skills/the-thesis-defense/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "the-thesis-defense", 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/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills/tree/main/skills/the-thesis-defenseType 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 mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill the-thesis-defense -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills the-thesis-defense --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/the-thesis-defense .agents/skills/the-thesis-defense && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "the-thesis-defense" agent skill from https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills/tree/main/skills/the-thesis-defense into .agents/skills/the-thesis-defense/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "the-thesis-defense", 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 mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill the-thesis-defense -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills the-thesis-defense --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/the-thesis-defense .cursor/skills/the-thesis-defense && 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 "the-thesis-defense" agent skill from https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills/tree/main/skills/the-thesis-defense into .cursor/skills/the-thesis-defense/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "the-thesis-defense", 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/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills.git --path skills/the-thesis-defense--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 mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill the-thesis-defense -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills the-thesis-defense --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/the-thesis-defense .gemini/skills/the-thesis-defense && 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 "the-thesis-defense" agent skill from https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills/tree/main/skills/the-thesis-defense into .gemini/skills/the-thesis-defense/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "the-thesis-defense", 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 mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills the-thesis-defenseInstalls 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 mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill the-thesis-defense -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/the-thesis-defense .github/skills/the-thesis-defense && 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 "the-thesis-defense" agent skill from https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills/tree/main/skills/the-thesis-defense into .github/skills/the-thesis-defense/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "the-thesis-defense", 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 mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill the-thesis-defense -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills the-thesis-defense --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/the-thesis-defense .opencode/skills/the-thesis-defense && 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 "the-thesis-defense" agent skill from https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills/tree/main/skills/the-thesis-defense into .opencode/skills/the-thesis-defense/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "the-thesis-defense", 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
the-thesis-defense- GitHub stars
- 1.4k
- Token cost
- ~1.2k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 601 words
- Files
- 2 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 1,348
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Simulate your thesis defense before the real one — a committee of examiner archetypes probing YOUR actual thesis, the questions you hoped nobody would ask, and a debrief with preparation priorities.
- Asked simulate my thesis defense
- SKILL.md covers What This Skill Produces, Required Inputs, Framework: The Four Examiners and Output Format, plus 6 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
- Grill me on my dissertation
What it does
The Thesis Defense is an agent skill from mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills. Simulate your thesis defense before the real one — a committee of examiner archetypes probing YOUR actual thesis, the questions you hoped nobody would ask, and a debrief with preparation priorities. Use when asked simulate my thesis defense, grill me on my dissertation, what will my committee ask, or prep me for my viva. Produces the defense transcript with your answers stress-tested, the committee's private deliberation, and a debrief ranking the exposed weaknesses by preparability.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files, including reference files (for example `references/worked-example.md`).
It sits in Education, covering Essays and academic help. The repository describes itself as: 1255 professional Agent Skills for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Cursor & Codex — PRDs, postmortems, leases, medical bills, layoffs, go-bags, new countries. Plain markdown, MIT, in… The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Asked simulate my thesis defense
- Grill me on my dissertation
- What will my committee ask
- Prep me for my viva
Example prompts
- “/the-thesis-defense”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 1cbf1f0. 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
The Thesis Defense loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs, and up to ~2.7k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 127 tokens; SKILL.md has 601 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 mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills at commit 1cbf1f0, republished under its MIT licence (© mohitagw15856). 601 words, ~1,212 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/the-thesis-defense/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- the-thesis-defense
- description
- Simulate your thesis defense before the real one — a committee of examiner archetypes probing YOUR actual thesis, the questions you hoped nobody would ask, and a debrief with preparation priorities. Use when asked simulate my thesis defense, grill me on my dissertation, what will my committee ask, or prep me for my viva. Produces the defense transcript with your answers stress-tested, the committee's private deliberation, and a debrief ranking the exposed weaknesses by preparability.
The Thesis Defense Skill
Every thesis has three or four questions its author prays nobody asks — and committees are selected for exactly the expertise that asks them. This skill runs the defense early: examiner archetypes with different agendas probing the actual thesis (methods, alternatives, scope, the gap between claims and evidence), pushing back on weak answers the way real committees do. Then it breaks character and turns every wobble into a preparation item.
What This Skill Produces
- The transcript — 12–18 exchanges: questions, the candidate's plausible answers (or the user's real answers if they play along), and the follow-ups weak answers earn
- The deliberation — what the committee says after the candidate leaves the room
- The debrief — every exposed weakness ranked by preparability, with the answer-shape that would have held
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- The thesis substance — abstract, chapter summaries, or the full argument; central claim, methods, key findings. The committee probes only what's supplied — thin input gets a thin defense, and says so.
- The known dread — the question they hope nobody asks; it opens act two
- The committee's real composition if known — the methods person, the adjacent-field skeptic, the advisor's rival — archetypes get tuned to it
- Format and stakes — masters/PhD, open vs. closed defense, revisions culture of the program
Framework: The Four Examiners
| Archetype | What they probe | Their tell |
|---|---|---|
| The Methodologist | Whether the methods can carry the claims | "Walk me through why n=22 supports that verb" |
| The Alternative-Explainer | Every rival account of the findings | "Couldn't selection effects produce exactly this?" |
| The Scope-Enforcer | Claims that outrun the evidence | "Your title says 'workers' — your data says one platform in one city" |
| The Generous-Elder | The contribution's actual worth | Asks the easy-sounding question that's hardest: "So what?" |
Defense mechanics to honor: the first ten minutes set the committee's posture — the opening summary gets probed as delivered · "I don't know, but here's how I'd find out" outscores a bluff every time — the simulation rewards it · committees defend their own fields — the adjacent-field question is about their literature, not yours · limitations volunteered read as maturity; limitations extracted read as concealment · the dread question always arrives, usually reworded.
Output Format
Show full SKILL.md (245 more words)Show less
Defense: [thesis title] — [degree, format]
Simulation — a plausible adversarial reading, not a prediction.
Transcript
[The examination, grounded ONLY in the supplied thesis; where the committee finds a gap, the gap is the finding. Includes at least one bluffed answer punished and one honest "I don't know" rewarded.]
The Deliberation
[After the candidate leaves: pass / pass-with-revisions / major concerns — the real assessment vs. what gets said in the room]
Debrief — out of character
| Weakness exposed | Preparable before the real defense? | The answer-shape that holds |
|---|---|---|
| [Plus: the opening-summary rewrite, the volunteer-these-limitations list, and the dread question's prepared answer in full] |
Quality Checks
- Every question traces to the supplied thesis or a noticed absence
- Follow-ups escalate on weak answers — no examiner accepts the first dodge
- The deliberation's real assessment differs from the room's polite version where it realistically would
- The debrief converts every wobble into a rehearsable answer-shape
- The "I don't know" done well appears and is explicitly endorsed
Anti-Patterns
- Do not pull punches — a friendly defense teaches nothing; the kindness is in the debrief
- Do not invent findings or literature to attack — absences ARE the material
- Do not let the candidate bluff successfully — rewarding bluffs trains the exact wrong instinct
- Do not simulate humiliation — hard questions, professional tone; the goal is a prepared candidate, not a hazed one
- Do not stay in character in the debrief
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Simulate my thesis defense."
- "Grill me on my dissertation."
- "What will my committee ask?"
- "Prep me for my viva."
© mohitagw15856, 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 1 other file (references) in skills/the-thesis-defense of mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills.
- SKILL.md
- references/worked-example.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 1cbf1f0
Compare with similar skills
The Thesis Defense 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Thesis Defense this skillmohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills | 1.4k | — | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Academic Paper StrategistAAASS554/codex-academic-paper-skills | 539 | 1 repos | ~2.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Modeling Paper Rubric and Model Selectoryushui2022/MathModel-Skill | 454 | 1 repos | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Humanities Thesisganzhi-black/humanities-thesis-skill | 637 | — | ~1.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Skill Thesis Writeryanlin-cheng/skill-thesis-writer | 209 | — | ~1.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Thesis CreatorStars-OC/thesis-creator | 230 | — | ~2.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Related
Categories
Questions about The Thesis Defense
What does The Thesis Defense do?
Simulate your thesis defense before the real one — a committee of examiner archetypes probing YOUR actual thesis, the questions you hoped nobody would ask, and a debrief with preparation priorities. The Thesis Defense is an agent skill from mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills. Simulate your thesis defense before the real one — a committee of examiner archetypes probing YOUR actual thesis, the questions you hoped nobody would ask, and a debrief with preparation priorities.
When should I use The Thesis Defense?
The Thesis Defense fits situations like: asked simulate my thesis defense; grill me on my dissertation; what will my committee ask; prep me for my viva.
How do I install The Thesis Defense in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill the-thesis-defense -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/the-thesis-defense in mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills) into .claude/skills/the-thesis-defense in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install The Thesis Defense in Codex?
Run `npx skills add mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill the-thesis-defense -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/the-thesis-defense in mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills) into .agents/skills/the-thesis-defense in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use The Thesis Defense 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 mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill the-thesis-defense -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/the-thesis-defense, .gemini/skills/the-thesis-defense, .github/skills/the-thesis-defense and .opencode/skills/the-thesis-defense in your project.
What does The Thesis Defense need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: The Thesis Defense is instructions for the agent only.
Does The Thesis Defense 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 The Thesis Defense 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 The Thesis Defense use?
The Thesis Defense 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 The Thesis Defense use?
About 1.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.8k 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 1.5k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to The Thesis Defense?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with The Thesis Defense: Academic Paper Strategist (AAASS554/codex-academic-paper-skills, 539 stars), Modeling Paper Rubric and Model Selector (yushui2022/MathModel-Skill, 454 stars), Humanities Thesis (ganzhi-black/humanities-thesis-skill, 637 stars) and Skill Thesis Writer (yanlin-cheng/skill-thesis-writer, 209 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains The Thesis Defense?
mohitagw15856 (a GitHub user) maintains it in mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills, which has 1,434 GitHub stars. The repository holds 1,348 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 9, 2026.
Source: mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.