Neurips

[SKILL: NeurIPS PAPER FORMAT]

Activate when: user mentions NeurIPS, Neural Information Processing Systems, or asks to use the NeurIPS template.

Execution Protocol

After this skill is activated, select the matching scenario based on user intent.

Shared Common Workflow

Before venue-specific template steps, also load and follow ml-paper-writing skill.

At minimum, apply these shared references:

• writing-guide.md (narrative and clarity)
• citation-workflow.md (verified citations; no hallucinations)
• reviewer-guidelines.md (reviewer-facing quality checks)
• checklists.md (pre-submission gates)

Built-in template: templates/neurips2025/ (referred to as TEMPLATES_DIR below), targeting NeurIPS 2025. Contents: neurips.sty, main.tex, extra_pkgs.tex, Makefile.

Pre-step: Year Confirmation & Template Acquisition

This step MUST be completed before any scenario below.

1. Confirm the target year with the user (default: latest available year).
2. Check whether TEMPLATES_DIR exists and includes required files: neurips.sty, main.tex, extra_pkgs.tex.
3. Use local built-in template only when BOTH conditions hold:
   • target year = 2025
   • files in TEMPLATES_DIR are complete
4. If either condition fails (target year is not 2025 OR local template files are missing/incomplete):
   • Inform the user local built-in template is unavailable or year-mismatched.
   • Guide the user to download the correct Author Kit from:
     • Official website: https://neurips.cc → "Conferences" → target year → "Call for Papers" or "Author Instructions" → download Style Files .zip
     • Overleaf fallback: search "NeurIPS [year]" on https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates
   • Unzip downloaded files directly into <PROJECT_CORE>.
   • All subsequent steps must use downloaded year-specific filenames.
5. Filename substitution rule for all steps below:
   • Resolve the package name from the selected .sty filename (basename without .sty).
   • Treat neurips in commands/examples as a placeholder for that resolved package name.
   • Example: if the selected style file is neurips_2025.sty, replace neurips with neurips_2025 in \\usepackage, copy commands, and related checks.

Scenario Routing

• User says "create / new NeurIPS paper" → Scenario 1
• User says "switch to NeurIPS format" / "apply NeurIPS template" → Scenario 2
• User says "NeurIPS format issue" / "compile error" → Scenario 3
• User says "check format" / "prepare for submission" → Scenario 4

Scenario 1: Create a New NeurIPS Project

Step 1 — Copy template files to the project core directory using bash:

bash(command="cp TEMPLATES_DIR/neurips.sty TEMPLATES_DIR/extra_pkgs.tex <PROJECT_CORE>/")

Step 2 — Read TEMPLATES_DIR/main.tex with read_file to understand the preamble structure and required macros.

Step 3 — Create main.tex in the project core directory using write_file:

• Keep the template preamble (\documentclass{article} + \usepackage{neurips})
• Use NO option for anonymous submission (default); use [final] only for camera-ready
• If using natbib separately, add [nonatbib] option and load natbib manually
• Replace body content with the user's paper content or generate a skeleton (title / abstract / sections)
• Set \bibliographystyle{abbrvnat} and \bibliography{references}

Step 4 — Run latex_compile to verify successful compilation. If it fails, read the log and fix errors.

Scenario 2: Switch an Existing Project to NeurIPS Template

Step 1 — Read the current main.tex with read_file to analyze the existing preamble and content structure.

Step 2 — Read TEMPLATES_DIR/main.tex with read_file to understand the required NeurIPS preamble.

Step 3 — Copy style files to the project core directory using bash (style files only — do NOT overwrite user content):

bash(command="cp TEMPLATES_DIR/neurips.sty <PROJECT_CORE>/")

Step 4 — Modify the main.tex preamble using str_replace:

• Change \documentclass to \documentclass{article}
• Add \usepackage{neurips} (no option = anonymous submission)
• Remove packages that conflict with NeurIPS (geometry, times, mathptmx, standalone font packages, etc.)
• Do NOT remove \usepackage[utf8]{inputenc} — it is required

Step 5 — Adjust NeurIPS-specific elements:

• Set \title{} for the paper title
• Set \author{Anonymous Author(s)} for submission phase
• Ensure no identifying information is present

Step 6 — Set up bibliography:

• \bibliographystyle{abbrvnat} (or unsrtnat, plainnat)
• \bibliography{references}
• If using [nonatbib] option, use a standard .bst style instead

Step 7 — Run latex_compile to verify successful compilation. If it fails, read the error log and fix.

Scenario 3: Fix NeurIPS Format Issues

Step 1 — Run latex_compile on the current project to obtain error/warning messages.

Step 2 — Read the preamble of main.tex with read_file.

Step 3 — Cross-check against the "Common Pitfalls" and "Key Format Rules" sections below. Common causes:

• Missing neurips.sty in the project root
• Using \usepackage{times} or \usepackage{mathptmx} separately (NeurIPS loads fonts internally)
• Using the geometry package to override margins
• \author{} not set to anonymous for submission

Step 4 — Fix the issues using str_replace.

Step 5 — Run latex_compile to verify the fix.