Agent skill

Dlab CLI

by pymc-labs in pymc-labs/decision-lab

Complete reference for decision-lab (dlab). An agent skill from pymc-labs/decision-lab.

Apache-2.0Auto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install Dlab CLI

skills CLI
$ npx skills add pymc-labs/decision-lab --skill dlab-cli -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install pymc-labs/decision-lab dlab-cli --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/pymc-labs/decision-lab.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/dlab-cli .claude/skills/dlab-cli && 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
dlab-cli
GitHub stars
199
Token cost
~957 tokens
SKILL.md length
421 words
Files
5 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
3
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

Complete reference for decision-lab (dlab). An agent skill from pymc-labs/decision-lab.

  • Works in 5 steps: Create a decision-pack — scaffold with… → Design agents — write orchestrator,… → Run a session — dlab --dpack --data… → …
  • The user asks about creating decision-packs
  • SKILL.md covers When to use this skill, Workflow overview, Key concepts and Critical methodology rules, plus 1 more section
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Dlab CLI is an agent skill from pymc-labs/decision-lab. Complete reference for decision-lab (dlab). Use when the user asks about creating decision-packs, designing data science agents, running sessions, analyzing results, or anything related to dlab CLI, agent architecture, parallel subagents, or decision-pack configuration. Covers the full workflow from scaffolding to analysis.

Its SKILL.md is about 960 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 5 other files, including reference files (for example `references/agent-design.md`, `references/create-dpack-interactive.md` and `references/create-dpack.md`).

It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Subagents and Project scaffolding. The repository describes itself as: Run tested, autonomous agent workflows on your data for meaningful decision-making. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • The user asks about creating decision-packs
  • Designing data science agents
  • Running sessions
  • Analyzing results

Example prompts

  • “/dlab-cli”

Requirements

  • Docker

Workflow steps

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

  1. Create a decision-pack — scaffold with dlab create-dpack wizard or generate_dpack() programmatically
  2. Design agents — write orchestrator, subagent, and parallel agent configs
  3. Run a session — dlab --dpack --data --prompt "..."
  4. Monitor — dlab connect (live TUI) or dlab timeline (Gantt chart)
  5. Analyze results — browse session directory, logs, parallel instance outputs

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit a68f132. 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

Dlab CLI loads about 957 tokens when it runs, and up to ~12k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 84 tokens; SKILL.md has 421 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~84
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~957
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~12k

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 pymc-labs/decision-lab at commit a68f132, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© pymc-labs). 421 words, ~957 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/dlab-cli/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 4 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
dlab-cli
description
Complete reference for decision-lab (dlab). Use when the user asks about creating decision-packs, designing data science agents, running sessions, analyzing results, or anything related to dlab CLI, agent architecture, parallel subagents, or decision-pack configuration. Covers the full workflow from scaffolding to analysis.

decision-lab (dlab)

dlab runs autonomous coding agents in frozen Docker environments with domain-specific skills and parallel subagents. You package the environment, prompts, and skills into a decision-pack, point it at data, and get back reports and recommendations that hold up to scrutiny.

When to use this skill

  • Creating a new decision-pack (interactive or programmatic)
  • Designing agent system prompts for data science workflows
  • Understanding how parallel agents, consolidators, and retry protocols work
  • Analyzing a completed session's logs, outputs, and artifacts
  • Running or configuring dlab CLI commands

Workflow overview

  1. Create a decision-pack — scaffold with dlab create-dpack wizard or generate_dpack() programmatically
  2. Design agents — write orchestrator, subagent, and parallel agent configs
  3. Run a session — dlab --dpack <path> --data <data> --prompt "..."
  4. Monitor — dlab connect <work-dir> (live TUI) or dlab timeline <work-dir> (Gantt chart)
  5. Analyze results — browse session directory, logs, parallel instance outputs

Key concepts

decision-pack: A directory containing config.yaml, docker/, and opencode/ (agents, skills, tools, permissions). Everything an agent needs to run.

Orchestrator (mode: primary): Coordinates the workflow, spawns parallel agents, evaluates results, writes reports. One per decision-pack.

Subagents (mode: subagent): Execute focused tasks. Each runs ONE strategy per run. If it fails, it writes diagnosis and stops — the orchestrator coordinates retries.

Consolidator: Auto-generated read-only agent that compares parallel instance results. Never picks a winner.

Parallel exploration: Fan out multiple agents with structurally diverse approaches (different priors, models, data prep). Check if they agree before recommending.

Show full SKILL.md (185 more words)Show less

Critical methodology rules

These are non-negotiable for any data science agent system:

  1. Never fabricate — no mocking data, no silently swallowing errors, no try/except: value = 0
  2. Understanding over fitting — a model that doesn't converge is evidence, not failure
  3. Know when to stop — hard round limits, conflict detection, degenerate problem reports
  4. Templates, not implementations — no concrete numbers in prompts, use <PLACEHOLDER> syntax
  5. Uncertainty, not point estimates — always report intervals, distinguish model vs structural uncertainty
  6. Recommendations must be computed — no napkin math, multiple scenarios, realistic actions
  7. Document everything — including failures, two reports (business + technical)

Load references/agent-design.md for the full methodology guide.

References

Load these as needed — don't read all upfront:

  • references/agent-design.md — Full methodology: anti-fabrication, retry protocol, epistemic humility, conflict detection, prompt design, parallel exploration, degenerate problems, agent prompt structure, runtime directory layout, YAML config
  • references/create-dpack.md — Programmatic decision-pack creation: generate_dpack() API, config keys, package managers, permissions, Modal integration
  • references/create-dpack-interactive.md — Interactive wizard guide: how to interview a user and call generate_dpack() with the right config
  • references/run-analyzer.md — Session analysis: directory layout, log format (NDJSON events), how to navigate parallel runs, what to look for

© pymc-labs, Apache-2.0. 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 4 other files (references) in skills/dlab-cli of pymc-labs/decision-lab.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/agent-design.md
  • references/create-dpack-interactive.md
  • references/create-dpack.md
  • references/run-analyzer.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit a68f132

Compare with similar skills

Dlab CLI 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.

Dlab CLI compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Dlab CLI this skillpymc-labs/decision-lab199—~957Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Project Healthjezweb/claude-skills1.1k1 repos~3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Agent Buildertestdouble/han279—~3.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Skill Buildertestdouble/han279—~4.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Harnessharnessworks/harness-starter-kit114—~490Automated safety check: PassMIT
Qwen Agentthananon/9arm-skills3.2k—~1.5kAutomated safety check: PassNone

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Categories

Questions about Dlab CLI

What does Dlab CLI do?

Complete reference for decision-lab (dlab). An agent skill from pymc-labs/decision-lab. Dlab CLI is an agent skill from pymc-labs/decision-lab. Complete reference for decision-lab (dlab).

When should I use Dlab CLI?

Dlab CLI fits situations like: the user asks about creating decision-packs; designing data science agents; running sessions; analyzing results.

How do I install Dlab CLI in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add pymc-labs/decision-lab --skill dlab-cli -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/dlab-cli in pymc-labs/decision-lab) into .claude/skills/dlab-cli in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Dlab CLI in Codex?

Run `npx skills add pymc-labs/decision-lab --skill dlab-cli -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/dlab-cli in pymc-labs/decision-lab) into .agents/skills/dlab-cli in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Dlab CLI 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 pymc-labs/decision-lab --skill dlab-cli -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/dlab-cli, .gemini/skills/dlab-cli, .github/skills/dlab-cli and .opencode/skills/dlab-cli in your project.

What does Dlab CLI need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Dlab CLI is instructions for the agent only. Our summary lists: Docker.

Does Dlab CLI 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 Dlab CLI 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 Dlab CLI use?

Dlab CLI is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Dlab CLI use?

About 957 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.8k 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 11k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Dlab CLI?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Dlab CLI: Project Health (jezweb/claude-skills, 1.1k stars), Agent Builder (testdouble/han, 279 stars), Skill Builder (testdouble/han, 279 stars) and Harness (harnessworks/harness-starter-kit, 114 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Dlab CLI?

pymc-labs (a GitHub organization) maintains it in pymc-labs/decision-lab, which has 199 GitHub stars. The repository holds 3 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 25, 2026.

Source: pymc-labs/decision-lab on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.