DeepTutor CLI
HKUDS/DeepTutor
Teaches the agent to set up and run DeepTutor from the command line: chat and capabilities, knowledge bases, partners, memory, sessions, notebooks and the server or Web app.
Map the edge of the learner's understanding with a short graded quiz.
Install Probe
$ npx skills add vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod --skill probe -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod probe --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/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/probe .claude/skills/probe && 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 "probe" agent skill from https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod/tree/main/skills/probe into .claude/skills/probe/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "probe", 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/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod/tree/main/skills/probeType 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 vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod --skill probe -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod probe --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/probe .agents/skills/probe && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "probe" agent skill from https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod/tree/main/skills/probe into .agents/skills/probe/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "probe", 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 vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod --skill probe -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod probe --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/probe .cursor/skills/probe && 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 "probe" agent skill from https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod/tree/main/skills/probe into .cursor/skills/probe/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "probe", 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/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod.git --path skills/probe--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 vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod --skill probe -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod probe --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/probe .gemini/skills/probe && 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 "probe" agent skill from https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod/tree/main/skills/probe into .gemini/skills/probe/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "probe", 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 vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod probeInstalls 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 vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod --skill probe -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/probe .github/skills/probe && 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 "probe" agent skill from https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod/tree/main/skills/probe into .github/skills/probe/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "probe", 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 vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod --skill probe -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod probe --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/probe .opencode/skills/probe && 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 "probe" agent skill from https://github.com/vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod/tree/main/skills/probe into .opencode/skills/probe/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "probe", 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
probe- GitHub stars
- 163
- Token cost
- ~566 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 217 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 5
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Map the edge of the learner's understanding with a short graded quiz.
- The user runs /probe
- SKILL.md covers Goal, How to ask, Scoring and Map file, plus 1 more section
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
- What do I already know
What it does
Probe is an agent skill from vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod. Map the edge of the learner's understanding with a short graded quiz. Start broad, then binary-search every strand a lesson will need. Use when the user runs /probe or /skill:probe, or says quiz me, pretest, what do I already know, diagnose my understanding, probe me, or find the edge before teaching.
Its SKILL.md is about 570 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Education. The repository describes itself as: One-to-one AI teaching skills (Alvar method) for Codex, Claude Code, Grok, Pi, and OpenCode. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- The user runs /probe
- What do I already know
- Diagnose my understanding
- Find the edge before teaching
Example prompts
- “/probe”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 5d39056. 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 markdown).
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
Probe loads about 566 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 77 tokens; SKILL.md has 217 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 vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod at commit 5d39056, republished under its MIT licence (© vasanthsreeram). 217 words, ~566 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/probe/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- probe
- description
- Map the edge of the learner's understanding with a short graded quiz. Start broad, then binary-search every strand a lesson will need. Use when the user runs /probe or /skill:probe, or says quiz me, pretest, what do I already know, diagnose my understanding, probe me, or find the edge before teaching.
- license
- MIT
- metadata.author
- vasanthsreeram
- metadata.version
- 1.0
- metadata.source
- Eero Alvar — How I Use AI to Learn Things https://youtu.be/kzcI5F4tGiU
Probe
Measure first. Do not teach during a probe except a one-line correction after they answer.
Quiz UI is mandatory. Read ../teach/references/quiz-ui.md and call that tool. Never print A/B/C/D in the chat.
Goal
Produce .alvar/maps/<slug>.md that labels every dependency strand:
known | edge | unknown | blocked
blocked = they said they don't know, or the question needs a tool you don't have.
How to ask
- 1–3 multiple-choice questions per turn. Wait.
- Always include D. I don't know (or an extra "I don't know" option).
- Start wide (what kind of object is this? what does this operator measure?). Then split the strand that the answer leaves ambiguous.
- If they already listed solid ground, skip those strands.
- Invite a talk-through: a wrong reason + right letter is
edge, notknown.
One right answer. No trick options that hinge on wording. Put I don't know as an option. Do not mark the correct choice recommended.
Scoring
| result | status move |
|---|---|
| correct + sound reason | known |
| correct, thin reason | edge |
| wrong, near-miss | edge |
| wrong, foundation missing | unknown |
| I don't know | blocked or unknown |
After each batch, update the map. Stop when the upcoming lesson's dependencies are all labeled — not when you have asked "enough questions."
Map file
# Map — <goal>
Updated: <ISO date>
Goal: <one sentence>
## Strands
| strand | status | evidence |
|--------|--------|----------|
| … | known | Q2 + reason |
## Quiz log
- Q1 [strand] <letter> — correct|wrong|idk — <five words>End
Show the table. Say which strands a teacher should start from. Do not start the lesson unless they ask.
© vasanthsreeram, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills/probe of vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 5d39056
Compare with similar skills
Probe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Probe this skillvasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod | 163 | — | ~566 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| DeepTutor CLIHKUDS/DeepTutor | 41k | — | ~2.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| AI Engineering Placement Quizrohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch | 66k | — | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Deep Reading Analystginobefun/deep-reading-analyst-skill | 354 | 4 repos | ~3.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| OpenMAIC Setup and ExtensionTHU-MAIC/OpenMAIC | 40k | — | ~1.7k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Codebase to Coursezarazhangrui/codebase-to-course | 5.7k | — | ~4.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | None |
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Comprehensive framework for deep analysis of articles, papers, and long-form content using 10+ thinking models (SCQA, 5W2H, critical thinking, inversion, mental models, first principles, systems…
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More from vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod
Teach
vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod
One-to-one tutor using the Alvar method — probe the edge of this mind, plan a mermaid DAG, then teach one reasoning step at a time with a lock-in quiz.
Learn Verify
vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod
Fact-check a teaching claim against sources so the learner can trust the single interface.
Learn Profile
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Interview the learner and write .alvar/LEARNER.md so one teacher can fit one mind — pace, voice, solid ground, and how they want to struggle.
Learn Visual
vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod
Make a teaching diagram (usually SVG) for one idea, look at it, and fix it until the picture actually shows the claim.
Related
Categories
Questions about Probe
What does Probe do?
Map the edge of the learner's understanding with a short graded quiz. Probe is an agent skill from vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod. Map the edge of the learner's understanding with a short graded quiz.
When should I use Probe?
Probe fits situations like: the user runs /probe; what do I already know; diagnose my understanding; find the edge before teaching.
How do I install Probe in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod --skill probe -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/probe in vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod) into .claude/skills/probe in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Probe in Codex?
Run `npx skills add vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod --skill probe -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/probe in vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod) into .agents/skills/probe in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Probe 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 vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod --skill probe -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/probe, .gemini/skills/probe, .github/skills/probe and .opencode/skills/probe in your project.
What does Probe need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Probe is instructions for the agent only.
Does Probe 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 Probe 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 Probe use?
Probe is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Probe use?
About 566 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Probe?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Probe: DeepTutor CLI (HKUDS/DeepTutor, 41k stars), AI Engineering Placement Quiz (rohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch, 66k stars), Deep Reading Analyst (ginobefun/deep-reading-analyst-skill, 354 stars) and OpenMAIC Setup and Extension (THU-MAIC/OpenMAIC, 40k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Probe?
vasanthsreeram (a GitHub user) maintains it in vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod, which has 163 GitHub stars. The repository holds 5 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 16, 2026.
Source: vasanthsreeram/Alvarmethod on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.