Agent skill

Literature Search

Comprehensive scientific literature search across PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv.

Install Literature Search

skills CLI

$ npx skills add wu-yc/LabClaw --skill literature-search -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install wu-yc/LabClaw literature-search --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/wu-yc/LabClaw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/literature/literature-search .claude/skills/literature-search && 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/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "literature-search" agent skill from https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw/tree/main/skills/literature/literature-search into .claude/skills/literature-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "literature-search", 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

$skill-installer install https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw/tree/main/skills/literature/literature-search

Type 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add wu-yc/LabClaw --skill literature-search -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install wu-yc/LabClaw literature-search --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/literature/literature-search .agents/skills/literature-search && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "literature-search" agent skill from https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw/tree/main/skills/literature/literature-search into .agents/skills/literature-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "literature-search", 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add wu-yc/LabClaw --skill literature-search -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install wu-yc/LabClaw literature-search --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/literature/literature-search .cursor/skills/literature-search && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "literature-search" agent skill from https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw/tree/main/skills/literature/literature-search into .cursor/skills/literature-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "literature-search", 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

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw.git --path skills/literature/literature-search

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add wu-yc/LabClaw --skill literature-search -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install wu-yc/LabClaw literature-search --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/literature/literature-search .gemini/skills/literature-search && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "literature-search" agent skill from https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw/tree/main/skills/literature/literature-search into .gemini/skills/literature-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "literature-search", 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.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install wu-yc/LabClaw literature-search

Installs 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).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add wu-yc/LabClaw --skill literature-search -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/literature/literature-search .github/skills/literature-search && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "literature-search" agent skill from https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw/tree/main/skills/literature/literature-search into .github/skills/literature-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "literature-search", 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add wu-yc/LabClaw --skill literature-search -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install wu-yc/LabClaw literature-search --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/literature/literature-search .opencode/skills/literature-search && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "literature-search" agent skill from https://github.com/wu-yc/LabClaw/tree/main/skills/literature/literature-search into .opencode/skills/literature-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "literature-search", 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: literature-search
GitHub stars: 1.1k
Used in: 2 other repos
Token cost: ~1.4k tokens
SKILL.md length: 327 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 68
Repo updated: Mar 19, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Comprehensive scientific literature search across PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv.

Works in 2 steps: Node.js 18+ (uses built-in fetch) → Valyu API key from…
Tasks that involve Literature review
SKILL.md covers Why This Skill is Powerful, Requirements, CRITICAL: Script Path Resolution and API Key Setup Flow, plus 8 more sections
Calls jq; reaches api.valyu.ai

What it does

Literature Search is an agent skill from wu-yc/LabClaw. Comprehensive scientific literature search across PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv. Natural language queries powered by Valyu semantic search.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.4k 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 Research & Science, covering Literature review and Academic paper search. It works with arXiv and PubMed. The repository describes itself as: LabClaw – Operating Layer for LabOS (Stanford-Princeton AI Co-Scientists). The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

Tasks that involve Literature review
Tasks that involve Academic paper search

Example prompts

“/literature-search”

Requirements

Python 3
Node.js

Workflow steps

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

Node.js 18+ (uses built-in fetch)
Valyu API key from https://platform.valyu.ai ($10 free credits)

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit df37802. 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
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- jq
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:
- api.valyu.ai
Also links to:
- platform.valyu.ai
- docs.valyu.ai
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

Literature Search loads about 1.4k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 40 tokens; SKILL.md has 327 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~40
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.4k

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 wu-yc/LabClaw at commit df37802, republished under its MIT licence (© wu-yc). 327 words, ~1,368 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/literature-search/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: literature-search
description: Comprehensive scientific literature search across PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv. Natural language queries powered by Valyu semantic search.
keywords: literature-search, scientific-literature, multi-source-search, comprehensive-search, research-aggregation, semantic-search
license: MIT

Literature Search

Search across all major scientific literature databases (PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv) simultaneously using natural language queries powered by Valyu's semantic search API.

Why This Skill is Powerful

No API Parameter Parsing: Just pass natural language queries directly - no need to construct complex search parameters
Semantic Search: Understands the meaning of your query, not just keyword matching
Full-Text Access: Returns complete article content, not just abstracts
Image Links: Includes figures and images from papers
Comprehensive Coverage: Search across PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, and medRxiv simultaneously
Unified Results: Get results from all sources in a single query

Requirements

Node.js 18+ (uses built-in fetch)
Valyu API key from https://platform.valyu.ai ($10 free credits)

CRITICAL: Script Path Resolution

The scripts/search commands in this documentation are relative to this skill's installation directory.

Before running any command, locate the script using:

bash

LITERATURE_SCRIPT=$(find ~/.claude/plugins/cache -name "search" -path "*/literature-search/*/scripts/*" -type f 2>/dev/null | head -1)

Then use the full path for all commands:

bash

$LITERATURE_SCRIPT "CRISPR gene editing advances" 15

API Key Setup Flow

When you run a search and receive "setup_required": true, follow this flow:

Ask the user for their API key: "To search scientific literature, I need your Valyu API key. Get one free ($10 credits) at https://platform.valyu.ai"
Once the user provides the key, run:
bash
```
scripts/search setup <api-key>
```
Retry the original search.

When to Use This Skill

Comprehensive literature reviews across all domains
Finding all relevant research on a topic
Cross-domain scientific discovery
Combining biomedical, physics, and preprint literature
Emerging research across disciplines

Output Format

json

{
  "success": true,
  "type": "literature_search",
  "query": "CRISPR gene editing advances",
  "result_count": 15,
  "results": [
    {
      "title": "Article Title",
      "url": "https://...",
      "content": "Full article text with figures...",
      "source": "pubmed|arxiv|biorxiv|medrxiv",
      "relevance_score": 0.95,
      "images": ["https://example.com/figure1.jpg"]
    }
  ],
  "cost": 0.025
}

Processing Results

With jq

bash

# Get article titles
scripts/search "query" 20 | jq -r '.results[].title'

# Get URLs
scripts/search "query" 20 | jq -r '.results[].url'

# Extract full content
scripts/search "query" 20 | jq -r '.results[].content'

# Filter by source
scripts/search "query" 20 | jq -r '.results[] | select(.source == "arxiv") | .title'

Common Use Cases

Comprehensive Literature Review

bash

# Search across all sources for thorough review
scripts/search "mechanisms of cellular senescence" 100

Cross-Disciplinary Research

bash

# Find papers spanning multiple fields
scripts/search "quantum computing applications in drug discovery" 50

Recent Developments

bash

# Get latest preprints and publications
scripts/search "foundation models for protein folding" 30

Medical Research

bash

# Search biomedical literature comprehensively
scripts/search "immunotherapy checkpoint inhibitors resistance" 40

Error Handling

All commands return JSON with success field:

json

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "Error message"
}

Exit codes:

0 - Success
1 - Error (check JSON for details)

API Endpoint

Base URL: https://api.valyu.ai/v1
Endpoint: /search
Authentication: X-API-Key header

Architecture

scripts/
├── search          # Bash wrapper
└── search.mjs      # Node.js CLI

Direct API calls using Node.js built-in fetch(), zero external dependencies.

Adding to Your Project

If you're building an AI project and want to integrate Literature Search directly into your application, use the Valyu SDK:

Python Integration

python

from valyu import Valyu

client = Valyu(api_key="your-api-key")

response = client.search(
    query="your search query here",
    included_sources=["valyu/valyu-pubmed", "valyu/valyu-arxiv", "valyu/valyu-biorxiv", "valyu/valyu-medrxiv"],
    max_results=20
)

for result in response["results"]:
    print(f"Title: {result['title']}")
    print(f"URL: {result['url']}")
    print(f"Content: {result['content'][:500]}...")

TypeScript Integration

typescript

import { Valyu } from "valyu-js";

const client = new Valyu("your-api-key");

const response = await client.search({
  query: "your search query here",
  includedSources: ["valyu/valyu-pubmed", "valyu/valyu-arxiv", "valyu/valyu-biorxiv", "valyu/valyu-medrxiv"],
  maxResults: 20
});

response.results.forEach((result) => {
  console.log(`Title: ${result.title}`);
  console.log(`URL: ${result.url}`);
  console.log(`Content: ${result.content.substring(0, 500)}...`);
});

See the Valyu docs for full integration examples and SDK reference.

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/literature/literature-search of wu-yc/LabClaw.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit df37802

Used in 2 other repositories

We found 2 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 2 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in wu-yc/LabClaw, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Literature Search 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.

Literature Search compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Literature Search this skillwu-yc/LabClaw	1.1k	2 repos	~1.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	6 mo ago
Literature Reviewneflibata-feng/MyArxiv-Agent	126	20 repos	~5.9k	Automated safety check: Notes	MIT	today
Academic Search and Citation RouterYuan1z0825/nature-skills	47k	—	~884	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	today
Literature ReviewK-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills	48k	1 repos	~3.2k	Automated safety check: Notes	MIT	6 days ago
Literature ReviewNorman-bury/research-writing-skill	3.4k	—	~2.2k	Automated safety check: Notes	MIT	4 mo ago
PaperSeek Literature SearchMingfengHong/paperseek	0	—	~1.6k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	yesterday

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Literature Review
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0 GitHub stars~1.6k tokensUpdated yesterday
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Works with

Questions about Literature Search

What does Literature Search do?

Comprehensive scientific literature search across PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv. Literature Search is an agent skill from wu-yc/LabClaw. Comprehensive scientific literature search across PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv.

When should I use Literature Search?

Literature Search fits situations like: tasks that involve Literature review; tasks that involve Academic paper search.

How do I install Literature Search in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add wu-yc/LabClaw --skill literature-search -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/literature/literature-search in wu-yc/LabClaw) into .claude/skills/literature-search in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Literature Search in Codex?

Run `npx skills add wu-yc/LabClaw --skill literature-search -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/literature/literature-search in wu-yc/LabClaw) into .agents/skills/literature-search in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Literature Search 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 wu-yc/LabClaw --skill literature-search -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/literature-search, .gemini/skills/literature-search, .github/skills/literature-search and .opencode/skills/literature-search in your project.

What does Literature Search need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Literature Search needs the command-line tools its instructions call (jq). Our summary lists: Python 3; Node.js.

Does Literature Search access the network?

SKILL.md names 3 domains. In commands or code: api.valyu.ai; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. As links in the text: platform.valyu.ai and docs.valyu.ai. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Literature Search 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 Literature Search use?

Literature Search 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 Literature Search use?

About 1.4k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.5k 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 Literature Search?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Literature Search: Literature Review (neflibata-feng/MyArxiv-Agent, 126 stars), Academic Search and Citation Router (Yuan1z0825/nature-skills, 47k stars), Literature Review (K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills, 48k stars) and Literature Review (Norman-bury/research-writing-skill, 3.4k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Literature Search?

wu-yc (a GitHub user) maintains it in wu-yc/LabClaw, which has 1,055 GitHub stars. The repository holds 68 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on March 19, 2026.

Source: wu-yc/LabClaw on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Literature Search

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Literature Search

Why This Skill is Powerful

Requirements

CRITICAL: Script Path Resolution

API Key Setup Flow

When to Use This Skill

Output Format

Processing Results

With jq

Common Use Cases

Comprehensive Literature Review

Cross-Disciplinary Research

Recent Developments

Medical Research

Error Handling

API Endpoint

Architecture

Adding to Your Project

Python Integration

TypeScript Integration

Files

Used in 2 other repositories

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from wu-yc/LabClaw

Related

Questions about Literature Search