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Install in OpenClaw
/install academic-research-skip
Description
Search academic papers and conduct literature reviews using OpenAlex API (free, no key needed). Use when the user needs to find scholarly papers by topic/aut...
README (SKILL.md)
Academic Research
Search 250M+ academic works via OpenAlex. No API key required.
Built by Topanga — AI Research Consultant
Quick Start
Search papers by topic
python3 scripts/scholar-search.py search "transformer architectures" --limit 10
Search by author
python3 scripts/scholar-search.py author "Yann LeCun" --limit 5
Look up by DOI
python3 scripts/scholar-search.py doi "10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2"
Get citation chain (papers that cite a work)
python3 scripts/scholar-search.py citations "10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2" --direction both
Deep read (fetch abstract + full text when available)
python3 scripts/scholar-search.py deep "10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2"
JSON output for programmatic use
python3 scripts/scholar-search.py search "CRISPR" --json
Literature Review Workflow
Automated multi-step literature review:
python3 scripts/literature-review.py "algorithmic literacy in education" --papers 30 --output review.md
This will:
- Search for papers across multiple query variations
- Deduplicate and rank by relevance + citations
- Identify thematic clusters
- Generate a structured synthesis in markdown
Options:
--papers N— Target number of papers (default: 20)--output FILE— Write review to file (default: stdout)--years 2020-2025— Restrict publication year range--json— Output structured JSON instead of markdown
Output Format
All search commands return structured data per paper:
- Title and publication year
- Authors (up to 5)
- Abstract (when available)
- Citation count
- DOI
- Open access URL (when available)
- Source journal/venue
Tips
- OpenAlex sorts by relevance by default; use
--sort citationsfor most-cited - Combine
search+deepfor quick triage: search first, deep-read promising hits - The literature review script caches results in
/tmp/litreview_cache/to avoid re-fetching - For full-text PDFs, pipe DOIs to your PDF extraction tool
Usage Guidance
This skill appears to do what it says: run Python scripts that query OpenAlex (and optionally Unpaywall) and produce literature-review output. Before installing, ensure you have a Python runtime and the 'requests' library available (the manifest doesn't declare this dependency). Note the scripts will perform outbound network requests and include the hard-coded email ([email protected]) as the 'mailto' parameter to third-party APIs; if you prefer not to surface your queries with that contact, inspect/modify the MAILTO value in the scripts. The tool caches results under /tmp/litreview_cache — review or clear that cache if it will contain sensitive query info. Run the scripts in an isolated environment if you want to limit network or file access. Overall there are no requests for credentials or unexpected endpoints, and the functionality matches the description.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: academic-research-skip
Version: 1.0.1
The skill provides legitimate tools for academic research and literature synthesis using the OpenAlex and Unpaywall APIs. The Python scripts (scripts/scholar-search.py and scripts/literature-review.py) implement standard API interaction patterns, including the recommended 'polite pool' mailto parameter and local disk caching in /tmp. No evidence of data exfiltration, malicious execution, or prompt injection was found; the code logic strictly aligns with the stated purpose in SKILL.md.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
The scripts and SKILL.md implement OpenAlex-based search and a literature-review pipeline as advertised. Minor inconsistencies: the package/registry metadata claims 'instruction-only' with no install spec, but this bundle includes Python scripts that require the 'requests' library and a Python runtime. That missing dependency declaration is a bookkeeping issue but does not change the skill's purpose.
Instruction Scope
Runtime instructions and the Python code only perform searches against api.openalex.org and (optionally) api.unpaywall.org, parse results, cluster themes, and write a local cache under /tmp/litreview_cache. The code does not read other system files, environment variables, or call arbitrary external endpoints beyond OpenAlex/Unpaywall. It also does not exfiltrate secrets or request unrelated data.
Install Mechanism
No install spec is provided (lowest-risk install model). However, the shipped scripts require Python and the third-party 'requests' package; these requirements are not declared in the manifest. This is an operational omission (user/agent must have Python + requests available) rather than an active security risk.
Credentials
The skill requests no environment variables or credentials. The only notable constant is a built-in MAILTO ([email protected]) used as a polite parameter to OpenAlex/Unpaywall; this means queries will include that email but does not expose any user secrets or require tokens.
Persistence & Privilege
always is false and the skill does not request persistent privileged presence. It writes cache files to /tmp/litreview_cache (local, non-privileged) and does not modify other skills or system-wide settings.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install academic-research-skip - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/academic-research-skip - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.1
- Metadata file updated; no changes to functionality or user-facing documentation.
- Version incremented to 1.0.1.
v1.0.0
- Initial release of academic-research skill.
- Search 250M+ academic papers using the OpenAlex API without an API key.
- Supports paper search by topic, author, or DOI; citation chain exploration; and deep reading for abstracts and full texts (when available).
- Provides structured metadata including title, authors, abstract, citation count, DOI, open access URL, and source.
- Features an automated literature review workflow with thematic clustering and synthesis.
- Outputs results in markdown or JSON for programmatic use.
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Academic Research Skip?
Search academic papers and conduct literature reviews using OpenAlex API (free, no key needed). Use when the user needs to find scholarly papers by topic/aut... It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 157 downloads so far.
How do I install Academic Research Skip?
Run "/install academic-research-skip" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Academic Research Skip free?
Yes, Academic Research Skip is completely free, licensed under MIT-0. You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Academic Research Skip support?
Academic Research Skip is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Academic Research Skip?
It is built and maintained by mmyg11 (@mmyg11); the current version is v1.0.1.
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