skill
skill-commons
Git-first hub for open, reusable research Agent Skills
Set up
Skills are installed by placing their folder where your agent loads skills.
The download comes from github.com/skill-commons/skill-commons itself, not from our server, so what you get is exactly what its author published.
Install instructions come from the README
Skills do not use an MCP config. Follow the steps in the README below.
README
synced Oct 26, 2026Skill Commons
Skill Commons is a federated discovery catalog for research skills. It records where each skill is maintained; it does not copy third-party skill content into this repository.
The canonical skill bytes, references, scripts, history, and updates remain in their source repositories. The first Commons-maintained source is the curated-research-skills Hermes tap.
Use with Hermes
Subscribe to the Commons-maintained tap:
hermes skills tap add skill-commons/curated-research-skills
hermes skills search astronomy
Every table below also gives the explicit direct-install command. Hermes installs from the source repository's current default branch and records its resolved source and content hash locally.
Review maturity summarizes accountable assessment under a named policy. It is not a global trust badge, scientific-validity claim, or runtime authorization. See ADR 0003.
Skills
General
Literature discovery, evidence synthesis, monitoring, and scientific calculation.
| Skill | Version | Review | Description | Source | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
arxiv | 2.0.0 | curated | Search, read, cite, and monitor papers through arXiv. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/arxiv |
calculator | 1.0.2 | curated | Perform exact symbolic and numerical calculations. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/calculator |
research-paper-evidence-workflow | 1.0.1 | curated | Map research-paper claims to evidence; audit draft scope. Map claims to supplied evidence, synthesize completed results, construct an evidence-backed outline, and audit a draft for traceability, numeric fidelity, scope, and overclaiming. Use when notes, tables, figures, result files, or a manuscript need a claim-evidence matrix, results narrative, outline, or evidence-focused review. Do not use to design or run experiments, retrieve citations, format or compile LaTeX, manage projects, submit or promote papers, or perform external writes. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/research-paper-evidence-workflow |
rss-feed-monitor | 2.0.1 | curated | Monitor RSS and Atom feeds in an isolated local database. Scan for new articles and manage read state with explicit mutation safeguards. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/rss-feed-monitor |
LaTeX
Research-manuscript authoring, revision, compilation, and submission packaging.
| Skill | Version | Review | Description | Source | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
latex-journal-submission-package | 2.0.0 | curated | Build and verify portable LaTeX journal submissions. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/latex-journal-submission-package |
latex-research-paper | 1.0.0 | curated | Draft, revise, and verify LaTeX research manuscripts. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/latex-research-paper |
Astronomy
Astronomy catalog access, survey-specific workflows, and scientific visualization.
| Skill | Version | Review | Description | Source | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
astro-catalog-plotting-cache | 2.0.1 | curated | Create cached, publication-ready astronomy catalog plots. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/astro-catalog-plotting-cache |
cluster-cmd-isochrone-fit | 1.0.1 | curated | Fit cluster CMD ages with stellar-evolution isochrones. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/cluster-cmd-isochrone-fit |
coseecat | 1.0.0 | curated | Query solar electron events and plots from CoSEE-Cat. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/coseecat |
gaia-dr3-tap-query | 3.1.1 | curated | Query Gaia DR3 catalogs and spectra at AIP. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/gaia-dr3-tap-query |
muse-science-products | 1.0.0 | curated | Plot published MUSE maps and H II region measurements. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/muse-science-products |
pepsi-spectra | 1.0.1 | curated | Retrieve and plot public PEPSI stellar spectra. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/pepsi-spectra |
rave-dr6 | 2.1.1 | curated | Query and plot public RAVE DR6 spectra and catalogs. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/rave-dr6 |
starhorse-access | 2.0.3 | curated | Access StarHorse SHboost and SH21 catalog products. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/starhorse-access |
tap-pyvo-adql-access | 1.0.1 | curated | Query astronomy TAP services with PyVO and ADQL. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/tap-pyvo-adql-access |
vamdc | 1.0.0 | community | Query atomic and molecular spectroscopic data using the pyVAMDC command-line tool. Provides access to VAMDC (Virtual Atomic and Molecular Data Centre) infrastructure for retrieving spectral lines, species metadata, node information, and RADEX molecular collision data. Use this skill to fetch spectroscopic data from various databases, discover available species, count results before downloading, or obtain collision rate files for radiative transfer modelling. | pinned source | hermes skills install VAMDC/pyVAMDC/skill |
Data
Reproducible access to large research datasets and object storage.
| Skill | Version | Review | Description | Source | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
data-aip-de-s3 | 2.0.1 | curated | Access and cache research data from S3-compatible stores. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/data-aip-de-s3 |
drphub-cards | 2.1.3 | community | Manage and publish DRP Hub research products via REST. Supports full CRUD, clone, maturity, publish, audit, lineage, human-review, bookmarks, likes, sharing, and SSE event streaming against the production API at drp-term.kube.aip.de/api/v1/. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/drphub-cards |
drphub-products | 1.0.1 | curated | Inspect Digital Research Product Hub products and health. Report API capabilities, product summaries, maturity, and lineage through a bounded read-only REST client. Use when a user needs to diagnose a DRP Hub endpoint, search or inspect products, verify immutable Git and image identities, or review maturity and clone relationships without creating, changing, publishing, sharing, reviewing, or deleting remote data. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/drphub-products |
Visualization
General-purpose publication and report graphics.
| Skill | Version | Review | Description | Source | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
large-tabular-visualization | 2.0.2 | curated | Visualize large tabular data with hvPlot and Datashader. Build interpretable interactive or static plots for datasets too dense or too large for ordinary point plotting. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/large-tabular-visualization |
seaborn-paper-plots | 1.0.2 | curated | Create reproducible publication plots with Seaborn. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/seaborn-paper-plots |
Scientific Computing
Simulation, validation, and reproducible scientific software workflows.
| Skill | Version | Review | Description | Source | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
dt4acc-host-smoke-test | 2.0.1 | curated | Smoke-test local dt4acc checkouts without any containers. Run a bounded, simulation-only host check for dt4acc, dt4acc-lib, and lat2db without facility services. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/dt4acc-host-smoke-test |
dt4acc-operations | 1.0.1 | curated | Operate local dt4acc simulations from digest-pinned SIFs. Preflight, plan, start, inspect, and stop a simulation packaged as an already-built Apptainer SIF. Use when an operator needs a bounded simulation IOC lifecycle with exact source/build provenance, a clean child environment, no host or facility network, content-bound start/stop confirmation, and exact owned-process cleanup. This CRS skill never builds or pulls images, connects to facility services, accesses live PVs, imports MongoDB data, or performs PV writes. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/dt4acc-operations |
jubik-bootstrap | 1.0.1 | curated | Bootstrap a pinned J-UBIK CPU core and verify readiness. Preflight, plan, create, and diagnose its environment with an isolated lock-backed, wheel-only workflow and a genuine synthetic SkyModel smoke test. Use when a researcher is blocked on J-UBIK installation, JAX/NIFTy compatibility, environment configuration, artifact provenance, or core readiness. This skill proves only the CPU core; it never claims JWST, Chandra, or eROSITA adapter readiness, downloads calibration or observation data, invokes instrument software, or runs research inference. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/jubik-bootstrap |
nifty-re-variational-inference | 1.0.1 | curated | Run bounded Bayesian variational inference with NIFTy.re. Build and validate workflows with the JAX-based NIFTy.re API. Use when a researcher needs to formulate priors, a response and likelihood, prove a NIFTy.re installation against an analytic posterior, run a small CPU pilot, inspect optimizer and sampling evidence, or prepare a reproducible inference handoff. Do not use this skill to bootstrap J-UBIK, configure telescope instruments, certify an arbitrary scientific model from one successful run, or launch unbounded production inference. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/nifty-re-variational-inference |
reana-operator | 1.0.1 | curated | Inspect remote REANA workflows using read-only commands. Use a fixed allowlist against an authenticated service to report connectivity, cluster information, workflow inventory, status, redacted logs, workspace files, and disk usage. Use when a user wants to diagnose or review remote REANA state after a local workflow has been authored. This CRS skill never uploads, creates, starts, stops, deletes, downloads, shares, or otherwise mutates a workflow. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/reana-operator |
reana-workflow-authoring | 1.0.1 | curated | Author and validate local REANA Serial workflow projects. Scaffold and edit provider-neutral projects while checking reana.yaml structure, declared inputs and outputs, runtime-image reproducibility, path containment, symlinks, and accidental secrets. Use when a user asks to create or review a local REANA workflow definition before operational handoff. This skill never authenticates, contacts a REANA server or registry, uploads, submits, starts, monitors, downloads, or mutates a remote workflow. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/reana-workflow-authoring |
Software Development
Documentation-grounded software development and library workflows.
| Skill | Version | Review | Description | Source | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
python-library-docs-first | 2.0.1 | curated | Verify Python APIs against version-matched documentation. Check version-sensitive third-party APIs against authoritative documentation before writing, reviewing, fixing, or explaining code. | pinned source | hermes skills install skill-commons/curated-research-skills/skills/python-library-docs-first |
| Former skill | Use instead | Reason |
|---|---|---|
cold-streams-monitoring | arxiv | A topic-specific arXiv query and scheduler wrapper is covered by generic monitoring. |
iterative-paper-improvement | latex-research-paper | Its revision rounds duplicate the canonical manuscript workflow. |
latex-paper-iteration | latex-research-paper | Drafting, revision, merging, figures, and compile loops belong in one authoring skill. |
multi-section-latex-whitepaper | latex-research-paper | Multi-source synthesis is a mode of the canonical manuscript workflow. |
mnras-latex-compile-portability-fixes | latex-journal-submission-package | MNRAS portability fixes are packaging guidance, not a separate task. |
mnras-latex-portable | latex-journal-submission-package | MNRAS build guidance is consolidated into the journal submission skill. |
mnras-latex-portable-build-and-package | latex-journal-submission-package | This duplicated the canonical journal build and submission workflow. |
cmd-plotting | astro-catalog-plotting-cache | A color-magnitude diagram is one plot type in the broader astronomy plotting skill. |
datashader-019-pipeline | astro-catalog-plotting-cache | Datashader is one implementation path in the broader catalog plotting workflow. |
gaia-dr3-daiquiri-rest | gaia-dr3-tap-query | Daiquiri REST is retained as a fallback in the canonical Gaia access skill. |
gaia-dr3-plot-with-dust | astro-catalog-plotting-cache | One Gaia sample and dust-overlay figure is too narrow to be an independent skill. |
rave-dr6-nearest-100-plot | rave-dr6 | A fixed nearest-100 query is an example, not a distinct RAVE capability. |
rave-dr6-public-talk-visualizations | astro-catalog-plotting-cache | Presentation styling is a plotting choice independent of the RAVE data source. |
rave-dr6-recent-observations-plot | rave-dr6 | A fixed newest-100 query and plot is covered by general RAVE querying and plotting. |
rave-dr6-shboost-distance-query | rave-dr6 | The reusable RAVE-StarHorse crossmatch is part of the canonical RAVE skill. |
rave-dr6-starhorse-access | rave-dr6 | This was a second version of the same RAVE-StarHorse crossmatch workflow. |
hdf5-on-s3-cached | data-aip-de-s3 | Cache-first HDF5 handling is one path within general object-store access. |
s3-parquet-sampling | data-aip-de-s3 | Parquet projection, reduction, and caching are core object-store operations. |
s3-parquet-sampling-plot-cached | data-aip-de-s3 | S3 access belongs here; astronomy plotting belongs in the plotting skill. |
dask-hvplot-datashader-scientific-plots | large-tabular-visualization | The implementation-specific plotting workflow is now maintained as a general large-table visualization skill. |
blogwatcher | rss-feed-monitor | RSS and Atom monitoring is maintained under a tool-independent task name. |
dtwin-host-smoke-test | dt4acc-host-smoke-test | The canonical name identifies the dt4acc stack and its simulation-only scope. |
python-mcp-docs-first | python-library-docs-first | Python documentation research no longer requires a specific MCP provider. |
dask-mcp-docs-first | python-library-docs-first | Dask documentation research is one use of the provider-neutral Python workflow. |
pandas-datashader-mcp-docs-first | python-library-docs-first | pandas and Datashader documentation research is one use of the provider-neutral Python workflow. |
research-paper-writing | research-paper-evidence-workflow | Evidence mapping, completed-result synthesis, outlining, and claim review are maintained as a focused read-only workflow; operational project management and submission actions remain excluded. |
reana-aip | reana-workflow-authoring | Reusable local REANA authoring guidance is maintained without AIP-only endpoints, credentials, or remote operations. |
reana-cmd-plot-workflow-external-script | reana-workflow-authoring | An external-script plotting workflow is an example covered by the general Serial authoring workflow. |
reana-dev-workflow-setup | reana-workflow-authoring | Local workflow setup and validation belong in the canonical REANA authoring skill. |
reana-run-script-with-workspace | reana-workflow-authoring | Running a script against declared workspace inputs is a Serial authoring pattern, not a separate skill. |
reana-serial-python | reana-workflow-authoring | A Python Serial workflow is covered by the provider-neutral canonical authoring workflow. |
reana-serial-python-analysis-template | reana-workflow-authoring | The analysis template is consolidated into the general local scaffolding workflow. |
reana-workflow-best-practices | reana-workflow-authoring | REANA authoring best practices are maintained directly in the canonical workflow. |
How the registry works
registry/index.yamlrecords each canonical repository, path, tracked branch, last reviewed commit, and Git tree.categories/index.yamlsupplies the human taxonomy. Categories are not Hermes installation units.catalog/index.jsonis the generated machine view.skill-commons check-upstreamscompares the recorded directory trees with the tracked branches and reports upstream changes without copying them.
The YAML files above are implementation data for this catalog, not a new skill-package standard. Source repositories use the formats understood by their clients; the Commons-maintained tap follows current Hermes conventions.
See CONTRIBUTING.md to register or update a source and docs/FEDERATED_REGISTRY.md for the architecture.