anmath-methods
Use when laying out the proof strategy of a pure-mathematics manuscript for Annals of Mathematics — the architecture of the argument, the key lemmas and propositions, the novel technique, and where the difficulty lies. Designs and exposes the proof plan; does not check final correctness line-by-line (see anmath-referee-strategy).
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill anmath-methods --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Proof Strategy and Architecture (anmath-methods) ## When to trigger - The proof is essentially complete but its logical structure is not laid out for a reader - A referee would not be able to see the plan before drowning in the details - The key new idea is buried; it is not clear where the real difficulty is overcome - The argument is monolithic and should be decomposed into named lemmas/propositions ## Architecture-first principle For an Annals paper, an expert non-specialist should be able to read a **proof overview** and understand *how* the theorem is proved before verifying *that* it is. The architecture is part of the contribution. 1. **Proof outline up front.** After stating the Main Theorem, give a paragraph or short section sketching the strategy: the main steps, the key lemma(s), and the crux. 2. **Decompose into named results.** Break the argument into Lemmas, Propositions, and intermediate Theorems, each stated precisely and proved before it is used. 3. **Isolate the new idea.** Name explicitly which step is the genuinely new technique and why prior approaches failed there. This is what makes the paper publishable. 4. **Locate the difficulty.** Tell the reader where
- When to trigger
- Architecture-first principle
- Decomposition guidance
- Handling the key technique
- Dependence on external results
- Checklist
- Anti-patterns
- Output format
What does the anmath-methods skill do?
Use when laying out the proof strategy of a pure-mathematics manuscript for Annals of Mathematics — the architecture of the argument, the key lemmas and propositions, the novel technique, and where the difficulty lies. Designs and exposes the proof plan; does not check final correctness line-by-line (see anmath-referee-strategy).
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill anmath-methods --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills, a repository with 909 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.