Agent skill · Backend & API

biorxiv-search

Search bioRxiv preprints through the official bioRxiv API and locally filter titles, abstracts, and authors for keyword queries. Use when you need recent biology preprints, bioRxiv-native metadata, date-range scans, DOI lookups, or author shortlists that may not yet appear in peer-reviewed literature indexes.

BioTender-maxgithub.com/BioTender-maxGitHub ↗
claude-codeships scriptsNOASSERTION
Install
npx skills add BioTender-max/awesome-bio-agent-skills --skill biorxiv-search --agent claude-code

Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.

Facts
Files in the skill folder: 4
SKILL.md size: 9 KB
Bundled scripts: yes
Path: skills/omics/biorxiv-search/SKILL.md
Open the folder on GitHub →
Where it comes from
Stars: 135
Language: Python

Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.

From the SKILL.md

# bioRxiv Search Search bioRxiv through its official API for recent-preprint discovery, date-range scans, DOI lookups, author shortlisting, and local keyword filtering over title, abstract, and author metadata. ## Instructions 1. Prefer this skill when the request is about bioRxiv-native preprints, recent biology submissions, or preprint metadata that may lag in PubMed, PMC, or Crossref. 2. Use the bundled CLI: - In this repository: `skills/biorxiv-search/scripts/search` - After installation: `~/.agents/skills/biorxiv-search/scripts/search` 3. The official bioRxiv API does not provide a general server-side keyword search endpoint. - Use the CLI to fetch metadata from a bounded recent window or explicit date range, then filter locally. 4. When keywords are provided, search `title`, `abstract`, and `authors` by default. - If the user wants abstract-only matching, pass `--fields abstract`. 5. Keep the search window bounded. - Use `--days N` for recent scans or `--start-date YYYY-MM-DD --end-date YYYY-MM-DD` for explicit intervals. - If you omit the interval, the CLI defaults to the most recent 30 days. - The CLI converts `--days N` into an explicit date range before calling the API so

What's inside
Steps it walks through
  1. Instructions
  2. Quick Reference
  3. Input Requirements
  4. Search Semantics
  5. Output
  6. Quality Gates
  7. Examples
  8. Example 1: Recent keyword scan over title + abstract
  9. Example 2: Broaden with OR
  10. Example 3: Abstract-only keyword filtering
  11. Example 4: Author-specific search with separate variant reporting
  12. Example 5: DOI lookup
  13. Troubleshooting
  14. Related Skills
Ships with 3 files
  • agents/openai.yaml
  • scripts/search
  • scripts/search.py
Commands it runs
skills/biorxiv-search/scripts/search "single cell atlas" 10 --days 30
skills/biorxiv-search/scripts/search '"organoid OR spheroid"' 15 \
skills/biorxiv-search/scripts/search "CRISPR screen" 10 \
skills/biorxiv-search/scripts/search "supernova" 20 \
skills/biorxiv-search/scripts/search --doi 10.1101/682021
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About this skill
What does the biorxiv-search skill do?

Search bioRxiv preprints through the official bioRxiv API and locally filter titles, abstracts, and authors for keyword queries. Use when you need recent biology preprints, bioRxiv-native metadata, date-range scans, DOI lookups, or author shortlists that may not yet appear in peer-reviewed literature indexes.

How do I install it?

Run `npx skills add BioTender-max/awesome-bio-agent-skills --skill biorxiv-search --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 BioTender-max/awesome-bio-agent-skills, a repository with 135 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.

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