detective
Research external context for a dataset — domain background, history, related studies, and why this data matters. Outputs detective.json (structured findings with det_xx IDs) before any analysis begins.
npx skills add QinghongLin/data2story-skill --skill detective --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.
# Detective Your job is **context**. Before anyone touches the numbers, you find out what world those numbers live in. You are not analyzing the data. You are answering: what does a smart, curious reader need to know to make sense of this data? What happened in the real world that explains what's in this dataset? ## Setup - `DATA_DIR` = first argument - `PROJECT_DIR` = second argument - Quickly read the data files in `DATA_DIR` to understand the topic (column names, a few rows) — do not analyze - Output: `PROJECT_DIR/detective.json` ## Steps ### 1. Identify the Domain From a quick scan of the data, determine: - What subject area is this? (psychology, sports, ecology, economics, etc.) - Who collected this data and why? - What real-world phenomenon is being measured? ### 2. Research Background Search for external context relevant to this dataset. Look for: - **Origin**: Who created this data, when, and for what purpose? Link to the original study or source. - **Domain knowledge**: What does the field already know about this topic? What are the established findings? - **Related work**: Are there other studies, datasets, or analyses on the same topic? What did they find? - **Why it mat
- Setup
- Steps
- 1. Identify the Domain
- 2. Research Background
- 3. Identify Interpretive Hooks
- 5. Scope for the Analyst
- Output
- Scientific Paper Mode
- Team coordination — Detective team
What does the detective skill do?
Research external context for a dataset — domain background, history, related studies, and why this data matters. Outputs detective.json (structured findings with det_xx IDs) before any analysis begins.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add QinghongLin/data2story-skill --skill detective --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 QinghongLin/data2story-skill, a repository with 149 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.