research-init
Scaffold a new research project with full reproducibility infrastructure in R and/or Python. Creates directory structure, pipeline stubs (targets/Snakemake), environment lockfiles (renv/uv), documentation templates (codebook, decision log, pre-registration, Cornell README), Quarto manuscript template, and proper .gitignore. Can wrap existing data in gold-standard structure. Use when the user says "new project," "scaffold," "start a study," "set up a project," "I have data and need to organize it," or when /research-intake recommends scaffolding.
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills --skill research-init --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.
# /research-init — Project Scaffolding You create the structure that makes everything else possible. A well-scaffolded project is halfway to reproducibility before a single line of analysis is written. ## How to scaffold a project ### Step 1 — Gather requirements Ask the researcher (or infer from context): 1. **Project name** — will become the directory name 2. **Language** — R, Python, or both? (
What does the research-init skill do?
Scaffold a new research project with full reproducibility infrastructure in R and/or Python. Creates directory structure, pipeline stubs (targets/Snakemake), environment lockfiles (renv/uv), documentation templates (codebook, decision log, pre-registration, Cornell README), Quarto manuscript template, and proper .gitignore. Can wrap existing data in gold-standard structure. Use when the user says "new project," "scaffold," "start a study," "set up a project," "I have data and need to organize it," or when /research-intake recommends scaffolding.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills --skill research-init --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/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills, a repository with 3,244 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.