alhazen-skill-examples

Example skills for the Skillful Alhazen knowledge notebook framework — a TypeDB-powered scientific notebook for researchers building knowledge graphs from papers, notes, and domain data.

What is this?

This repo serves two purposes:

1. Claude Code plugin marketplace — install skills directly into Claude Code (v1.0.33+) without a full Skillful Alhazen project. Each skill is a self-contained plugin with its own dependencies.
2. Skillful Alhazen skills registry — add skills to skills-registry.yaml in a Skillful Alhazen project and make build-skills wires them in.

---

Skills

Skill	Plugin type	Description
jobhunt	self-contained	Track job applications, identify skill gaps, plan learning
alhazen-core	infrastructure	Starts TypeDB, loads base schema — required by multi-plugin installs
they-said-whaaa	standard	Credibility tracker — ingest YouTube + news, detect contradictions
scientific-literature	standard	Multi-source literature search (EPMC, PubMed, OpenAlex, bioRxiv)
alg-precision-therapeutics	standard	Rare disease mechanism investigation from a MONDO diagnosis
literature-trends	biomed	Trace hypothesis evolution across time windows in a literature cluster

---

Install via Claude Code Marketplace (recommended)

Requires Claude Code v1.0.33+. There are two plugin types with different install flows.

Self-contained plugins (zero-setup)

Self-contained plugins bundle everything they need — including the TypeDB init logic and base schema. TypeDB starts automatically on every session start via a SessionStart hook. No manual init required.

Currently available: jobhunt

/plugin marketplace add sciknow-io/alhazen-skill-examples
/plugin install jobhunt@alhazen-skills

That's it. On the next session start, the SessionStart hook runs:

uv run --project <plugin-root>/skills/jobhunt python <plugin-root>/skills/jobhunt/alhazen_core.py init

This starts the TypeDB Docker container (pulling the image if needed), creates the alhazen_notebook database, and loads both the base schema and jobhunt's domain schema. Subsequent session starts complete in under a second.

Expected output on first run:

{
  "success": true,
  "typedb": "running",
  "database": "alhazen_notebook",
  "database_created": true,
  "schema": "loaded",
  "extra_schema": "loaded",
  "message": "Alhazen core ready. Base schema and skill schema loaded."
}

Then use the skill:

uv run --project <skill-path> python <skill-path>/jobhunt.py list-pipeline

Standard plugins (install alhazen-core first)

Standard plugins depend on the alhazen-core infrastructure plugin. Install it first, then install domain skills individually.

Step 1 — Add the marketplace and install alhazen-core:

/plugin marketplace add sciknow-io/alhazen-skill-examples
/plugin install alhazen-core@alhazen-skills

Initialize the infrastructure (one-time):

/alhazen-core:init

Expected output:

{
  "success": true,
  "typedb": "running",
  "database": "alhazen_notebook",
  "schema": "loaded",
  "message": "Alhazen core ready."
}

Step 2 — Use a domain skill:

# Replace <skill-path> with your plugin cache path
# e.g. ~/.claude/plugins/cache/they-said-whaaa/
uv run --project <skill-path> python <skill-path>/they_said_whaaa.py list-figures

Marketplace structure

The repo-level catalog is at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.

Self-contained plugin bundle (plugins/<name>/):

plugins/<name>/
  .claude-plugin/
    plugin.json             # Plugin metadata (no "requires": ["alhazen-core"])
  hooks/
    hooks.json              # SessionStart hook: runs alhazen_core.py init
  skills/<name>/
    SKILL.md                # Loaded at startup: triggers, quick start
    USAGE.md                # Full reference: commands, workflows, data model
    <name>.py               # CLI entry point
    alhazen_core.py         # Bundled copy of alhazen-core init logic
    alhazen_notebook.tql    # Bundled copy of the base schema
    schema.tql              # This skill's domain schema (auto-loaded by init)
    pyproject.toml          # uv dependency declaration

Standard skill (skills/<category>/<name>/):

skills/<category>/<name>/
  .claude-plugin/
    plugin.json             # Includes "requires": {"plugins": ["alhazen-core"]}
  SKILL.md / USAGE.md / skill.yaml
  <name>.py / pyproject.toml / schema.tql

---

Install via Skillful Alhazen (full project)

Add entries to skillful-alhazen/skills-registry.yaml:

skills:
  - name: jobhunt
    git: https://github.com/sciknow-io/alhazen-skill-examples
    ref: main
    subdir: skills/demo/jobhunt

  - name: scientific-literature
    git: https://github.com/sciknow-io/alhazen-skill-examples
    ref: main
    subdir: skills/biomed/scientific-literature

Then build:

make build-skills   # clones skills into local_skills/, wires .claude/skills/ symlinks
make build-db       # loads all schemas (including new skill schemas) into TypeDB

In this mode, make build-db handles the base schema and all skill schemas automatically. The alhazen-core plugin is not needed.

---

Prerequisites

Requirement	Why
Docker	Runs the TypeDB container
uv	Runs skill Python CLIs with isolated deps
TypeDB 3.8.0+	Launched by alhazen-core init or make build-db

Optional per-skill:

• they-said-whaaa: uv add youtube-transcript-api for YouTube ingestion
• scientific-literature: VOYAGE_API_KEY + Qdrant for semantic search

---

Skill File Structure

Every skill directory contains:

skills/<category>/<name>/
  SKILL.md          Slim discovery file (~30 lines): frontmatter, overview, triggers,
                    prerequisites, quick-start snippet, pointer to USAGE.md.
                    Loaded by Claude Code at startup for every conversation.
  USAGE.md          Full reference (read on demand): all commands, workflows,
                    data model, TypeDB patterns, sensemaking guidance, examples.
  skill.yaml        Structured manifest (name, description, operations, entity types)
  <name>.py         CLI entry point — self-contained, no skillful_alhazen package needed
  pyproject.toml    uv dependency declaration (run standalone with uv run --project .)
  schema.tql        TypeDB schema extension (sub-types of alhazen_notebook.tql)
  .claude-plugin/
    plugin.json     Claude Code marketplace metadata

Why the SKILL.md / USAGE.md split? Claude Code loads every SKILL.md into context at startup. Keeping them slim (~30 lines each) reduces static context overhead by ~90% vs. a single large file, while still giving Claude enough to select the right skill. Claude reads USAGE.md when it decides to actually use the skill.

Self-contained CLIs: Each skill's Python script includes all required utility functions inline (cache management, TypeQL helpers). uv run --project <skill-dir> installs only the skill's own deps — no skillful_alhazen package needed.

SKILL.md format

---
name: <skill-name>
description: <one-liner — when to use it, not just what it is>
---

# <Skill Name>

<2-3 sentences: what it does, when to use, Claude's role>

**Triggers:** <comma-separated trigger phrases>

## Prerequisites
...

## Quick Start
<2-4 key commands only — use <skill-path> placeholder>

**Before executing commands, read USAGE.md for the complete reference.**

plugin.json format

{
  "name": "<skill-name>",
  "display_name": "<Display Name>",
  "description": "<one-line description>",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "license": "Apache-2.0",
  "requires": {
    "plugins": ["alhazen-core"],
    "system": {
      "bins": ["uv", "docker"],
      "description": "Run /alhazen-core:init first to set up TypeDB and base schema"
    }
  }
}

---

Repo Structure

.claude-plugin/
  marketplace.json          # Repo-level plugin catalog

plugins/                    # Self-contained plugin bundles (zero-setup installs)
  jobhunt/                  # Self-contained jobhunt plugin
    .claude-plugin/
      plugin.json           # Standalone manifest (no alhazen-core dependency)
    hooks/
      hooks.json            # SessionStart hook: runs alhazen_core.py init
    skills/jobhunt/
      SKILL.md / USAGE.md   # Discovery and reference docs
      jobhunt.py            # CLI: ingest-job, list-pipeline, show-gaps, ...
      alhazen_core.py       # Bundled: TypeDB init logic
      alhazen_notebook.tql  # Bundled: base schema
      schema.tql            # jobhunt domain schema (auto-loaded by init)
      pyproject.toml / uv.lock

skills/                     # Canonical skill sources (standard plugins + skillful-alhazen)
  core/
    alhazen-core/           # Infrastructure: TypeDB setup + base schema
      alhazen_core.py       # CLI: init, status, reset
      alhazen_notebook.tql  # Base schema
      SKILL.md / USAGE.md / skill.yaml / pyproject.toml
      .claude-plugin/plugin.json

  demo/
    jobhunt/                # Canonical jobhunt source (mirrored into plugins/jobhunt/)
      jobhunt.py            # CLI: ingest-job, list-pipeline, show-gaps, ...
      SKILL.md / USAGE.md / skill.yaml / pyproject.toml / schema.tql
      .claude-plugin/plugin.json
      dashboard/            # Next.js components (for demo app)

  journalism/
    they-said-whaaa/        # Credibility and consistency tracker
      they_said_whaaa.py    # CLI: add-figure, ingest-youtube, add-claim, ...
      SKILL.md / USAGE.md / skill.yaml / pyproject.toml / schema.tql
      .claude-plugin/plugin.json
      dashboard/

  biomed/
    scientific-literature/  # Multi-source literature search and ingestion
      scientific_literature.py  # CLI: search, ingest, embed, search-semantic, ...
      SKILL.md / USAGE.md / skill.yaml / pyproject.toml / schema.tql
      .claude-plugin/plugin.json

    alg-precision-therapeutics/  # Rare disease investigation
      alg_precision_therapeutics.py  # CLI: init-investigation, ingest-disease, ...
      SKILL.md / USAGE.md / skill.yaml / pyproject.toml / schema.tql
      .claude-plugin/plugin.json

    literature-trends/      # Abductive argumentation analysis
      literature_trends.py  # CLI: create-thread, record-hypothesis, show-thread, ...
      SKILL.md / USAGE.md / skill.yaml / pyproject.toml / schema.tql
      .claude-plugin/plugin.json

demo/                       # Shared Next.js base app
  docker-compose.yml        # Full stack: TypeDB + dashboard
  Dockerfile
  skills.config.ts          # Registry of installed skills for the demo
  src/app/                  # Hub page + skill pages
  src/lib/                  # Utility libraries

---

Building a New Skill

See the Alhazen Skill Architecture wiki for a full guide.

Standard skill (depends on alhazen-core):

1. Copy the template: cp -r skills/_template skills/<category>/<skill-name>
2. Write SKILL.md (triggers, prereqs, quick start, pointer to USAGE.md)
3. Write USAGE.md (all commands, workflows, data model)
4. Write skill.yaml (name, operations, entity types)
5. Write <skill-name>.py — inline all utilities (copy cache + escape_string blocks from an existing skill; no skillful_alhazen imports)
6. Write schema.tql — extend domain-thing, artifact, note, etc. from the base schema
7. Write pyproject.toml with direct deps (typedb-driver>=3.8.0, requests, etc.)
8. Write .claude-plugin/plugin.json with "requires": {"plugins": ["alhazen-core"]}
9. Add to .claude-plugin/marketplace.json

Self-contained plugin (zero-setup, TypeDB auto-inits):

Follow steps 1-9 above, then additionally:

10. Create plugins/<skill-name>/ mirroring the structure of plugins/jobhunt/
11. Copy skill files into plugins/<skill-name>/skills/<skill-name>/
12. Copy alhazen_core.py and alhazen_notebook.tql from skills/core/alhazen-core/ into that directory — alhazen_core.py init will auto-detect schema.tql alongside it and load both schemas
13. Write plugins/<skill-name>/hooks/hooks.json with the SessionStart hook pointing to the bundled alhazen_core.py
14. Write plugins/<skill-name>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json without the alhazen-core requirement
15. Update .claude-plugin/marketplace.json to point source at plugins/<skill-name>

The jobhunt skill is the reference implementation of the curation pattern:

1. Foraging — discover items of interest
2. Ingestion — fetch and store raw content
3. Sensemaking — Claude analyzes and annotates
4. Analysis — query across notes and entities
5. Reporting — dashboard views

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License

Apache-2.0