# Research Project Template

> Create new academic research projects with two-folder architecture. Use when user wants to create a new research project, start a new paper, set up a new analysis project, or mentions needing a project structure for research.

- Skill: `fuzhiyu/research-project-template` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add fuzhiyu/research-project-template`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/fuzhiyu/research-project-template/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: fuzhiyu (https://skillmd.com/u/fuzhiyu)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/fuzhiyu/research-project-template

---


# Research Project Template

Automatically create new research projects with the standard two-folder architecture.

## When to Use

Use this skill when the user:
- Wants to create a new research project
- Asks to set up a new paper/analysis
- Mentions starting a new research project
- Needs a project structure for academic research

## Architecture

The template creates two folders:

1. **Git Repository** (`ProjectName/`):
   - `Code/` - Analysis scripts (Julia, Python, R)
   - `Figures/` - Final figures for publication
   - `Tables/` - Final tables for publication
   - `Paper/` - LaTeX documents
   - `Slides/` - Presentations
   - Symlinks to shared folders

2. **Shared Folder** (`ProjectName-Share/`):
   - `Notes/` - Research notes, working journals
   - `Data/` - Raw and processed datasets
   - `Output/` - Intermediate results

This separation allows Git to track code while Dropbox handles large data files.

## Workflow

### Step 1: Get Project Details

Ask the user for:
1. Project name (e.g., `IntermediaryDemand`)
2. Location for the project (defaults to config or current directory)

### Step 2: Check Configuration

Read config from shared config loader to get:
- `template_path`: Path to ResearchProjectTemplate
- `default_share_location`: Where to create projects

```python
from _config_loader import load_config

config = load_config('project-setup')
template_path = config.get('template_path')
share_location = config.get('default_share_location', '.')
```

### Step 3: Run Creation Script

Execute the project creation script:

```bash
cd /path/to/target/location
bash <skill-dir>/scripts/create_project.sh "ProjectName"
```

Replace `<skill-dir>` with the directory that contains this `SKILL.md`.

The script will:
1. Create `ProjectName-Share/` with Notes, Data, Output directories
2. Create `ProjectName/` with Code, Figures, Tables, Paper, Slides
3. Set up Python environment with uv
4. Create symlinks between the two folders
5. Initialize git repository
6. Copy the template's guidance/config files, including `.claude/` and the `AGENTS.md` compatibility link when present

### Step 4: Post-Creation

Inform the user:
1. Project structure created successfully
2. How to share with collaborators (Dropbox for Share folder, Git for code)
3. Next steps: start coding in `Code/` directory

## Configuration

The plugin reads from `.claude/agent-contract.yaml` or `~/.config/agent-contract/config.yaml`:

```yaml
project-setup:
  template_path: "/path/to/ResearchProjectTemplate"
  default_share_location: "~/Dropbox/package_dev"
```

## Example

**User:** "I want to create a new research project called RiskPremia"

**Workflow:**
1. Check config for template_path and default_share_location
2. Run: `bash create_project.sh RiskPremia`
3. Report success with project structure

## Notes

- The script requires macOS (uses `sed -i ''` syntax)
- Requires `uv` for Python environment management (installed via Homebrew)
- Creates initial git commit automatically
- Copies the template's assistant guidance/config files into the new project