How do I install the Literature Search skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add gexijin/literature-search in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Literature Search safe to use?

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This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Literature Search free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Literature Search?

gexijin (@gexijin) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Literature Search by gexijin — Agent Skill

Name: Literature Search
Author: gexijin

File contents

PubMed Literature Search Skill

This skill searches PubMed using the NCBI E-utilities API to find relevant scientific literature.

How to Use

When the user asks to search for literature, use the WebFetch tool to query PubMed's E-utilities API.

Step 1: Search for Articles

Use ESearch to find PMIDs matching a query:

https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esearch.fcgi?db=pubmed&term=<QUERY>&retmode=json&retmax=<COUNT>

Parameters:

term: URL-encoded search query (use + for spaces, standard PubMed syntax)
retmax: Maximum results to return (default 20, max 10000)
retstart: Offset for pagination
sort: Sort order (relevance, pub_date, first_author)

Example query for vitiligo transcriptomics:

https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esearch.fcgi?db=pubmed&term=vitiligo+transcriptome&retmode=json&retmax=20

Step 2: Get Article Details

Use ESummary to retrieve article metadata from PMIDs:

https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esummary.fcgi?db=pubmed&id=<PMID_LIST>&retmode=json

Parameters:

id: Comma-separated list of PMIDs from Step 1

Step 3: Get Abstracts (Optional)

Use EFetch to retrieve full abstracts:

https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/efetch.fcgi?db=pubmed&id=<PMID_LIST>&rettype=abstract&retmode=text

Search Syntax

PubMed supports advanced search operators:

Operator	Example	Description
`AND`	`vitiligo AND transcriptome`	Both terms required
`OR`	`vitiligo OR depigmentation`	Either term
`NOT`	`vitiligo NOT mouse`	Exclude term
`[tiab]`	`vitiligo[tiab]`	Title/abstract only
`[au]`	`smith[au]`	Author search
`[jour]`	`nature[jour]`	Journal search
`[pdat]`	`2020:2024[pdat]`	Publication date range
`[mesh]`	`vitiligo[mesh]`	MeSH term
`"phrase"`	`"gene expression"`	Exact phrase

Example Workflow

When user asks: "Find recent papers on vitiligo RNA-seq"

Search PubMed:

WebFetch: https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esearch.fcgi?db=pubmed&term=vitiligo+RNA-seq+2020:2024[pdat]&retmode=json&retmax=15&sort=pub_date

Get summaries for found PMIDs:

WebFetch: https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esummary.fcgi?db=pubmed&id=12345,67890,11111&retmode=json

Present results with:
- Title
- Authors (first author et al.)
- Journal, Year
- PMID (link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PMID/)

Output Format

Present search results as a formatted table or list:

## Literature Search Results

**Query:** vitiligo transcriptome

| # | Title | Authors | Journal | Year | PMID |
|---|-------|---------|---------|------|------|
| 1 | Example title... | Smith J et al. | J Invest Dermatol | 2023 | [12345](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345/) |

Tips

Refine searches - Start broad, then add filters if too many results
Use MeSH terms - More precise than keyword searching
Date filters - Use [pdat] for recent literature reviews
Combine queries - Build complex queries with AND/OR/NOT
Check result count - ESearch returns total count in esearchresult.count

Rate Limits

NCBI allows 3 requests/second without an API key. For higher throughput, users should register for an API key at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/account/settings/

Add API key to requests: &api_key=YOUR_KEY

---name: literature-searchdescription: Search PubMed for scientific literature. Use when asked to find papers, search literature, look up publications, or gather references on a topic. Returns article titles, authors, abstracts, and PMIDs.---# PubMed Literature Search SkillThis skill searches PubMed using the NCBI E-utilities API to find relevant scientific literature.## How to UseWhen the user asks to search for literature, use the WebFetch tool to query PubMed's E-utilities API.### Step 1: Search for ArticlesUse ESearch to find PMIDs matching a query:```https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esearch.fcgi?db=pubmed&term=<QUERY>&retmode=json&retmax=<COUNT>```Parameters:- `term`: URL-encoded search query (use `+` for spaces, standard PubMed syntax)- `retmax`: Maximum results to return (default 20, max 10000)- `retstart`: Offset for pagination- `sort`: Sort order (`relevance`, `pub_date`, `first_author`)Example query for vitiligo transcriptomics:```https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esearch.fcgi?db=pubmed&term=vitiligo+transcriptome&retmode=json&retmax=20```### Step 2: Get Article DetailsUse ESummary to retrieve article metadata from PMIDs:```https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esummary.fcgi?db=pubmed&id=<PMID_LIST>&retmode=json```Parameters:- `id`: Comma-separated list of PMIDs from Step 1### Step 3: Get Abstracts (Optional)Use EFetch to retrieve full abstracts:```https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/efetch.fcgi?db=pubmed&id=<PMID_LIST>&rettype=abstract&retmode=text```## Search SyntaxPubMed supports advanced search operators:| Operator | Example | Description ||----------|---------|-------------|| `AND` | `vitiligo AND transcriptome` | Both terms required || `OR` | `vitiligo OR depigmentation` | Either term || `NOT` | `vitiligo NOT mouse` | Exclude term || `[tiab]` | `vitiligo[tiab]` | Title/abstract only || `[au]` | `smith[au]` | Author search || `[jour]` | `nature[jour]` | Journal search || `[pdat]` | `2020:2024[pdat]` | Publication date range || `[mesh]` | `vitiligo[mesh]` | MeSH term || `"phrase"` | `"gene expression"` | Exact phrase |## Example WorkflowWhen user asks: "Find recent papers on vitiligo RNA-seq"1. **Search PubMed:** ``` WebFetch: https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esearch.fcgi?db=pubmed&term=vitiligo+RNA-seq+2020:2024[pdat]&retmode=json&retmax=15&sort=pub_date ```2. **Get summaries for found PMIDs:** ``` WebFetch: https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esummary.fcgi?db=pubmed&id=12345,67890,11111&retmode=json ```3. **Present results** with: - Title - Authors (first author et al.) - Journal, Year - PMID (link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PMID/)## Output FormatPresent search results as a formatted table or list:```## Literature Search Results**Query:** vitiligo transcriptome| # | Title | Authors | Journal | Year | PMID ||---|-------|---------|---------|------|------|| 1 | Example title... | Smith J et al. | J Invest Dermatol | 2023 | [12345](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345/) |```## Tips1. **Refine searches** - Start broad, then add filters if too many results2. **Use MeSH terms** - More precise than keyword searching3. **Date filters** - Use `[pdat]` for recent literature reviews4. **Combine queries** - Build complex queries with AND/OR/NOT5. **Check result count** - ESearch returns total count in `esearchresult.count`## Rate LimitsNCBI allows 3 requests/second without an API key. For higher throughput, users should register for an API key at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/account/settings/Add API key to requests: `&api_key=YOUR_KEY`

Frequently asked questions

Literature Search