How do I install the Download Flatfile skill?

Run npx skillmds add vimalinx/download-flatfile 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 Download Flatfile safe to use?

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Which AI agents work with Download Flatfile?

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 Download Flatfile free to use?

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

Who published Download Flatfile?

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

Download Flatfile by vimalinx — Agent Skill

Name: Download Flatfile
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: vimalinx

File contents

download-flatfile

Quick Start

Command: download-flatfile [-ftp|-https] [-verify] division...
Local executable: /home/vimalinx/miniforge3/envs/bio/bin/download-flatfile
Full reference: See references/help.md

When To Use This Tool

Download one or more GenBank flatfile divisions as .seq.gz archives.
Re-check previously downloaded GenBank flatfiles and remove corrupt or empty files with -verify.
Build a local flatfile mirror for downstream XML conversion or archive indexing.

Common Patterns

# 1) Download bacterial and viral GenBank flatfiles via the default FTP mode
download-flatfile BCT VRL

# 2) Use HTTPS explicitly if FTP routing is unreliable
download-flatfile -https PLN INV

# 3) Validate existing flatfiles and delete broken or empty downloads
download-flatfile -verify BCT VRL

Recommended Workflow

Start in a dedicated download directory because all .seq.gz files are written to the current working directory.
Download the divisions you need, choosing -https if FTP is flaky in your environment.
Re-run with -verify before downstream processing when download integrity matters.
Convert or inspect the flatfiles only after the validation pass is clean.

Guardrails

-verify is destructive by design: it removes empty or invalid .seq.gz files so they can be re-downloaded.
The local wrapper validates content by decompressing and checking parsed records, so verification can be expensive on large downloads.
Output is written into the current directory, and large GenBank divisions consume substantial disk space.
The wrapper retries failed downloads, but persistent network or content failures still leave you with deleted files that must be fetched again later.

---name: download-flatfiledescription: Use when mirroring consolidated NCBI GenBank flatfile divisions into the current directory or verifying existing downloaded flatfiles.--- # download-flatfile ## Quick Start - **Command:** `download-flatfile [-ftp|-https] [-verify] division...` - **Local executable:** `/home/vimalinx/miniforge3/envs/bio/bin/download-flatfile` - **Full reference:** See `references/help.md` ## When To Use This Tool - Download one or more GenBank flatfile divisions as `.seq.gz` archives. - Re-check previously downloaded GenBank flatfiles and remove corrupt or empty files with `-verify`. - Build a local flatfile mirror for downstream XML conversion or archive indexing. ## Common Patterns ```bash # 1) Download bacterial and viral GenBank flatfiles via the default FTP mode download-flatfile BCT VRL ``` ```bash # 2) Use HTTPS explicitly if FTP routing is unreliable download-flatfile -https PLN INV ``` ```bash # 3) Validate existing flatfiles and delete broken or empty downloads download-flatfile -verify BCT VRL ``` ## Recommended Workflow 1. Start in a dedicated download directory because all `.seq.gz` files are written to the current working directory. 2. Download the divisions you need, choosing `-https` if FTP is flaky in your environment. 3. Re-run with `-verify` before downstream processing when download integrity matters. 4. Convert or inspect the flatfiles only after the validation pass is clean. ## Guardrails - `-verify` is destructive by design: it removes empty or invalid `.seq.gz` files so they can be re-downloaded. - The local wrapper validates content by decompressing and checking parsed records, so verification can be expensive on large downloads. - Output is written into the current directory, and large GenBank divisions consume substantial disk space. - The wrapper retries failed downloads, but persistent network or content failures still leave you with deleted files that must be fetched again later.

Frequently asked questions