Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Ginkgo Cloud Lab Ordering agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The ginkgo-cloud-lab skill is an agent skill that teaches an AI agent how to help you use Ginkgo Bioworks' Cloud Lab at cloud.ginkgo.bio. Ginkgo's automated lab runs protein expression, purification, assay and RNA synthesis work that you order through a website instead of running yourself. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for help with natural requests, and what to check before you place an order.
Ginkgo Cloud Lab OrderingK-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the ginkgo-cloud-lab ZIP from the page where you found this guide.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. Go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
- 4Describe your goal. Ask in plain language, naming Ginkgo Cloud Lab and giving sample count, readout and budget.
- 5Recheck the quote. Confirm the current catalog page and configured quote for your exact setup before ordering.
- 6Prepare inputs. Download the linked template, inspect its fields and fill in construct IDs, replicates and plate map.
- 7Order in the browser. Log in with your account, review the service terms, add the configured service to the cart and keep your records.
What the ginkgo-cloud-lab skill makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder of instructions and reference notes that an AI agent can load when a task matches its description. This one covers Ginkgo Cloud Lab. Once it is installed, the agent can recommend a protocol for your goal, explain inputs, turnaround times and price tiers from the catalog, and walk you through preparing files and placing the order in your browser.
The skill covers cell-free, E. coli and Pichia protein expression, HiBiT, A280 and LabChip readouts, IVT mRNA/circRNA synthesis, thermal shift assays, Echo-MS methods, SPR target onboarding, plate-reader assay onboarding and fluorescent pixel art. It does not run lab work itself, and it reads only the reference notes bundled with it.
- Recommends a protocol based on your goal, such as a quick expressibility screen or a purified protein with a yield number.
- Explains the inputs each protocol needs and what the readout is.
- Reports catalog price and turnaround, and reminds you these are planning estimates.
- Helps you assemble a construct manifest, replicate map or plate map before submitting.
Install the skill in Claude
Download the ginkgo-cloud-lab ZIP from the page where you found this guide. Unzip it into your personal skills folder, ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want the skill only for that project. The skill folder should contain SKILL.md and a references/ folder.
If you use the Claude apps instead, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills. Either way, check that the skill appears in your skill list before you start a task.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/ginkgo-cloud-lab/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ginkgo-cloud-lab/ inside your project folder
- App install: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
~/.claude/skills/ginkgo-cloud-lab/SKILL.mdTrigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. Describe your goal in plain language and mention Ginkgo Cloud Lab or the kind of work you need. The skill's description covers protocol selection, input preparation, pricing checks and browser ordering, so requests about those tasks are the ones it is built for.
Give the agent what it needs to be useful: the goal, the number of proteins or samples, whether you need purified protein, and your budget. If you have a sequence or plate layout, mention that too.
- 'Which Ginkgo Cloud Lab protocol should I use to check whether my new protein sequence expresses at all?'
- 'I need about 20 purified E. coli proteins with a yield readout. What would it cost and how long would it take?'
- 'Help me prepare the intake file and replicate map for a cell-free HiBiT run.'
- 'Walk me through placing a Pichia expression order in my browser.'
Walk through an order from start to finish
The catalog lists planning estimates. Before you order, the skill tells you to recheck the protocol's current catalog page and the configured quote for your actual sample count, replicates, readout and turnaround. Save the protocol URL, the input template revision, your construct manifest, the replicate or plate map, the quote identifier and the access date together so you have a record.
Download the template linked on the protocol page and check its actual format and fields. The skill notes that a broad file extension does not define the intake schema, and that technical replicates are different from independent expression reactions. Use the Additional Details field for any special requirements.
- Select a protocol at the protocol catalog page on cloud.ginkgo.bio.
- Set the number of samples, replicates and plates.
- Download and inspect the linked template.
- Fill in the Additional Details field if needed.
- Provide your order email, complete the required fields, review the service terms and add the configured service to your cart.
Choose a protocol by goal
The skill groups its advice by what you want to learn. For a quick check on whether a sequence expresses, the cell-free HiBiT and Validate sequence expression options are the lowest-cost entries in the catalog. If you need purified protein and a yield, the A280 tiers apply, and adding LabChip gives purity and size information.
For difficult targets such as membrane proteins, disulfide-bonded proteins or cofactor-dependent proteins, the cell-free Optimize option runs a design-of-experiments screen across 24 conditions. Secreted or eukaryotic targets point to Pichia expression. RNA work points to IVT synthesis with qPCR readout.
- Expressibility screen: cell-free HiBiT or Validate sequence expression
- Purified protein with yield: A280 tiers, plus LabChip for purity and size
- Difficult targets: cell-free Optimize
- Stability ranking: thermal shift assay
- Enzyme activity: Echo-MS detection, after onboarding the analyte method
- Transfer an existing plate-reader assay: plate-reader onboarding
Safety notes and limits
The skill does not run scripts. It uses the network to reach cloud.ginkgo.bio and needs a browser, so you will need network access. Ordering and viewing results require a Ginkgo Cloud Lab account. You supply the protocol input files yourself, such as sequences, construct manifests and plate maps.
The skill itself says a feasibility report or quote is not evidence that a run has started or that results passed QC. Do not use it as the basis for safety-critical or regulated work that needs validated results. Your order is placed by you in the browser, not by the agent.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: yes
- Needs a Ginkgo Cloud Lab account for ordering and results
- Catalog prices and turnarounds are a fixed snapshot, not live pricing or guaranteed delivery times
- Some protocol links in the catalog point to reference files that are not included in this bundle, so check the catalog page for those
What people use it for
- Choosing between a cell-free HiBiT screen and a full A280 purification for a new set of constructs.
- Preparing a construct manifest and replicate map before submitting a multi-sample E. coli order.
- Comparing budget and turnaround across HiBiT, A280, LabChip and thermal shift options for a project plan.
- Scoping an Echo-MS enzyme activity detection step and noting that the analyte method must be onboarded first.
- Estimating how a plate-reader assay transfer would fit the single-factor, 96-well, fluorescence scope described in the catalog.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the ginkgo-cloud-lab skill?
Download the ZIP and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills. Check that the skill appears in your list before starting a task.
Is the ginkgo-cloud-lab skill free?
The skill is published under the MIT licence. Ginkgo Cloud Lab services are separately priced per sample, per molecule, per target or per assay as shown in the catalog, and ordering requires a Ginkgo Cloud Lab account.
What do I need to use it?
You need network access and a web browser to reach cloud.ginkgo.bio, a Ginkgo Cloud Lab account for ordering and results, and your own protocol input files such as sequences, construct manifests and plate maps.
Does the skill run code on my computer?
No. The skill is documented as running no scripts. It uses the network and reads the reference notes bundled with it.
Can the agent place the order for me?
The skill guides you through the browser ordering steps, including the order email, required fields, service terms and adding the configured service to the cart. Adding an item to the cart does not mean the run was accepted or executed, so you complete the order yourself.
How does this compare with running experiments in my own lab?
The skill helps you plan and order work from Ginkgo's remote automated lab instead of running it yourself. It does not replace your own lab, and it does not provide validated results for regulated work.
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Our verdict
This skill suits researchers and lab teams who want help choosing a Ginkgo Cloud Lab protocol, estimating cost and preparing intake files before ordering. It is not suitable if you need live pricing, guaranteed turnaround or validated results for safety-critical or regulated work, and it requires a Ginkgo Cloud Lab account. If you do not use Ginkgo's service, pick a general lab planning tool instead.
Download the skill