Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Invention Structuring agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The invention-structuring skill is a set of instructions that tells an AI coding agent how to turn a rough invention idea into a structured invention disclosure. It is written for inventors and patent drafters, and it is meant to be used before a meeting with a patent attorney. By the end of this guide you will know how to install the skill, how to ask for it in plain language, and what the output file contains and does not contain.
Invention Structuringwanshuiyin/Auto-claude-code-research-in-sleep · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip. Download the skill ZIP from the directory page and unzip it so that SKILL.md sits inside a folder.
- 2Choose an install location. Copy the folder to ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or to .claude/skills/ in a project, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 3Prepare your inputs. Write a short description of the invention and, if you have them, add patent/PRIOR_ART_REPORT.md and patent/NOVELTY_ASSESSMENT.md.
- 4Confirm a reviewer is configured. Make sure an MCP reviewer tool such as mcp__codex__codex is set up, or accept that the review step will be recorded as unavailable.
- 5Trigger the skill. Ask in natural language, for example "Structure invention: ...", or use one of the listed trigger phrases.
- 6Review the output. Open patent/INVENTION_DISCLOSURE.md and check the core features, claim categories and drawing plan.
- 7Take it to a professional. Bring the file to a patent attorney, who decides on novelty, claim scope and filing.
What the invention-structuring skill makes the agent do
When you ask the agent to structure an invention, it follows a fixed workflow. It frames the technical problem, the technical solution and the advantages. It then splits the features into core, supporting and optional groups, suggests which claim categories to draft, plans the figures, and maps how the claims depend on each other.
After that, the skill asks an external reviewer model, reached through a configured MCP tool, to critique the structure. The result is written to patent/INVENTION_DISCLOSURE.md.
- Technical problem, solution and advantages, framed from prior art deficiencies
- Feature split into core inventive concept, supporting features and optional features
- Suggested claim categories: method, system, product, computer-readable medium, product-by-process
- Drawing plan listing figures and what each one shows
- Claim dependency map
- Cross-model review of the structure, written into the output file
Install the invention-structuring skill
Download the ZIP for the skill from the directory page and unzip it. The skill is delivered as a folder containing SKILL.md. Place that folder in one of two locations: ~/.claude/skills/ for a personal install available to all your projects, or .claude/skills/ inside a specific project if you want it limited to that project.
If you use the Claude apps instead of Claude Code, you can upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
Set up the requirements
The skill needs Claude Code or another SKILL.md-compatible agent that has Bash and file tools. The reviewer step needs an MCP reviewer tool, such as mcp__codex__codex, or another configured reviewer backend. The skill also refers to shared files from the wider repository: ../shared-references/patent-writing-principles.md and reviewer-backends.md. Optional files under patent/ (PRIOR_ART_REPORT.md and NOVELTY_ASSESSMENT.md) are read if present.
The skill is more useful when those files exist, because the technical problem is supposed to come from the prior art deficiencies they describe.
- Claude Code or a SKILL.md-compatible agent with Bash and file tools
- An MCP reviewer tool such as mcp__codex__codex, or another configured reviewer backend
- The shared references from the wider repository
- Optional: patent/INVENTION_BRIEF.md, patent/PRIOR_ART_REPORT.md, patent/NOVELTY_ASSESSMENT.md
Trigger the skill with a natural request
The skill activates when your request matches its description. The source lists these trigger phrases: 构建发明, structure invention, 发明构建, invention disclosure, or a request to formalize a rough idea into a patent-ready structure. You can also pass a description or a brief path as the argument.
Write the request in plain language and include the idea itself. The more concrete the technical detail, the more useful the structure.
- "Structure invention: a sensor housing that detects battery swelling early by measuring case strain."
- "Turn my rough idea into an invention disclosure. The brief is in patent/INVENTION_BRIEF.md."
- "发明构建: 基于多传感器融合的..."
- "Formalize this idea into a patent-ready structure and suggest claim categories."
Read and use the output
The skill writes patent/INVENTION_DISCLOSURE.md. It has sections for title, technical problem, technical solution, advantages, feature decomposition (core, supporting, optional), claimable subject matter, drawing plan, dependency map, inventor information and target jurisdiction (CN, US, EP or ALL).
Treat the file as a checklist and a starting outline. Take it to a patent attorney, who decides on novelty and claim scope.
- Check that the core inventive concept is really the minimum set of features needed for patentability
- Fill in the inventor information and target jurisdiction yourself if the agent could not find them
- Note any REVIEW_UNAVAILABLE entry, which means the reviewer step did not run
patent/INVENTION_DISCLOSURE.mdSafety notes: scripts and network use
This skill does not run scripts. It does use the network, because the cross-model validation step sends the invention summary to an external reviewer model through an MCP tool. If the invention is confidential and not yet filed, think about this before you trigger the skill, and choose a reviewer backend you are comfortable with.
If the reviewer is unavailable, the skill records REVIEW_UNAVAILABLE and continues only as an explicitly unreviewed draft. It does not switch to another provider on its own.
- No scripts are run by this skill
- Network use: yes, the reviewer step sends invention summaries to a third-party model
- Confidential inventions should be discussed with a patent professional before any external review
- The output is a planning draft, not a filed patent application
What people use it for
- Turning a rough hardware idea into a problem-solution-advantage statement before talking to an attorney
- Drafting a checklist of method, system and product claims to discuss with a patent drafter
- Building a figure plan that shows which drawings support which claim elements
- Adding an invention-disclosure step to a research pipeline that already uses the Auto-claude-code-research-in-sleep repository
Frequently asked questions
Is the invention-structuring skill free and what is its licence?
The skill is listed under the MIT licence. The source does not state any price, so check the directory page for any cost details before you install it.
What do I need to run the invention-structuring skill?
You need Claude Code or another SKILL.md-compatible agent with Bash and file tools. The reviewer step needs an MCP reviewer tool such as mcp__codex__codex or another configured backend, and the skill refers to shared files from the wider repository.
Where do I install the invention-structuring skill?
Unzip the downloaded ZIP and place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in .claude/skills/ inside a project. In the Claude apps, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Will this skill produce a patent I can file?
No. The output is a planning document, patent/INVENTION_DISCLOSURE.md, to help a patent professional. Novelty and claim scope need a qualified patent attorney, and the reviewer is also an AI model.
Is it safe to use for a confidential invention?
Be careful. The reviewer step sends invention summaries to a third-party model through an MCP tool. Consider this risk before any filing and discuss confidentiality with a patent professional first.
What if the reviewer tool is not working?
The skill records REVIEW_UNAVAILABLE and continues only as an explicitly unreviewed draft. It does not switch to another reviewer provider without your configuration.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you have a rough invention idea and want a structured, checklist-style disclosure to bring to a patent attorney or drafter, especially if you already use the Auto-claude-code-research-in-sleep pipeline. Pick something else if you need a legally valid patent application, or if your invention is confidential and you are not comfortable sending summaries to an external reviewer model.
Download the skill