Guide · Agent skill
How to use the lecture-style agent skill: install and trigger it
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The lecture-style skill is an instruction file for an AI agent. When you ask for a masterclass or a systematic walkthrough of a subject, it tells the agent to build the course as one continuous lecture: one teacher voice, dense slide pages, long narration built around real cases, and only a few quizzes. This guide covers what the skill changes, how to install it, how to trigger it, and what it needs to run.
Masterclass Lecture StyleTHU-MAIC/OpenMAIC · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the lecture-style skill ZIP from the directory page.
- 2Unzip the folder. Unzip it so the folder contains SKILL.md and outline-constraints.json.
- 3Place the skill. Move the folder to ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or to a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 4Or upload it in the apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the skill.
- 5Make sure the runtime is available. Confirm the OpenMAIC stage-building runtime and its tools are available to the agent, since the skill depends on them.
- 6Ask for a masterclass. Request a lecture or systematic walkthrough of a conceptual subject, or name the style.
- 7Review the course. Check that the course has one teacher voice, dense pages and only a few quizzes.
What the lecture-style skill makes the agent do
Agent skills are folders of instructions that an AI agent reads when a request matches them. The lecture-style skill (skill name lecture-style, from THU-MAIC/OpenMAIC under skills/agent-runtime) targets courses whose payoff is understanding rather than practice. Its description covers lectures, masterclasses, systematic walkthroughs of a subject, and topics where the user names this style.
Once the skill is active, the agent plans the course in a fixed shape. Scene 1 is a slide that states the question the subject answers and the route the lecture will take. The body is slide pages grouped into arcs of three to five pages, each carrying one idea from claim to mechanism to real cases. Quizzes are rare, roughly one every four to five pages, placed where one arc closes. The skill allows at most one interactive page for the most mechanism-heavy concept, and the course closes on what the lecture established and what it left open.
- Each body page carries four to six key points written as propositions, not labels.
- Each body page has long, continuous teacher narration of four to six sentences per line.
- The assistant speaks rarely, only to raise one question per arc that the teacher then answers.
- A real case, such as a company, study, historical episode or piece of code, recurs across an arc.
Install the lecture-style skill
Download the ZIP for the skill from the directory page and unzip it. The skill folder contains two files: SKILL.md and outline-constraints.json. Place the unzipped folder in one of two locations, depending on how you want it available.
For a personal install that applies to all your projects, put it in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, put it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder. Alternatively, in the Claude apps you can upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal: ~/.claude/skills/lecture-style/
- Single project: .claude/skills/lecture-style/ inside the project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the skill
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. Ask for the kind of course the skill covers, and say the style out loud if you want to be sure. The skill's description lists these triggers: a lecture, a masterclass, a systematic walkthrough, the Chinese phrases 大师课, 系统讲解 and 讲透, and any topic whose payoff is understanding. Naming the style also triggers it.
If your request is for practice or exercises, the skill does not apply. The file routes hands-on training to a separate skill called workshop-style, and courses built around manipulating a mechanism to deep-interactive.
- Example: "Make a masterclass on how interest rates move bond prices."
- Example: "Give me a systematic walkthrough of how TCP congestion control works."
- Example: "Use the lecture style to explain the history of the printing press."
- Not a fit: "Give me exercises to practise SQL joins." (use workshop-style)
What you need before it runs
The skill is an instruction file, not a standalone program. It references the OpenMAIC stage-building runtime and its tools, named create_stage, set_roster and generate_scene. Those tools are not included in these files, so you need the runtime available to the agent before the skill can produce a course. The skill also relies on a companion stage-design skill for how the stage is built, which the file refers to but this package does not contain.
According to the listing, the skill runs no scripts and uses no network access.
- The OpenMAIC stage-building runtime and its tools (create_stage, set_roster, generate_scene)
- The stage-design skill that the file refers to for building the stage
- No scripts are run by this skill
- No network use is listed for this skill
Safety notes on scripts and network
The listing says the skill runs no scripts and uses no network. It consists of text instructions that shape how the agent plans the course and what it writes into the generator calls. Because it contains no code, it does not change files or call services on its own.
The runtime tools it references do the actual work of creating a stage and generating pages, so review what those tools do in your own setup before you run them on sensitive material.
- No scripts: the listing says the skill runs none.
- No network: the listing says the skill uses none.
- Review the runtime tools separately, since they perform the generation.
Tips for better lectures
The skill only shapes what the agent puts into its planning and generator calls, so the quality of your request matters. Name the subject precisely and say what the learner should be able to explain afterwards. A conceptual subject with a clear question suits this style far better than a broad topic.
The file also notes that page-level generators see only each page's brief, content and roster. The skill therefore asks the agent to write the arc structure and narration directive into each page brief, so the style reaches every page. Check that the finished course keeps one teacher voice and few quizzes.
- Name a specific question the lecture should answer.
- Pick a conceptual subject, where understanding is the goal.
- Check the finished course for rare quizzes and one consistent teacher voice.
- If you want exercises instead, ask for them directly so the agent switches to workshop-style.
What people use it for
- A teacher builds a masterclass on a conceptual subject such as monetary policy for students who prefer listening to a long explanation.
- A creator produces a systematic walkthrough of a historical episode, with each arc testing its idea against real cases.
- A developer building a course-generation pipeline uses the skill to keep a consistent lecture format across courses.
- A learner requests a long explanation of a theory before doing any practice, then asks for exercises separately.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the lecture-style agent skill?
Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it. Put the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What does the lecture-style skill require to run?
It requires the OpenMAIC stage-building runtime and its tools, named create_stage, set_roster and generate_scene, which are not included in these files. The skill also refers to a stage-design skill. The listing says it runs no scripts and uses no network.
Is the lecture-style skill free to use?
The source does not state pricing or licence terms beyond the listing's licence, which is MIT. Check the repository's licence file for the full terms.
What is the difference between lecture-style and workshop-style?
Lecture-style builds a continuous explanation with dense slides, long narration and rare quizzes, for understanding a subject. Workshop-style is for hands-on training and exercises, and the lecture-style skill routes practice requests to it.
Why does my course have so few quizzes?
That is intended. The skill places roughly one quiz every four to five pages, at the seam between arcs, and limits interactive pages to one or two. If you want more testing, ask for exercises, which fall under workshop-style.
Can I use this skill for a course on how a mechanism works?
Only partly. The skill allows at most one interactive page for the most mechanism-heavy concept. If the whole course is about manipulating a mechanism, the file says deep-interactive fits better.
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Our verdict
Use lecture-style if you want an AI-built course on a conceptual subject delivered as one continuous, dense lecture with few quizzes. Pick workshop-style for exercises, deep-interactive for courses built around manipulating a mechanism, or skip the skill if you do not have the OpenMAIC runtime available.
Download the skill