Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Nature Citation Finder agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The nature-citation skill is an add-on for an AI agent that finds and checks literature from the Nature and CNS journal family to support the claims in your manuscript. This guide explains what the skill makes the agent do, how to install it, how to phrase requests so it triggers, and what it needs and risks before you run it. By the end you will be able to ask for claim-by-claim citations and get a reference-manager export you can review.
Nature Citation FinderYuan1z0825/nature-skills · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the nature-citation ZIP from the skill page. Review the files before you install it.
- 2Install the skill. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it in the Claude apps under Settings, Capabilities, Skills.
- 3State your scope. In your request, name the journal scope you want, such as Nature-series, CNS, or flagship journals only.
- 4Send your claims. Paste the passage or list of claims. The agent splits them into units and maps candidate papers to each one.
- 5Check the support notes. Read each candidate's support note and open the paper or publisher page to confirm it supports the claim.
- 6Export the file. Use the RIS export, the default, and import it into your reference manager after checking the entries.
What the nature-citation skill makes the agent do
The skill takes a manuscript passage or a list of scientific claims and splits it into citable units with stable IDs such as S001 and S002. For each claim it looks for supporting papers within the requested journal scope and explains how well each paper supports the claim.
The source says the agent checks abstracts or publisher pages rather than relying on title relevance alone. It is also designed to avoid inventing bibliographic fields.
- Maps each claim to candidate supporting papers, with the DOI, journal, year and a support note
- Limits results to the journal scope you request, such as Nature-series, CNS, CNS and subjournals, or flagship journals only
- Can export results as a reference-manager file, RIS by default
- May also produce JSON, TSV, Markdown or HTML review material
Install the nature-citation skill
You can install the skill in two ways. Both start from the ZIP file on the skill page.
For Claude Code, unzip the download into ~/.claude/skills/ to make it available to you everywhere, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder to make it available only in that project. For the Claude apps, upload the skill under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.
- Download the nature-citation ZIP from the skill page
- Option A: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use
- Option B: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project
- Option C: in the Claude apps, go to Settings, Capabilities, Skills and upload the skill
How to trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. Describe the job in plain language and name the journal scope you want. The skill is meant for requests that mention Nature-series citations, CNS supporting literature, or adding citations section by section. If you ask for unrestricted literature across all sources, a broader literature search tool is a better fit, as the skill's own description points out.
Chinese-language requests are supported. The skill then gives guidance in Chinese while using English search queries.
- Split this introduction paragraph and add Nature-series citations.
- Use only CNS and subjournal papers for these claims and find recent supporting papers.
- I have already confirmed these DOIs. Export them as a file Zotero can import.
- Check each claim in this discussion section and tell me which citations are weak.
What the skill needs to run
The skill runs a bundled Python script, scripts/nature_citation.py, for searching and exporting. It also needs internet access for searches and for metadata lookups by DOI or PMID. The source lists both as requirements.
The script accepts a scope setting, passed as --scope. The journal lists it uses are conservative and are not a complete portfolio directory, so titles missing from the lists are kept out of automated scope until verified.
- A Python runtime
- Internet access for search and DOI or PMID metadata retrieval
- Permission for the agent to run the bundled script
Safety notes: scripts and network access
This skill runs scripts and uses the network. Before you install it, read the bundled files, including SKILL.md, the scripts folder and the references, and decide whether you are comfortable with an agent running that script on your machine.
The skill's own rules limit what it should do with results. It should not present a paper as support just because its title is related, and it should not cite a paper using only metadata without checking the abstract or publisher page.
- Review the files in the skill folder before installing
- Expect the agent to run scripts/nature_citation.py and send requests over the internet
- Check every citation before you submit; the source says support grading and search results can still be wrong
Tips for better results
Give the agent the claims in their final form, one per sentence or short paragraph, so each can be matched to its own sources. For long manuscripts, the skill's reference on script usage describes a batched strategy for inputs with more than about ten segments.
When the metadata for a DOI lacks given names, the skill is designed to refetch the record by PMID or check it on the publisher's site rather than export surname-only author fields. Ask the agent to report any claims it could not support.
- Name the journal scope in your first message
- Send claims in batches if the manuscript is long
- Import the RIS file into your reference manager and compare entries with the publisher page before final use
What people use it for
- Adding supporting citations to key claims in a Nature-series introduction
- Replacing weak citations in a discussion section one paragraph at a time
- Building a claim-by-claim citation check before resubmitting after reviewer comments
- Exporting a verified DOI list into Zotero or EndNote for a Nature-family manuscript
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the nature-citation skill?
Download the ZIP from the skill page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, upload it under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.
Is the nature-citation skill free to use?
The source states that the skill is licensed under Apache-2.0. Check the licence file in the download for the terms that apply to your use.
What does the nature-citation skill need to run?
It needs a Python runtime for the bundled script scripts/nature_citation.py and internet access for searches and DOI or PMID metadata lookups. Without internet access the search and metadata steps cannot run.
Which journals does nature-citation search?
It searches within a scope you request, such as Nature-series, CNS, CNS and subjournals, or flagship journals. The journal lists are conservative, so journals not on them are not included automatically until they are verified.
Can I use nature-citation for a general literature search?
No. The skill is scoped to Nature and CNS-family journals. For unrestricted literature search, the skill's description points to a broader tool, such as the nature-academic-search skill.
Can I trust the citations the skill finds?
Not without checking. The source says search results and support grades can still be wrong, so you should verify each candidate against the actual paper before using it in a submission.
New agent skills, repos and AI tools — every week
The best new skills and open-source projects, the fastest-growing repos, and one free prompt. Five minutes to read. Unsubscribe anytime.
Our verdict
Use nature-citation if you are preparing a Nature or CNS-family submission and want claim-by-claim support checks with a reference-manager export. Pick a broader literature search tool if you need unrestricted sources, or if you cannot allow an agent to run a bundled script and access the network.
Download the skill