tooluniverse-install-skills

$npx mdskill add mims-harvard/ToolUniverse/tooluniverse-install-skills

Detect and auto-install missing ToolUniverse research skills.

  • Solves missing research skills after migration or client switch.
  • Uses shell commands to check common skill directories.
  • Checks for a canary file to decide if installation is needed.
  • Installs skills from GitHub if the canary file is missing.

SKILL.md

.github/skills/tooluniverse-install-skillsView on GitHub ↗
---
name: tooluniverse-install-skills
description: Detect and auto-install missing ToolUniverse research skills. Checks common Claude Code/Cursor/Codex skill directories for the canary file, and installs any missing skills if none found. Use when the plugin's research skills aren't loading, when migrating between clients, or when verifying a skill installation.
disable-model-invocation: true
---

# ToolUniverse Install Skills

Checks whether the ToolUniverse specialized skills are installed and installs them automatically if not.

## Detection

Use the Shell tool to check for the canary file across all common client locations:

```bash
ls .cursor/skills/tooluniverse-drug-research/SKILL.md 2>/dev/null \
  || ls .agents/skills/tooluniverse-drug-research/SKILL.md 2>/dev/null \
  || ls .windsurf/skills/tooluniverse-drug-research/SKILL.md 2>/dev/null \
  || ls .gemini/skills/tooluniverse-drug-research/SKILL.md 2>/dev/null \
  || ls .claude/skills/tooluniverse-drug-research/SKILL.md 2>/dev/null \
  || ls .opencode/skills/tooluniverse-drug-research/SKILL.md 2>/dev/null \
  || ls .trae/skills/tooluniverse-drug-research/SKILL.md 2>/dev/null \
  || ls .skills/tooluniverse-drug-research/SKILL.md 2>/dev/null \
  || echo "NOT_INSTALLED"
```

- **Output is a file path** → skills already installed, stop here.
- **Output is `NOT_INSTALLED`** → proceed to installation.

## Installation

```bash
# 1. Download skills from GitHub (shallow, sparse — only skills/ folder)
git clone --depth 1 --filter=blob:none --sparse \
  https://github.com/mims-harvard/ToolUniverse.git /tmp/tu-skills
cd /tmp/tu-skills && git sparse-checkout set skills

# 2. Copy to the correct directory for the detected client:
mkdir -p .cursor/skills  && cp -r /tmp/tu-skills/skills/* .cursor/skills/   # Cursor
# mkdir -p .agents/skills  && cp -r /tmp/tu-skills/skills/* .agents/skills/  # Codex/OpenAI
# mkdir -p .windsurf/skills && cp -r /tmp/tu-skills/skills/* .windsurf/skills/ # Windsurf
# mkdir -p .gemini/skills  && cp -r /tmp/tu-skills/skills/* .gemini/skills/  # Gemini CLI
# mkdir -p .claude/skills  && cp -r /tmp/tu-skills/skills/* .claude/skills/  # Claude Code
# mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r /tmp/tu-skills/skills/* .opencode/skills/ # OpenCode
# mkdir -p .trae/skills    && cp -r /tmp/tu-skills/skills/* .trae/skills/    # Trae
# mkdir -p .skills         && cp -r /tmp/tu-skills/skills/* .skills/         # Cline/VS Code

# 3. Clean up
rm -rf /tmp/tu-skills
```

If the client cannot be detected automatically, ask the user which one they use before running step 2.

## Client Detection

Detect the client from the presence of config files:

| Config file present | Client |
|---|---|
| `.cursor/` | Cursor |
| `.agents/` | Codex / OpenAI |
| `.windsurf/` | Windsurf |
| `.gemini/` | Gemini CLI |
| `.claude/` | Claude Code |
| `.opencode/` | OpenCode |
| `.trae/` | Trae |
| None of the above | Ask the user |

## After Installation

Confirm success:
```bash
ls .cursor/skills/tooluniverse-drug-research/SKILL.md
```

Tell the user: "ToolUniverse skills installed successfully. You now have access to 50+ specialized research workflows."

More from mims-harvard/ToolUniverse

SkillDescription
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devtu-auto-discover-apisAutomatically discover life science APIs online, create ToolUniverse tools, validate them, and prepare integration PRs. Performs gap analysis to identify missing tool categories, web searches for APIs, automated tool creation using devtu-create-tool patterns, validation with devtu-fix-tool, and git workflow management. Use when expanding ToolUniverse coverage, adding new API integrations, or systematically discovering scientific resources.
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devtu-code-optimization>
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devtu-fix-toolFix failing ToolUniverse tools by diagnosing test failures, identifying root causes, implementing fixes, and validating solutions. Use when ToolUniverse tools fail tests, return errors, have schema validation issues, or when asked to debug or fix tools in the ToolUniverse framework.
devtu-githubGitHub workflow for ToolUniverse - push code safely by moving temp files, activating pre-commit hooks, running tests, and cleaning staged files. Use when pushing to GitHub, fixing CI failures, or cleaning up before commits.
devtu-optimize-descriptionsOptimize tool descriptions in ToolUniverse JSON configs for clarity and usability. Reviews descriptions for missing prerequisites, unexpanded abbreviations, unclear parameters, and missing usage guidance. Use when reviewing tool descriptions, improving API documentation, or when user asks to check if tools are easy to understand.
devtu-optimize-skillsOptimize ToolUniverse skills for better report quality, evidence handling, and user experience. Apply patterns like tool verification, foundation data layers, disambiguation-first, evidence grading, quantified completeness, and report-only output. Use when reviewing skills, improving existing skills, or creating new ToolUniverse research skills.