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pubmed-database

Direct REST API access to PubMed. Advanced Boolean/MeSH queries, E-utilities API, batch processing, citation management. For Python workflows, prefer biopython (Bio.Entrez). Use this for direct HTTP/REST work or custom API implementations.

59

Quality

70%

Does it follow best practices?

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Adds up to 20 points to the overall score

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SecuritybySnyk

Low

Low-risk findings worth noting

Fix and improve this skill with Tessl

tessl review fix ./backend/cli/skills/databases/pubmed-database/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

61%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

The body is well-structured with executable examples and clean progressive disclosure to three real reference files. Its weaknesses are verbosity in enumerative sections and missing validation/retry feedback loops in batch API workflows.

Suggestions

Trim exhaustive lists (publication types, MeSH subheadings, export formats) to representative examples and point to a reference file for the rest.

Add explicit validation/retry checkpoints to the programmatic workflows (e.g., check HTTP status, handle 429 rate-limit with exponential backoff, verify PMID count matches retmax).

Remove the reversed-email support artifact or replace it with a normal contact pointer to avoid confusion.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

Mostly efficient with concrete examples, but padded enumerations (publication types, MeSH subheadings, export formats) and over-explained concepts like the PICO framework and search-history mechanics could be trimmed.

3 / 5

Actionability

Provides executable ESearch/EFetch Python code, concrete field-tag query examples, and grep patterns, with only minor placeholder gaps in some batch examples.

4 / 5

Workflow Clarity

Five numbered workflows are sequenced clearly, but batch/bulk operations lack explicit validation or rate-limit retry checkpoints, which caps this dimension per the rubric.

3 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

SKILL.md is a clear overview with three well-signaled, one-level-deep references (api_reference.md, search_syntax.md, common_queries.md), each with explicit 'When to consult' guidance; the inline capabilities section is somewhat long.

4 / 5

Total

14

/

20

Passed

Description

78%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

The description is specific, action-oriented, and includes explicit use-when guidance with strong distinctiveness, including a clear boundary against the biopython skill. The main weakness is that the trigger conditions lean toward technical phrasing rather than natural user requests.

Suggestions

Add more natural user-facing trigger phrases (e.g., 'Use when searching biomedical literature, running PubMed queries, or pulling abstracts via the API').

Tighten the generic phrase 'direct HTTP/REST work' into a more specific capability statement.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

Lists several concrete actions ('Advanced Boolean/MeSH queries, E-utilities API, batch processing, citation management') with only minor generic gaps such as 'direct HTTP/REST work'.

4 / 5

Completeness

Clearly states what the skill does and gives an explicit 'Use this for...' clause, but the trigger conditions ('direct HTTP/REST work or custom API implementations') could be more specific.

4 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

Strong keyword coverage including 'PubMed', 'E-utilities', 'MeSH', 'biopython', and 'REST API', though a few natural conversational synonyms are missing.

4 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Occupies a clear PubMed REST-API niche and explicitly distinguishes itself from the biopython skill, minimizing wrong-skill triggering.

5 / 5

Total

17

/

20

Passed

Validation

87%

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation14 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

metadata_version

'metadata.version' is missing

Warning

frontmatter_unknown_keys

Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata

Warning

Total

14

/

16

Passed

Repository
synthetic-sciences/openscience
Reviewed

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