DrugBank Search

Search the complete DrugBank database of drug information including mechanisms of action, interactions, targets, and pharmacology using natural language queries powered by Valyu's semantic search API.

Why This Skill is Powerful

• No API Parameter Parsing: Just pass natural language queries directly - no need to construct complex search parameters
• Semantic Search: Understands the meaning of your query, not just keyword matching
• Full-Text Access: Returns complete drug information including mechanisms, interactions, and targets
• Image Links: Includes molecular structures and data visualizations
• Comprehensive Coverage: Access to all DrugBank drug data

Requirements

1. Node.js 18+ (uses built-in fetch)
2. Valyu API key from https://platform.valyu.ai ($10 free credits)

CRITICAL: Script Path Resolution

The scripts/search commands in this documentation are relative to this skill's installation directory.

Before running any command, locate the script using:

DRUGBANK_SCRIPT=$(find ~/.claude/plugins/cache -name "search" -path "*/drugbank-search/*/scripts/*" -type f 2>/dev/null | head -1)

Then use the full path for all commands:

$DRUGBANK_SCRIPT "ACE inhibitors" 15

API Key Setup Flow

When you run a search and receive "setup_required": true, follow this flow:

1. Ask the user for their API key: "To search DrugBank, I need your Valyu API key. Get one free ($10 credits) at https://platform.valyu.ai"

2. Once the user provides the key, run:

   scripts/search setup <api-key>

3. Retry the original search.

When to Use This Skill

• Comprehensive drug information lookup
• Drug interactions and side effects research
• Target identification and validation
• Mechanism of action studies
• Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics research
• Drug metabolism and adverse event data

Output Format

{
  "success": true,
  "type": "drugbank_search",
  "query": "ACE inhibitors",
  "result_count": 10,
  "results": [
    {
      "title": "Drug Name",
      "url": "https://drugbank.com/...",
      "content": "Drug information, mechanism, interactions...",
      "source": "drugbank",
      "relevance_score": 0.95,
      "images": ["https://example.com/structure.png"]
    }
  ],
  "cost": 0.025
}

Processing Results

With jq

# Get drug names
scripts/search "query" 10 | jq -r '.results[].title'

# Get URLs
scripts/search "query" 10 | jq -r '.results[].url'

# Extract full content
scripts/search "query" 10 | jq -r '.results[].content'

Common Use Cases

Drug Information

# Find drug details
scripts/search "metformin pharmacokinetics" 50

Drug Interactions

# Search for interactions
scripts/search "CYP3A4 inhibitor drug interactions" 20

Mechanism Research

# Find mechanism data
scripts/search "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors mechanism" 15

Target Identification

# Search for drug targets
scripts/search "drugs targeting BCR-ABL fusion protein" 25

Error Handling

All commands return JSON with success field:

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "Error message"
}

Exit codes:

• 0 - Success
• 1 - Error (check JSON for details)

API Endpoint

• Base URL: https://api.valyu.ai/v1
• Endpoint: /search
• Authentication: X-API-Key header

Architecture

scripts/
├── search          # Bash wrapper
└── search.mjs      # Node.js CLI

Direct API calls using Node.js built-in fetch(), zero external dependencies.

Adding to Your Project

If you're building an AI project and want to integrate DrugBank Search directly into your application, use the Valyu SDK:

Python Integration

from valyu import Valyu

client = Valyu(api_key="your-api-key")

response = client.search(
    query="your search query here",
    included_sources=["valyu/valyu-drugbank"],
    max_results=20
)

for result in response["results"]:
    print(f"Title: {result['title']}")
    print(f"URL: {result['url']}")
    print(f"Content: {result['content'][:500]}...")

TypeScript Integration

import { Valyu } from "valyu-js";

const client = new Valyu("your-api-key");

const response = await client.search({
  query: "your search query here",
  includedSources: ["valyu/valyu-drugbank"],
  maxResults: 20
});

response.results.forEach((result) => {
  console.log(`Title: ${result.title}`);
  console.log(`URL: ${result.url}`);
  console.log(`Content: ${result.content.substring(0, 500)}...`);
});

See the Valyu docs for full integration examples and SDK reference.