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Alphafold Database Fetch And Analyze

  • 1.2k installs
  • 2.6k repo stars
  • Updated July 7, 2026
  • google-deepmind/science-skills

alphafold-database-fetch-and-analyze is a scientific agent skill that fetches AlphaFold protein structure predictions and analyzes PAE matrices to detect domain boundaries for computational biology workflows.

About

alphafold-database-fetch-and-analyze is a Google DeepMind science skill for retrieving AlphaFold Database structure predictions and analyzing Predicted Aligned Error (PAE) data to detect protein domain boundaries. The bundled Python workflow targets developers and researchers building structural bioinformatics pipelines who need programmatic access to predicted coordinates and confidence matrices rather than manual database browsing. The skill expects Python 3.10 or newer and focuses on PAE interpretation for domain segmentation decisions. Reach for alphafold-database-fetch-and-analyze when a pipeline must pull AlphaFold entries, inspect alignment error patterns, and derive domain boundary calls from prediction metadata. It complements broader protein-structure analysis work without replacing full molecular-dynamics or wet-lab validation steps.

  • Fetches predicted structures and PAE data from the AlphaFold database
  • Analyzes Predicted Aligned Error (PAE) matrices to identify structurally independent sub-domains
  • Implements distance-cutoff and minimum-domain-size logic for domain segmentation
  • Outputs domain boundary analysis in structured JSON format
  • Runs as a self-contained Python script with argparse CLI

Alphafold Database Fetch And Analyze by the numbers

  • 1,191 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +56 installs in the week ending Aug 4, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #260 of 2,064 Data Science & ML skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: LOW risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
npx skills add https://github.com/google-deepmind/science-skills --skill alphafold-database-fetch-and-analyze

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Installs1.2k
repo stars2.6k
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Last updatedJuly 7, 2026
Repositorygoogle-deepmind/science-skills

How do you analyze AlphaFold PAE for domain boundaries?

Fetch and analyze AlphaFold protein structure predictions including PAE matrices for domain boundary detection.

Who is it for?

Developers building computational biology pipelines who need programmatic AlphaFold fetch plus PAE-based domain boundary detection.

Skip if: Developers without a structural biology use case or teams needing wet-lab validation instead of predicted structure metadata.

When should I use this skill?

The user asks to fetch AlphaFold database entries, analyze PAE matrices, or detect protein domain boundaries from predictions.

What you get

Fetched AlphaFold predictions, PAE matrix analysis output, and detected domain boundary annotations for downstream structural workflows.

  • Fetched structure predictions
  • PAE analysis results
  • Domain boundary annotations

By the numbers

  • Requires Python >=3.10 per bundled script metadata

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

AlphaFold Database: Fetch and Analyze

Prerequisites

1. `uv`: Read the uv skill and follow its Setup instructions to ensure uv is installed and on PATH. 2. User Notification: If LICENSE_NOTIFICATION.txt does not already exist in this skill directory then (1) prominently notify the user to check the terms at https://alphafold.ebi.ac.uk/, then (2) create the file recording the notification text and timestamp.

Overview

Downloads AlphaFold predicted structures (mmCIF) and Predicted Aligned Error (PAE) matrices from the AlphaFold Database for a given UniProt ID, then performs automated heuristic analysis on structural confidence (pLDDT), intrinsically disordered regions, rigid domain boundaries, and inter-domain flexibility.

Do NOT use when:

  • The user only has a protein name, gene name, or amino acid sequence (no

UniProt ID) — ask them to look up the ID on UniProt.

  • The user wants to search for structural homologs (use Foldseek).
  • The user wants to run AlphaFold predictions on a custom sequence.
  • The user needs experimental PDB structures (use RCSB PDB).

Core Rules

  • Use the Wrapper: ALWAYS execute the provided helper scripts to query the

database rather than accessing the database directly. The scripts automatically enforce the required rate limit gracefully.

  • Do not attempt to calculate domain boundaries or assess structural disorder

yourself; always rely on the output provided by the script.

  • If this skill is used, ensure this is mentioned in the output.

Utility Scripts

1. Fetch Structure Files

Downloads the .cif structure file, _predicted_aligned_error.json, and API metadata JSON (-metadata.json) for a UniProt ID. Handles fragment fallback for very large proteins.

Examples:

uv run scripts/fetch_structure.py P00520 -o /path/to/output/
uv run scripts/fetch_structure.py P04637 -o /path/to/custom_results/

Always specify -o with an absolute path or a path relative to the user's project root, never a path relative to the skill directory.

2. Analyze pLDDT Confidence

Reads pLDDT confidence metrics from a saved AFDB metadata JSON file (produced by fetch_structure.py) and prints a heuristic confidence assessment (structured, disordered, mixed).

Example:

uv run scripts/analyze_plddt.py ./data/AF-P00520-F1-metadata.json

3. Analyze PAE / Domain Boundaries

Reads a downloaded PAE JSON file and detects rigid domain boundaries using a sliding-window PAE heuristic.

Example:

uv run scripts/analyze_pae.py ./data/AF-P00520-F1-predicted_aligned_error_v6.json

Interpreting the Output

The script prints analysis to stdout. Read it carefully and synthesize the results for the user:

1. Isoform / Large Protein Warning (MANDATORY): Check the script output for any [!] WARNING lines. If the script reports that no canonical entry was found and an isoform was used, or if the protein is very large (>2700 AAs), you MUST prominently relay this warning to the user. Do not omit this warning. 2. Synthesize the Structural Analysis: Combine the "pLDDT Conclusion" and the "PAE Structural Conclusion" into a single, cohesive overall summary. Describe the protein's overall folding confidence, the presence of disordered regions, and its rigid domain layout. 3. Highlight the supporting metrics:

  • Overall Global pLDDT and the breakdown of fraction confidence

(especially Very Low vs. Very High).

  • Domain Boundary Analysis (number of distinct global domains and their

specific residue ranges). 4. Explicit Disorder Warning: If the analysis concludes that the protein is highly intrinsically disordered (e.g., high fraction of <50 pLDDT or lack of rigid domains), issue a separate, prominent warning. Advise the user against proceeding with whole-protein downstream structural analysis (like Foldseek or docking). If small ordered domains exist amidst the disorder, advise the user to restrict any future analysis strictly to those specific residue boundaries. 5. Remind the user that per-residue pLDDT is embedded in the B-factor column of the downloaded mmCIF file.

Related skills

How it compares

Use alphafold-database-fetch-and-analyze when the task is AlphaFold Database fetch plus PAE domain calls, not general proteomics statistics or molecular-dynamics simulation.

FAQ

What does alphafold-database-fetch-and-analyze output?

alphafold-database-fetch-and-analyze retrieves AlphaFold protein structure predictions and analyzes Predicted Aligned Error matrices to produce domain boundary detection results for structural biology pipelines.

What Python version does alphafold-database-fetch-and-analyze require?

alphafold-database-fetch-and-analyze targets Python 3.10 or newer in its bundled script workflow for fetching AlphaFold data and running PAE-based domain analysis.

Is Alphafold Database Fetch And Analyze safe to install?

skills.sh reports 3 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.

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