
Literature Search Biorxiv
- 1.5k installs
- 2.6k repo stars
- Updated July 7, 2026
- google-deepmind/science-skills
literature-search-biorxiv provides documented workflows for >
About
The literature-search-biorxiv skill bioRxiv and medRxiv Literature Search Prerequisites 1 uv Read the uv skill and follow its Setup instructions to ensure uv is installed and on PATH 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 api biorxiv org and https www biorxiv org content about-biorxiv and to always check the license of the papers retrieved by the skill for any restrictions then 2 create the file recording the notification text and timestamp Search Strategy Guide Read First This skill browses a date-based preprint archive It is NOT a keyword search engine Choose your approach based on what you already know A DOI e g from a citation Use search_by_doi py Approximate date category Use search_by_dates py with a 1 4 week range and category Only a topic or keywords no date Do NOT use this skill for discovery Use a keyword-capable literature skill first to find relevant DOIs then return here to
- **`uv`**: Read the `uv` skill and follow its Setup instructions to ensure
- **User Notification**: If LICENSE_NOTIFICATION.txt does not already exist in
- **A DOI** (e.g., from a citation): Use `search_by_doi.py`. Fast and
- **Approximate date + category**: Use `search_by_dates.py` with a 1 - 4 week
- **Only a topic or keywords, no date**: **Do NOT use this skill for
Literature Search Biorxiv by the numbers
- 1,475 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- +177 installs in the week ending Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
- Ranked #163 of 2,064 Data Science & ML skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Security screen: MEDIUM risk (skills.sh audit)
- Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
literature-search-biorxiv capabilities & compatibility
- Capabilities
- **`uv`**: read the `uv` skill and follow its set · **user notification**: if license_notification.t · **a doi** (e.g., from a citation): use `search_b · **approximate date + category**: use `search_by_ · **only a topic or keywords, no date**: **do not
- Use cases
- documentation · planning
What literature-search-biorxiv says it does
# bioRxiv and medRxiv Literature Search ## Prerequisites 1.
**`uv`**: Read the `uv` skill and follow its Setup instructions to ensure `uv` is installed and on PATH.
npx skills add https://github.com/google-deepmind/science-skills --skill literature-search-biorxivAdd your badge
Show developers this skill is listed on Skillselion. Paste this into your README.
| Installs | 1.5k |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 2.6k |
| Security audit | 2 / 3 scanners passed |
| Last updated | July 7, 2026 |
| Repository | google-deepmind/science-skills ↗ |
How do I use literature-search-biorxiv for the task described in its SKILL.md triggers?
>
Who is it for?
Teams invoking literature-search-biorxiv when the user request matches documented triggers and prerequisites.
Skip if: Skip when cached docs are missing, the request is a negative trigger, or another sibling skill owns the workflow.
When should I use this skill?
>
What you get
Step-by-step guidance grounded in literature-search-biorxiv documentation and reference files.
- filtered preprint result lists
- date-range literature metadata
By the numbers
- Queries two preprint servers: bioRxiv and medRxiv
- Requires Python >=3.10
Files
bioRxiv and medRxiv Literature Search
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://api.biorxiv.org/ and https://www.biorxiv.org/content/about-biorxiv and to always check the license of the papers retrieved by the skill for any restrictions, then (2) create the file recording the notification text and timestamp.
Search Strategy Guide (Read First)
This skill browses a date-based preprint archive. It is NOT a keyword search engine. Choose your approach based on what you already know:
- A DOI (e.g., from a citation): Use
search_by_doi.py. Fast and
reliable.
- Approximate date + category: Use
search_by_dates.pywith a 1–4 week
range and --category.
- Only a topic or keywords, no date: **Do NOT use this skill for
discovery.** Use a keyword-capable literature skill first to find relevant DOIs, then return here to fetch metadata.
CRITICAL ANTI-PATTERN — Do NOT do this: Do NOT attempt to search broad
date ranges (months or years) with --keywords hoping to find a specificpaper. The bioRxiv API does not support server-side keyword search. The script
must download ALL metadata for the entire date range and filter locally in
Python. Broad ranges will result in thousands of API calls, timeouts, and your
request being blocked for API abuse. This is the #1 reason this skill fails.
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.
- Local Filtering (CRITICAL WARNING): Unlike arXiv, the bioRxiv API **does
not support server-side keyword or author searches*. Keyword and author filtering is performed locally by the scripts after downloading all metadata for a specified date range. You MUST* use narrow date ranges (e.g., 1-4 weeks) AND the --category filter when searching with --keywords or --author.
- Abstracts Excluded By Default: To save context space in the resulting
JSON, abstracts are stripped from the output by default. If you are searching by --keywords and want to read the abstracts of the resulting papers to understand their context, you MUST pass the --include_abstracts flag.
- Output Redirection: Search commands output JSON arrays to standard
output. Always redirect output to a file (e.g., > results.json) and parse the file separately.
- List Sources If this skill is used, ensure this is mentioned in the
output AND list the URLs of all papers that were used in producing the output.
Utility Scripts
All tools enforce a cross-process rate limits and retry with backoff on failure. To ensure you respect terms-of-service, do NOT write custom curl queries.
Pagination: The bioRxiv API returns results in pages of up to 100 papers. The search_by_dates.py script automatically fetches all pages and reports pagination progress to stderr (e.g., [Page 2] Fetched 200/543 papers...). The JSON output to stdout contains the complete filtered result set across all pages — no manual pagination is needed.
1. Search by Dates (search_by_dates.py)
Search for preprints within an explicit date range, optionally filtering by category, keywords, or author.
# Broad category search over a 2-week period
uv run scripts/search_by_dates.py --server biorxiv \
--start_date 2024-01-01 --end_date 2024-01-14 \
--category neuroscience > results.json
# Deep keyword filtering using OR logic and including abstracts
uv run scripts/search_by_dates.py --server medrxiv \
--start_date 2023-11-01 --end_date 2023-11-30 \
--category infectious_diseases \
--keywords "covid" "sars-cov-2" --match_logic OR \
--include_abstracts > covid_papers.json
# Finding papers by a specific author in a narrow window
uv run scripts/search_by_dates.py \
--start_date 2024-05-01 --end_date 2024-05-14 \
--author "Smith" > smith_papers.jsonRequired Arguments:
-
--start_date: YYYY-MM-DD -
--end_date: YYYY-MM-DD
Optional Arguments:
-
--server:biorxiv(default) ormedrxiv -
--category: A valid subject category (see below). Highly recommended —
dramatically reduces the data the script must download and filter.
-
--keywords: List of strings to search in the title/abstract. -
--match_logic:AND(default) orORfor keywords. -
--author: Author name (case-insensitive string match). -
--include_abstracts: Flag to include full abstracts in the JSON output.
2. Fetch Metadata by DOI (search_by_doi.py)
Retrieve the detailed JSON metadata for a single paper if you already know its DOI. This is the most reliable entry point.
uv run scripts/search_by_doi.py --server biorxiv \
--doi "10.1101/2023.08.15.551388" \
--include_abstracts > paper_info.jsonDownloading Full-Text PDFs
This skill does NOT support PDF downloads. To download the full-text PDF
of a bioRxiv or medRxiv preprint, use the `literature-search-europepmc`
skill. First, use the paper's DOI to look up its PMCID via EuropePMC, then use
EuropePMC's PDF retrieval to download the document.
Valid Subject Categories
You can pass these to the --category flag in search_by_dates.py. The script will strictly validate them.
bioRxiv Categories:
animal_behavior_and_cognition, biochemistry, bioengineering, bioinformatics, biophysics, cancer_biology, cell_biology, clinical_trials, developmental_biology, ecology, epidemiology, evolutionary_biology, genetics, genomics, immunology, microbiology, molecular_biology, neuroscience, paleontology, pathology, pharmacology_and_toxicology, physiology, plant_biology, scientific_communication_and_education, synthetic_biology, systems_biology, zoology
medRxiv Categories:
addiction_medicine, allergy_and_immunology, anesthesia, cardiovascular_medicine, dentistry_and_oral_medicine, dermatology, emergency_medicine, endocrinology, epidemiology, forensic_medicine, gastroenterology, genetic_and_genomic_medicine, health_informatics, health_economics_and_outcomes_research, health_policy, health_systems_and_quality_improvement, hematology, hiv_aids, infectious_diseases, intensive_care_and_critical_care_medicine, medical_education, medical_ethics, nephrology, neurology, nursing, nutrition, obstetrics_and_gynecology, occupational_and_environmental_health, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology, pain_medicine, palliative_care, pathology, pediatrics, pharmacology_and_therapeutics, primary_care_research, psychiatry_and_clinical_psychology, public_and_global_health, radiology_and_imaging, rehabilitation_medicine_and_physical_therapy, respiratory_medicine, rheumatology, sexual_and_reproductive_health, sports_medicine, surgery, toxicology, transplantation, urology
# Copyright 2026 Google LLC
#
# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
# You may obtain a copy of the License at
#
# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
#
# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
# limitations under the License.
"""Search bioRxiv/medRxiv by date range with local filtering."""
# /// script
# requires-python = ">=3.10"
# dependencies = [
# "scienceskillscommon",
# ]
# [tool.uv.sources]
# scienceskillscommon = { path = "../../scienceskillscommon" }
# ///
import argparse
import json
import sys
from science_skills.skills.scienceskillscommon import http_client
client = http_client.HttpClient(base_url="https://api.biorxiv.org/", qps=1.0)
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Constants
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL = 1.0 # seconds between API requests
LOCK_FILE = "/tmp/biorxiv_api.lock"
MAX_RETRIES = 4
USER_AGENT = ""
BIORXIV_CATEGORIES = [
"animal_behavior_and_cognition",
"biochemistry",
"bioengineering",
"bioinformatics",
"biophysics",
"cancer_biology",
"cell_biology",
"clinical_trials",
"developmental_biology",
"ecology",
"epidemiology",
"evolutionary_biology",
"genetics",
"genomics",
"immunology",
"microbiology",
"molecular_biology",
"neuroscience",
"paleontology",
"pathology",
"pharmacology_and_toxicology",
"physiology",
"plant_biology",
"scientific_communication_and_education",
"synthetic_biology",
"systems_biology",
"zoology",
]
MEDRXIV_CATEGORIES = [
"addiction_medicine",
"allergy_and_immunology",
"anesthesia",
"cardiovascular_medicine",
"dentistry_and_oral_medicine",
"dermatology",
"emergency_medicine",
"endocrinology",
"epidemiology",
"forensic_medicine",
"gastroenterology",
"genetic_and_genomic_medicine",
"health_informatics",
"health_economics_and_outcomes_research",
"health_policy",
"health_systems_and_quality_improvement",
"hematology",
"hiv_aids",
"infectious_diseases",
"intensive_care_and_critical_care_medicine",
"medical_education",
"medical_ethics",
"nephrology",
"neurology",
"nursing",
"nutrition",
"obstetrics_and_gynecology",
"occupational_and_environmental_health",
"oncology",
"ophthalmology",
"orthopedics",
"otolaryngology",
"pain_medicine",
"palliative_care",
"pathology",
"pediatrics",
"pharmacology_and_therapeutics",
"primary_care_research",
"psychiatry_and_clinical_psychology",
"public_and_global_health",
"radiology_and_imaging",
"rehabilitation_medicine_and_physical_therapy",
"respiratory_medicine",
"rheumatology",
"sexual_and_reproductive_health",
"sports_medicine",
"surgery",
"toxicology",
"transplantation",
"urology",
]
def search_biorxiv(args):
"""Searches bioRxiv/medRxiv for preprints in the given date range."""
# Strict Category Validation
if args.category:
if args.server == "biorxiv" and args.category not in BIORXIV_CATEGORIES:
sys.exit(
f"Error: Invalid category '{args.category}' for bioRxiv.\n"
f"Valid categories are: {', '.join(BIORXIV_CATEGORIES)}"
)
elif args.server == "medrxiv" and args.category not in MEDRXIV_CATEGORIES:
sys.exit(
f"Error: Invalid category '{args.category}' for medRxiv.\n"
f"Valid categories are: {', '.join(MEDRXIV_CATEGORIES)}"
)
base_url = (
f"https://api.biorxiv.org/details/{args.server}"
f"/{args.start_date}/{args.end_date}"
)
cursor = 0
all_results = []
total_fetched = 0
total_after_category = 0
page_num = 0
print(
f"Fetching metadata for {args.server} from {args.start_date}"
f" to {args.end_date}...",
file=sys.stderr,
)
if args.category:
print(f" Category filter: {args.category}", file=sys.stderr)
if args.keywords:
print(
f" Keyword filter ({args.match_logic}): {', '.join(args.keywords)}",
file=sys.stderr,
)
if args.author:
print(f" Author filter: {args.author}", file=sys.stderr)
while True:
url = f"{base_url}/{cursor}"
page_num += 1
data = client.fetch_json(url)
collection = data.get("collection", [])
if not collection:
break
total_fetched += len(collection)
# Print pagination progress to stderr
print(
f" [Page {page_num}] Fetched {total_fetched} papers...",
file=sys.stderr,
)
for paper in collection:
# Local Category Filtering
# The API may ignore the category query parameter, so we always
# enforce category filtering locally as a reliable fallback.
if args.category:
paper_category = paper.get("category", "").lower().replace(" ", "_")
if paper_category != args.category.lower():
continue
total_after_category += 1
# Local Author Filtering
if args.author:
author_list = paper.get("authors", "").lower().split(";")
if not any(args.author.lower() in a for a in author_list):
continue
# Local Keyword Filtering (checks title and abstract)
if args.keywords:
title = paper.get("title", "").lower()
abstract = paper.get("abstract", "").lower()
text_to_search = f"{title} {abstract}"
kw_lower = [k.lower() for k in args.keywords]
if args.match_logic == "AND":
if not all(kw in text_to_search for kw in kw_lower):
continue
else: # OR logic
if not any(kw in text_to_search for kw in kw_lower):
continue
# Strip abstract if not requested
if not args.include_abstracts and "abstract" in paper:
del paper["abstract"]
all_results.append(paper)
# The bioRxiv API returns results in pages of up to 100 items.
# We advance `cursor` by the page size and stop once we get a short
# page. NOTE: We intentionally do NOT use `total_count` for
# termination because the API sometimes reports 100 (the page size)
# rather than the true total, which causes premature stopping.
cursor += len(collection)
if len(collection) < 100:
# A short page is the only reliable signal that we've fetched everything.
break
# Print summary to stderr so the agent can assess results
print("\n--- Search Summary ---", file=sys.stderr)
print(
f" Total papers in date range: {total_fetched}"
+ (f" (across {page_num} page(s))" if page_num > 1 else ""),
file=sys.stderr,
)
if args.category:
print(
f" After category filter ('{args.category}'): {total_after_category}",
file=sys.stderr,
)
print(
f" Final results after all filters: {len(all_results)}",
file=sys.stderr,
)
if not all_results:
print(
" Tip: No results found. Try widening the date range, removing keyword"
" filters, or changing the category. If searching for a specific paper,"
" consider using search_by_doi.py with the paper's DOI instead.",
file=sys.stderr,
)
print(json.dumps(all_results, indent=2))
def main():
"""Parses arguments and searches bioRxiv/medRxiv."""
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
description="Search bioRxiv/medRxiv by date range with local filtering."
)
parser.add_argument(
"--server",
choices=["biorxiv", "medrxiv"],
default="biorxiv",
help="The preprint server to query.",
)
parser.add_argument(
"--start_date",
required=True,
help="Start date (YYYY-MM-DD)",
)
parser.add_argument(
"--end_date",
required=True,
help="End date (YYYY-MM-DD)",
)
parser.add_argument("--category", help="Strict server-side category filter")
parser.add_argument("--author", help="Local author filter (case-insensitive)")
parser.add_argument(
"--keywords",
nargs="+",
help="Local keyword filters applied to title and abstract",
)
parser.add_argument(
"--match_logic",
choices=["AND", "OR"],
default="AND",
help="Keyword matching logic",
)
parser.add_argument(
"--include_abstracts",
action="store_true",
help="Include full abstracts in the JSON output",
)
args = parser.parse_args()
search_biorxiv(args)
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
# Copyright 2026 Google LLC
#
# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
# You may obtain a copy of the License at
#
# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
#
# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
# limitations under the License.
"""Fetch specific bioRxiv/medRxiv metadata by DOI."""
# /// script
# requires-python = ">=3.10"
# dependencies = [
# "scienceskillscommon",
# ]
# [tool.uv.sources]
# scienceskillscommon = { path = "../../scienceskillscommon" }
# ///
import argparse
import json
import sys
from science_skills.skills.scienceskillscommon import http_client
_CLIENT = http_client.HttpClient(base_url="https://api.biorxiv.org/", qps=1.0)
def search_by_doi(args):
"""Retrieves metadata for a single paper identified by its DOI."""
# Clean up DOI string if a URL was accidentally passed
doi = args.doi.replace("https://doi.org/", "").replace("http://doi.org/", "")
url = f"https://api.biorxiv.org/details/{args.server}/{doi}"
data = _CLIENT.fetch_json(url)
collection = data.get("collection", [])
if not collection:
sys.exit(f"Error: No paper found for DOI '{doi}' on {args.server}.")
paper = collection[0]
if not args.include_abstracts:
paper.pop("abstract", None)
print(json.dumps(paper, indent=2))
def main():
"""Parses arguments and fetches metadata by DOI."""
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
description="Fetch specific bioRxiv/medRxiv metadata by DOI."
)
parser.add_argument(
"--server",
choices=["biorxiv", "medrxiv"],
default="biorxiv",
help="The preprint server to query.",
)
parser.add_argument("--doi", required=True, help="The DOI of the paper")
parser.add_argument(
"--include_abstracts",
action="store_true",
help="Include full abstracts in the JSON output",
)
args = parser.parse_args()
search_by_doi(args)
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
Related skills
How it compares
Use literature-search-biorxiv for life-sciences preprints; pick general web-search skills for broader or non-preprint sources.
FAQ
What does literature-search-biorxiv do?
>
When should I use literature-search-biorxiv?
>
What are common prerequisites?
--- name: literature-search-biorxiv description: > Browse, filter, and download life sciences, biology, and medical preprints from bioRxiv and medRxiv.
Is Literature Search Biorxiv safe to install?
skills.sh reports 2 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.