Biorxiv Database

Need to search bioRxiv for preprints? This gives you Python tools to query the database by keywords, authors, date ranges, or subject categories, returning structured JSON with titles, abstracts, DOIs, and download links. You can pull PDFs directly too. It's straightforward for literature reviews or tracking specific researchers. The category filtering covers all the major life sciences areas from neuroscience to genomics. The API is clean enough to script batch operations, like downloading 50 papers matching your search criteria. Honestly just saves you from clicking around the bioRxiv website when you need to do systematic searches or pull metadata for citations.

skills.sh installs: 358
GitHub stars: 33.2K
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill biorxiv-database --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

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bioRxiv Database

Overview

This skill provides efficient Python-based tools for searching and retrieving preprints from the bioRxiv database. It enables comprehensive searches by keywords, authors, date ranges, and categories, returning structured JSON metadata that includes titles, abstracts, DOIs, and citation information. The skill also supports PDF downloads for full-text analysis.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Searching for recent preprints in specific research areas
Tracking publications by particular authors
Conducting systematic literature reviews
Analyzing research trends over time periods
Retrieving metadata for citation management
Downloading preprint PDFs for analysis
Filtering papers by bioRxiv subject categories

Core Search Capabilities

1. Keyword Search

Search for preprints containing specific keywords in titles, abstracts, or author lists.

Basic Usage:

python scripts/biorxiv_search.py \
  --keywords "CRISPR" "gene editing" \
  --start-date 2024-01-01 \
  --end-date 2024-12-31 \
  --output results.json

SKILL.md on GitHub