OpenAlex Skill

OpenAlex Skill

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://developers.openalex.org/ 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.

3. .env file: Make sure the .env file exists in your home directory. Create one if it does not exist.

4. OPENALEX_API_KEY (optional but recommended): Enables the OpenAlex Premium API with higher rate limits. The skill works without it (using the free "polite pool"). If the variable is missing from .env, do NOT ask the user to paste it into the chat (this would leak the key into the agent's context). Instead, give the user this command — substituting ENV_FILE with the resolved literal path to the .env file:

   printf "Enter OpenAlex API key (typing hidden): " && read -s key && echo && echo "OPENALEX_API_KEY=$key" >> "ENV_FILE" && echo "Saved."
   

   The scripts load credentials automatically via dotenv. NEVER read, print, or inspect the .env file or its variables (e.g. no cat, grep, echo, printenv, or os.environ.get on keys). Credentials must stay out of the agent's context. See the Rate Limits section for more details.

Core Rules

1. 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.
2. Resolve before filter. NEVER filter by name. Always resolve a name to an ID first, then use that ID in --filter.
3. Use the CLI only. Never call the API via curl/urllib. The CLI handles retries and rate limiting.
4. No fabrication. Never invent OpenAlex IDs or DOIs. Use resolve/get