Atlas / Skills / orchestra-research / AI-Research-SKILLs

AI-Research-SKILLsBLOCK

skills/orchestra-research/ai-research-skills

Comprehensive open-source library of AI research and engineering skills for any AI model. Package the skills and your claude code/codex/gemini agent will be an AI research agent with full horsepower. Maintained by Orchestra Research.

Verdict
BLOCK
Grade
D
Trust score
69 /100
Version
3.0.0
Hosts
7 documented
License
MIT
Stars
13,430
01

Overview

From the repository's own README, as read at the audited commit. Badges and raw HTML are left out.

The most comprehensive open-source skills library enabling AI agents to autonomously conduct AI research — from idea to paper

98 Skills Powering AI Research in 2026

View All 23 Categories

Read from source at commit 6c04b84d00a4OBSERVED · 2026-10-11
02

Install

Commands as the repository documents them. They are shown, not run.

pip install 'litgpt[extra]'
pip install causal-conv1d>=1.4.0
pip install mamba-ssm
pip install mamba-ssm[causal-conv1d]
pip install mamba-ssm --no-build-isolation
pip install causal-conv1d>=1.4.0
03

Host compatibility

What the documentation claims. We have not run a compatibility test.

HostStatusNotes
claude-codementioned
codexmentioned
copilotmentioned
cursormentioned
gemini-climentioned
openclawmentioned
windsurfmentioned
04

What it tells the agent

The instruction file, verbatim from the audited commit — this is the text the model reads, and the surface the audit's instruction layer examines. Quoted here so you can judge it without cloning anything.

---
name: autoresearch
description: Orchestrates end-to-end autonomous AI research projects using a two-loop architecture. The inner loop runs rapid experiment iterations with clear optimization targets. The outer loop synthesizes results, identifies patterns, and steers research direction. Routes to domain-specific skills for execution, supports continuous agent operation via Claude Code /loop and OpenClaw heartbeat, and produces research presentations and papers. Use when starting a research project, running autonomous experiments, or managing a multi-hypothesis research effort.
version: 1.0.0
author: Orchestra Research
license: MIT
tags: [Autonomous Research, Two-Loop Architecture, Experiment Orchestration, Research Synthesis, Project Management]
---

# Autoresearch

Autonomous research orchestration for AI coding agents. You manage the full research lifecycle — from literature survey to published paper — by maintaining structured state, running a two-loop experiment-synthesis cycle, and routing to domain-specific skills for execution.

You are a research project manager, not a domain expert. You orchestrate; the domain skills execute.

**This runs fully autonomously.** Do not ask the user for permission or confirmation — use your best judgment and keep moving. Show the human your progress frequently through research presentations (HTML/PDF) so they can see what you're doing and redirect if needed. The human is asleep or busy; your job is to make as much research progress as possible on your own.

## Getting Started

Users arrive in different states. Determine which and proceed:

| User State | What to Do |
|---|---|
| Vague idea ("I want to explore X") | Brief discussion to clarify, then bootstrap |
| Clear research question | Bootstrap directly |
| Existing plan or proposal | Review plan, set up workspace, enter loops |
| Resuming (research-state.yaml exists) | Read state, continue from where you left off |

If things are clear, don't over-discuss — proceed to full autoresearch. Most users want you to just start researching.

**Step 0 — before anything else**: Set up the agent continuity loop. See [Agent Continuity](#agent-continuity-mandatory--set-up-first). This is MANDATORY. Without it, the research stops after one cycle.

### Initialize Workspace

Create this structure at the project root:

```
{project}/
├── research-state.yaml       # Central state tracking
├── research-log.md           # Decision timeline
├── findings.md               # Evolving narrative synthesis
├── literature/               # Papers, survey notes
├── src/                      # Reusable code (utils, plotting, shared modules)
├── data/                     # Raw result data (CSVs, JSONs, checkpoints)
├── experiments/              # Per-hypothesis work
│   └── {hypothesis-slug}/
│       ├── protocol.md       # What, why, and prediction
│       ├── code/             # Experiment-specific code
│       ├── results/          # Raw outputs, metrics, logs
│       └── analysis.md       # What we learned
├── to_human/                 # Progress presentations and reports for human review
└── paper/                    # Final paper (via ml-paper-writing)
```

- **`src/`**: When you write useful code (plotting functions, data loaders, evaluation helpers), move it here so it can be reused across experiments. Don't duplicate code in every experiment directory.
- **`data/`**: Save raw result data (metric CSVs, training logs, small outputs) here in a structured way. After a long research horizon, you'll need this to replot, reanalyze, and write up the paper properly. Name files descriptively (e.g., `trajectory_H1_runs001-010.csv`). Large files like model checkpoints should go to a separate storage path (e.g., `/data/`, cloud storage, or wherever the user's compute environment stores artifacts) — not in the project directory.

Initialize `research-state.yaml`, `research-log.md`, and `findings.md` from [templates/](templates/). Adapt the workspace as the project evolves — this is a starting point, not a rigid requirement.

## The Two-Loop Architecture

This is the core engine. Everything else supports it.

```
BOOTSTRAP (once, lightweight)
  Scope question → search literature → form initial hypotheses

INNER LOOP (fast, autonomous, repeating)
  Pick hypothesis → experiment → measure → record → learn → next
  Goal: run constrained experiments with clear measurable outcomes

OUTER LOOP (periodic, reflective)
  Review results → find patterns → update findings.md →
  new hypotheses → decide direction
  Goal: synthesize understanding, find the story — this is where novelty comes from

FINALIZE (when concluding)
  Write paper via ml-paper-writing → final presentation → archive
```

The inner loop runs tight experiment cycles with clear measurable outcomes. This could be optimizing a benchmark (make val_loss go down) OR testing mechanistic hypotheses (does intervention X cause effect Y?). The outer loop steps back to ask: what do these results *mean*? What patterns emerge? What's the story? Research is open-ended — the two loops let you both optimize and discover.

There is no rigid boundary between the two loops — you decide when enough inner loop results have accumulated to warrant reflection. Typically every 5-10 experiments, or when you notice a pattern, or when progress stalls. The agent's judgment drives the rhythm.

### Research is Non-Linear

The two-loop structure is a rhythm, not a railroad. At any point during research you can and should:

- **Return to literature** when results surprise you, assumptions break, or you need context for a new direction — always save what you find to `literature/`
- **Brainstorm new ideas** using `21-research-ideation/` skills when you're stuck or when results open unexpected questions
- **Pivot the question entirely** if experiments reveal the original question was wrong or less interesting than what you found

This is normal. Most real research projects loop back to literature 1-3 times a
05

Trust audit

BLOCKgrade D · trust 69/100 Do not install this without reading the findings. The audit found something that could harm you or your machine.

LayerWhat it checksResult
L0Provenance & inventoryPASS
L1Static analysis of the codeWARN
L2Instruction surface (what it tells the agent)FAIL
L3Class-specific surfacePASS
L4Behavioural (sandbox)SKIPPED

What the source does

Filesystem
none-observed
Network
declared (1 observation(s))
Shell
declared (4 observation(s))
Dependencies
not all pinned
Secrets in source
found

Findings (25)

HIGHPrompt injection · prompt.override · CWE-94, CWE-1427
07-safety-alignment/nemo-guardrails/SKILL.md:3
description: NVIDIA's runtime safety framework for LLM applications. Features jailbreak detection, input/output validation, fact-checking, hallucination detection, PII filtering, toxicity detection. U
Why it matters. asks the agent to drop prior instructions or safety
Fix. remove the instruction
HIGHPrompt injection · prompt.override · CWE-94, CWE-1427
07-safety-alignment/nemo-guardrails/SKILL.md:7
tags: [Safety Alignment, NeMo Guardrails, NVIDIA, Jailbreak Detection, Guardrails, Colang, Runtime Safety, Hallucination Detection, PII Filtering, Production]
Why it matters. asks the agent to drop prior instructions or safety
Fix. remove the instruction
HIGHPrompt injection · prompt.override · CWE-94, CWE-1427
07-safety-alignment/nemo-guardrails/SKILL.md:54
### Workflow 1: Jailbreak detection
Why it matters. asks the agent to drop prior instructions or safety
Fix. remove the instruction
HIGHPrompt injection · prompt.override · CWE-94, CWE-1427
07-safety-alignment/nemo-guardrails/SKILL.md:59
define user ask jailbreak
Why it matters. asks the agent to drop prior instructions or safety
Fix. remove the instruction
HIGHPrompt injection · prompt.zero_width · CWE-94, CWE-1427
03-fine-tuning/unsloth/references/llms-txt.md:400
| **Gemma 3n** | E2B           | [link](https://huggingface.co/unsloth/gemma-3n-E2B-it-GGUF) | [link](https://huggingface.co/unsloth/gemma-3n-E2B-it-unsloth-bnb-4bit)      |
Why it matters. invisible characters in instruction text
Fix. strip non-printing characters
HIGHPrompt injection · prompt.zero_width · CWE-94, CWE-1427
03-fine-tuning/unsloth/references/llms-txt.md:9050
* **DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama-8B** is a fine-tuned version of Llama-3.1-8B. DeepSeek utilized data generated by DeepSeek-R1, to fine-tune Llama-3.1-8B. This process, known as distillation (a subcatego
Why it matters. invisible characters in instruction text
Fix. strip non-printing characters
MEDIUMNetwork egress · net.raw_ip · CWE-200, CWE-319
06-post-training/openrlhf/SKILL.md:34
ray job submit --address="http://127.0.0.1:8265" \
MEDIUMNetwork egress · net.raw_ip · CWE-200, CWE-319
06-post-training/openrlhf/SKILL.md:85
ray job submit --address="http://127.0.0.1:8265" \
MEDIUMNetwork egress · net.raw_ip · CWE-200, CWE-319
06-post-training/openrlhf/SKILL.md:110
ray job submit --address="http://127.0.0.1:8265" \
MEDIUMHard-coded secrets · secret.db_uri · CWE-798, CWE-321
17-observability/phoenix/references/advanced-usage.md:323
- PHOENIX_SQL_DATABASE_URL=postgresql://phoenix:phoenix@postgres:5432/phoenix
LOWCode injection · code.eval_exec · CWE-78, CWE-94, CWE-95
06-post-training/grpo-rl-training/examples/reward_functions_library.py:354
exec(code, exec_globals)
Why it matters. evaluates text as code
Fix. remove; use a parser or a dispatch table
LOWNetwork egress · net.raw_ip · CWE-200, CWE-319
06-post-training/openrlhf/references/custom-rewards.md:113
ray job submit --address="http://127.0.0.1:8265" \
LOWNetwork egress · net.raw_ip · CWE-200, CWE-319
06-post-training/openrlhf/references/custom-rewards.md:176
ray job submit --address="http://127.0.0.1:8265" \
LOWSupply chain · supply.unpinned · CWE-829, CWE-1357
video-promo/ai-research-skills-promo/package.json
@remotion/cli, @remotion/google-fonts, react, react-dom, remotion, @types/react, typescript
Why it matters. 7 dependency range(s) float
Fix. pin exact versions or ship a lockfile
LOWPrompt injection · prompt.override · CWE-94, CWE-1427
07-safety-alignment/nemo-guardrails/SKILL.md:60
"Ignore previous instructions"
Why it matters. asks the agent to drop prior instructions or safety
Fix. remove the instruction
LOWPrompt injection · prompt.transfer_instruction · CWE-94, CWE-1427
03-fine-tuning/unsloth/references/llms-txt.md:9184
We can now save the finetuned model as a small 100MB file called a LoRA adapter like below. You can instead push to the Hugging Face hub as well if you want to upload your model! Remember to get a Hug
Why it matters. an instruction to move sensitive data to an outside destination
Fix. remove; a skill never needs the user's secrets off the machine
LOWPrompt injection · prompt.transfer_instruction · CWE-94, CWE-1427
03-fine-tuning/unsloth/references/llms-txt.md:9379
You can save the finetuned model as a small 100MB file called a LoRA adapter like below. You can instead push to the Hugging Face hub as well if you want to upload your model! Remember to get a Huggin
Why it matters. an instruction to move sensitive data to an outside destination
Fix. remove; a skill never needs the user's secrets off the machine
LOWPrompt injection · prompt.transfer_instruction · CWE-94, CWE-1427
03-fine-tuning/unsloth/references/llms-txt.md:11262
We can now save the finetuned model as a small 100MB file called a LoRA adapter like below. You can instead push to the Hugging Face hub as well if you want to upload your model! Remember to get a Hug
Why it matters. an instruction to move sensitive data to an outside destination
Fix. remove; a skill never needs the user's secrets off the machine
INFOInventory / provenance · inv.oversize · CWE-1104
03-fine-tuning/unsloth/references/llms-full.md
03-fine-tuning/unsloth/references/llms-full.md
Why it matters. 1077228 bytes not read
INFOInventory / provenance · inv.oversize · CWE-1104
demos/autoresearch-rl-brain-scan/rl_algorithm_brain_scan.pdf
demos/autoresearch-rl-brain-scan/rl_algorithm_brain_scan.pdf
Why it matters. 1111370 bytes not read
INFOInventory / provenance · inv.oversize · CWE-1104
docs/assets/promo.gif
docs/assets/promo.gif
Why it matters. 5081818 bytes not read
INFOInventory / provenance · inv.oversize · CWE-1104
video-promo/ai-research-skills-promo/public/music.wav
video-promo/ai-research-skills-promo/public/music.wav
Why it matters. 5759432 bytes not read
INFOPrompt injection · prompt.credential_read · CWE-94, CWE-1427
03-fine-tuning/unsloth/references/llms-txt.md:1331
-e "SSH_KEY=$(cat ~/.ssh/container_key.pub)"
Why it matters. asks the agent to read credentials
INFOPrompt injection · prompt.credential_read · CWE-94, CWE-1427
03-fine-tuning/unsloth/references/llms-txt.md:4135
-e "SSH_KEY=$(cat ~/.ssh/container_key.pub)" \
Why it matters. asks the agent to read credentials
INFOPrompt injection · prompt.credential_read · CWE-94, CWE-1427
03-fine-tuning/unsloth/references/llms-txt.md:4708
-e "SSH_KEY=$(cat ~/.ssh/container_key.pub)" \
Why it matters. asks the agent to read credentials

Gates applied: instruction_override, no_behavioural_pass.

Audited 2026-10-11 · audit v0.4.1 · source sha 6c04b84d00a4full audit observations/trust-audit/skill/orchestra-research__ai-research-skills.json · Report an issue / request a re-scan
06

Audit history

Every audit this skill has had.

DateSourceVerdictGradeScoreChange
2026-10-116c04b84d00a4BLOCKD69first audit
07

Questions

What does the AI-Research-SKILLs skill do?

Comprehensive open-source library of AI research and engineering skills for any AI model. Package the skills and your claude code/codex/gemini agent will be an AI research agent with full horsepower. Maintained by Orchestra Research.

Is AI-Research-SKILLs safe to install?

No — not without reading the findings first. The audit graded it D (69/100) and found 6 critical or high issues in the source. Each one is listed on this page with the file and line it is on.

What can AI-Research-SKILLs access on my machine?

The audit observed that it reaches the network and runs shell commands. Each of those is consistent with what it says it does. Secrets in the source: found — see the findings.

Which assistants does AI-Research-SKILLs work with?

Its documentation mentions claude-code, codex, copilot, cursor, gemini-cli, openclaw and windsurf. That is what the text claims, not a compatibility test we ran.

How current is this page?

The grade is for one exact copy of the source (6c04b84d00a4), read on 2026-10-11. The repository is watched, and a new audit runs when it changes — this is the first audit.

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