Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Nature Shared References agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
Nature Shared References (skill name nature-shared) is an internal support package for the Nature Skills collection. It holds shared reference notes on Nature-style writing that other installed Nature skills load when they need a specific rule. This guide explains what it does, how to install it, and why you should not run it on its own.
Nature Shared ReferencesYuan1z0825/nature-skills · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Install the sibling Nature skills. Make sure nature-writing, nature-polishing, nature-response, nature-reader and nature-paper2ppt are installed in the same environment.
- 2Download the nature-shared ZIP. Get the ZIP for nature-shared from this directory page.
- 3Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into the project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 4Or upload in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the skill.
- 5Ask a sibling skill for the task. Make your request through a sibling skill, such as asking for an abstract to be tightened.
- 6Review the output. Check suggestions against the journal's official instructions before relying on them.
What is the nature-shared skill and what does it do?
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file and supporting files that an AI agent can read when a task calls for them. The nature-shared skill contains no standalone workflow. Its SKILL.md says it should be used only as a dependency of another installed Nature skill.
The package covers reference notes on abstracts, introductions, results and discussions, figure and supplementary placement, terminology, and ethics and compliance checks. When a sibling skill such as nature-writing, nature-polishing, nature-response, nature-reader or nature-paper2ppt is working on a paper, it can load only the relevant reference file so its suggestions follow these conventions.
- Shared definitions in core/, such as core/nature-abstract.md and core/nature-introduction.md
- Journal-specific notes, referenced in SKILL.md as journal-formats/nature.md and journal-formats/nature-machine-intelligence.md
- Consistency and terminology files such as core/terminology-ledger.md and core/consistency-sweep.md
Install the nature-shared skill from the ZIP
Download the ZIP for nature-shared from this directory page, then unzip it into one of the two skill locations below. Install the sibling Nature skills in the same environment, since nature-shared has no use without them.
You can also install it through the Claude apps by uploading the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
How do you trigger the skill with natural requests?
You do not normally ask for nature-shared by name. The skill is loaded by a sibling skill when that skill needs a specific rule. Ask the sibling skill for the task itself, for example a request to tighten an abstract or check a Results paragraph for overstated claims.
The source does not list example trigger phrases for this package, so treat the wording above as an illustration of the kind of request, not a documented command.
Examples of how the shared references get used
Suppose you ask nature-writing to draft an Introduction. The agent can load core/nature-introduction.md to structure a problem funnel and check that the knowledge gap is stated exactly. For a Discussion, it can load core/discussion-argument-language.md to sequence the argument and calibrate how confident the claims sound.
During a full-manuscript review, the agent can load core/consistency-sweep.md to find wording and number drift that builds up across revisions.
- Abstract compression: core/nature-abstract.md
- Results claim strength: core/nature-results-discussion.md
- Figure and supplementary placement: core/main-text-discipline.md
- Ethics and citation questions: core/ethics.md
What does the skill need and what are the safety notes?
The skill requires the sibling Nature skills to be installed in the same environment, and an agent runtime that can read SKILL.md and the referenced markdown files. According to the package listing, it runs no scripts and uses no network access.
Several reference files are described as corpus-derived patterns rather than official rules. Do not treat them as Nature journal policy. Check the current author instructions for any journal before submitting.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Load only the exact file requested; the SKILL.md says not to preload the whole package
Tips for getting good results
Use the skill through a sibling skill and state the task clearly, so the agent can pick the matching reference file. Keep the journal's own limits and reporting requirements in mind, since the shared notes say journal-specific rules take precedence.
If you maintain the collection, keep each reference file focused on one job so agents load only what they need.
- Start from a fresh draft when building terminology, because the ledger is designed to fix vocabulary before drafting
- Use the consistency sweep for full manuscripts that have been revised several times
- Verify any Nature-specific limit against the official journal guidance
What people use it for
- Keeping an abstract within Nature-style discovery-centred compression while drafting with nature-writing
- Checking Results sentences for claim escalation with nature-polishing
- Structuring a response to reviewers through nature-response
- Reviewing a manuscript for terminology and number drift before submission
- Building a slide deck from a paper with nature-paper2ppt
Frequently asked questions
Is nature-shared a standalone paper-writing assistant?
No. The SKILL.md says to use it only as a dependency of another installed Nature skill and not to invoke it as a standalone user workflow. If you want a direct writing helper, use a sibling skill such as nature-writing.
Do I need to install anything else first?
Yes. The listing says the sibling Nature skills (nature-writing, nature-polishing, nature-response, nature-reader, nature-paper2ppt) must be installed in the same environment, and the agent runtime must be able to read SKILL.md and referenced markdown files.
Where do I put the nature-shared folder?
Unzip the downloaded ZIP into ~/.claude/skills/ for a personal install, or into the project's .claude/skills/ folder for a project install. You can also upload it in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does nature-shared run scripts or access the internet?
According to the package listing, it runs no scripts and uses no network. It consists of markdown reference files that the agent reads.
Is this official Nature journal policy?
No. The SKILL.md and several reference files say they are corpus-derived writing patterns or general guidance, not official Nature Portfolio requirements. Check the journal's own author guidelines for binding rules.
Is it free and what licence does it use?
The listing states the licence is Apache-2.0. This page does not list any price, so check the source repository for terms of use.
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Our verdict
Nature Shared References is worth installing if you already use the sibling Nature skills and want consistent Nature-style guidance behind them, or if you maintain that collection. It is not a good choice if you want a standalone paper-writing assistant or official journal rules, since it works only as a dependency and several files are patterns, not policy.
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