Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Solo Math Proof Solver agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The solo skill is an agent skill for Claude that works on one hard mathematics problem in the current conversation, without spawning helper agents. It writes its reasoning into a notes file as each step is settled and finishes with a self-contained proof.md. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and where it falls short, so you can decide whether it fits your problem.
Solo Math Proof Solveranthropics/claude-plugins-official · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip. Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it so you have the solo skill folder containing SKILL.md.
- 2Place the skill folder. Move the folder into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or into the project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project.
- 3Start a session. Open Claude Code in your project, or open the Claude apps if you uploaded the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- 4Invoke the command. Run /math-proof:solo followed by your full problem statement or the path to a file holding it.
- 5Follow the notes. Check DIR/notes.md in the run directory as Claude records each settled step.
- 6Read proof.md. When the run finishes, open DIR/proof.md and check each argument before relying on it.
What is an agent skill, and what does solo make Claude do?
An agent skill is a folder of instructions that Claude can load to handle a specific kind of task. The solo skill is defined by a single file, SKILL.md, and it is part of the math-proof plugin in the anthropics/claude-plugins-official repository.
When you invoke solo with a math problem, Claude works on it by itself in the current conversation. It does not spawn sub-agents. It reasons in stages, records each settled step in a notes file so that written work survives if a reply is cut off, and ends by producing proof.md, a file meant to be readable on its own by a reviewer.
- Works on one problem at a time, in the current session, with no helper agents.
- Saves progress to a notes file as each lemma, reduction or dead end is settled.
- Ends with proof.md, which must include every argument the solution relies on.
- Is reasoning only: the skill disables web search and fetch, and code execution is not part of the process.
Install the solo skill from the downloaded ZIP
Download the ZIP for the skill from our page and unzip it. To make the skill available to all your projects, place the unzipped skill folder in ~/.claude/skills/. To make it available only inside one project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
If you use the Claude apps instead of Claude Code, you can upload the skill under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/.
- Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- Claude apps: upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
How do you trigger the skill?
In Claude Code, invoke the skill with the slash command shown in its description. The skill takes the problem as its argument, either stated in full or as the path to a file that holds it.
The skill is set so that the model does not invoke it on its own, so it runs when you call it explicitly. Its argument hint shows an optional DIR=run-directory setting before the problem. Without it, the run directory defaults to math-proof-solo under the current directory.
/math-proof:solo <the problem, stated in full, or the path of a file holding it>Examples of requests you can give
State the whole problem in the command, including every hypothesis, so the statement the skill records is the one you mean. For a longer problem, save it in a text or Markdown file and pass its path instead.
If you want the run stored somewhere specific, begin the argument with DIR set to a directory path. Running the same problem again in the same directory resumes the earlier work rather than starting over, as long as the problem text matches.
- Full text: /math-proof:solo Prove that the square root of 2 is irrational.
- File: /math-proof:solo path/to/problem.md
- Custom run folder: /math-proof:solo DIR=./my-run <problem statement>
What the skill needs and what it does on your machine
The skill lists no required dependencies. It does not run scripts and does not use the network. Its allowed tools are limited to reading and writing files, searching files, and a few shell commands for creating the run directory and copying or comparing the problem file.
Files are written into the run directory: problem.md with the problem, notes.md with the working notes, and proof.md with the final solution.
- Requires: nothing listed.
- Runs scripts: no.
- Uses network: no (web search and fetch are disabled).
- Shell use is limited to mkdir, cp and cmp.
Tips for getting a useful result
Give the problem in full, with all definitions and assumptions. Because the skill cannot look anything up, missing context is not recovered from outside sources.
Check the notes file while the work runs. It shows the plan, the lemmas already settled, and dead ends, which helps you judge whether the attempt is going somewhere.
Read proof.md critically. The skill itself says the result may be incomplete, and proof.md states what it leaves open.
- Keep the problem statement exact and complete.
- Use the notes file to follow progress and resume after a cut-off reply.
- Treat proof.md as a draft for expert review, not a verified result.
What people use it for
- A student stuck on a hard proof who wants a worked, written-out solution to study.
- A mathematician or educator drafting a self-contained solution to check or share.
- A long reasoning task whose progress should be saved step by step rather than lost on a cut-off reply.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the solo Claude skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. Place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What does the solo skill require?
The skill lists no requirements. It runs no scripts and uses no network access. It only reads and writes files in the run directory and uses a few shell commands for setup.
Is the solo skill free?
The source material for this page does not state pricing or licence fees for using the skill. It is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, as listed on this page.
Can solo look up references or check its answer by computer?
No. Web search and fetch are disabled, and the skill forbids code execution. Any citations come from memory and are unverified, and results that depend on computation may be wrong without independent checking.
Why does solo save notes to a file?
If a reply is cut off, anything only in the reasoning is lost. Writing each settled step to DIR/notes.md means the next message can continue from the last recorded point instead of starting over.
What should I do if solo says the run directory holds a different problem?
The run directory is already used for another problem. Pass DIR=another directory before the problem to start a fresh run in a new folder.
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Our verdict
Use solo if you want a written, step-by-step attempt at a hard proof that you can read, save and resume, and you are prepared to check it yourself. Pick something else if your problem needs computation, numerical search, current literature, or a guaranteed-correct proof for publication or grading without expert review.
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