read-paper

name read-paper description How to read and work with academic paper folders exported by ZoFiles. Each paper folder (named like `{arxivId} - {title}`) contains structured files: paper.md (full text), paper.bib (citation), kimi.md (AI review), arxiv.id, notes/, and paper.pdf. Use this skill whenever the user asks you to read a paper, summarize a paper, cite a paper, review a paper, compare papers, or work with any folder that contains paper.md/paper.bib/kimi.md files — even if they don't mention "ZoFiles" explicitly. Also use when the user asks to update/refresh the paper library directory structure (e.g. "Update paper library directory structure", "refresh paper library"). Reading Paper Folders Paper folders are exported by ZoFiles from Zotero. Each folder is named {arxivId} - {title} and contains structured files about one academic paper. Paper Library Location The paper library is at: <FILL_IN: ask the user for their ZoFiles export root path, then update this file> First-use setup: If the path above says <FILL_IN...> or doesn't exist, ask the user: "What's the path to your ZoFiles paper library?" Then: Update the path above Run scan-library.sh to populate the directory snapshot (see Updating the Directory Snapshot ) Directory Structure The library mirrors Zotero's collection hierarchy. Collections become directories, sub-collections become subdirectories, and paper folders sit at the leaves. Key patterns: Allin/ directories appear when a collection has subcollections — contains all papers from that collection and every descendant (flat view of the entire subtree). Paper folders are named {arxivId} - {title} (e.g. 2512.18832 - From Word to World... ). Find by arXiv ID : glob **/2512.18832* from the library root. Browse a topic : list the corresponding collection directory. See all papers : glob **/paper.md or **/arxiv.id recursively. Current Library Snapshot <FILL_IN: run the scan script below to populate this snapshot> Use this snapshot to quickly orient yourself when the user asks about topics, collections, or paper counts — no need to scan the filesystem each time. Updating the Directory Snapshot When the user asks to update the directory structure (e.g. "更新目录", "update directory", "refresh library"): bash .claude/skills/read-paper/scripts/scan-library.sh "<library_root>" Then replace the content between <!-- AUTO-GENERATED --> and <!-- END AUTO-GENERATED --> markers in this file with the new output (wrapped in a ```code block), and update the <!-- Last updated: ... --> date. Files in a Paper Folder File What it is When to read paper.md Full-text Markdown of the paper Primary source. Read this for any paper-related task. paper.bib BibTeX citation entry When citing. Always copy verbatim — never generate BibTeX yourself. kimi.md AI-generated review in Chinese (structured Q&A) Quick overview without reading the full paper. Verify claims against paper.md. arxiv.id Plain text arXiv ID (e.g. 2505.17746 ) When you need the identifier or arXiv URL. notes/ User's personal notes (Markdown files) When the user asks about their notes or annotations. paper.pdf Original PDF (or symlink) Only if specifically asked — prefer paper.md. Not all files may be present. If a file is missing (e.g. no kimi.md or paper.md ), skip it gracefully and work with what's available. Never tell the user a file "should" exist — just use alternative sources. For example, if paper.md is missing, fall back to paper.pdf ; if kimi.md is missing, just read paper.md directly. How to Read paper.md paper.md starts with YAML frontmatter, then a table of contents, then the full text: --- title: "Paper Title" authors: [ "Author 1" , "Author 2" ] url: "https://arxiv.org/abs/XXXX.XXXXX" sections: 27 estimated_tokens: "12.9k" --- ## Contents - 1 Introduction - 2 Related Works - 2.1 ... ... Reading strategy: Always start with frontmatter + ToC — gives you structure, size, and lets you plan what to read Read selectively — use the ToC to jump to relevant sections; don't read the whole paper unless asked Quick overview → Introduction + Conclusion Methodology → Methods/Approach section Results → Experiments/Results/Evaluation sections For large papers (>15k tokens), use offset/limit on the Read tool. Ask yourself which sections actually answer the user's question. Citations Always read paper.bib and copy the BibTeX entry exactly as-is. Never modify, reformat, or regenerate BibTeX — hand-generated citations often contain errors. The exported BibTeX is sourced from arXiv and is authoritative. Common Tasks User request What to do "Summarize this paper" Read paper.md: Introduction + Conclusion. Optionally skim kimi.md for a second perspective. "What's the main contribution?" Read the Introduction section of paper.md. "Give me the BibTeX" Read paper.bib, copy verbatim. "Compare these papers" Read paper.md from each folder (Introduction + Methods + Results). "What did I note about this?" Read files in the notes/ directory. "What's the arXiv ID?" Read arxiv.id. "更新目录" / "Update directory" Run scan-library.sh, update the snapshot in this file.