alphaXiv agent skills for Claude Code, Cursor and RevampKey

3 ready-made playbooks that teach an AI agent how to do real alphaXiv work: which tools to call, what to check first, and when to stop and ask you.

Download RevampKey, free I have it: connect alphaXiv

Connect alphaXiv once and all 3 skills install themselves and stay up to date. Mac, Windows and Linux.

All 3 alphaXiv skills

Each skill is one job. You ask in plain words and the agent loads the skill that matches, then follows its steps.

Start hereRead-only6 alphaXiv tools

Use the alphaXiv connector with AI

Sets up and operates the alphaXiv connector: confirms sign-in or API-key access, picks the right search, feed, reading or code tool for the input you have, and reports errors clearly. The connector is read-only.

Use it when

You have just connected alphaXiv and want to confirm it works.
You are not sure whether to use discovery, feed, full-text or paper-question search.
alphaXiv returned an authorisation, quota or empty-result error and you need to know what to do next.

Tools it uses

get_paper_content
answer_pdf_queries
embedding_similarity_search
full_text_papers_search
read_files_from_github
agentic_paper_retrieval

Example

I just connected alphaXiv. Which tool should I use to find recent papers on retrieval-augmented generation for question answering?

Use discover_papers: give it three or four keywords such as "RAG", "retrieval-augmented generation" and "question answering", plus a short semantic question, and set prioritize to recency. Keep the difficulty low for a narrow topic, because higher values run extra retrieval rounds. You will get about 5 to 15 ranked candidates to shortlist before reading any of them in full.

Use in RevampKeyRead the full skill →

Read-only4 alphaXiv tools

Literature review from alphaXiv

Builds a sourced survey of prior work on one research question, running two discovery passes, triaging candidates and reading the shortlist. It returns an annotated bibliography with caveats and explicit coverage gaps.

Use it when

A new project needs a related-work section for a specific method
You want to know what has been done on a narrow research question
You need to check whether a claim is well supported or rests on one paper

Tools it uses

full_text_papers_search
embedding_similarity_search
get_paper_content
answer_pdf_queries

Example

Do a literature review on parameter-efficient fine-tuning for vision transformers, focusing on work since 2022.

I scoped this to adapter and low-rank methods for vision transformers, from 2022 onward. Two discovery passes returned 34 candidates: 9 core, 14 background and 11 out of scope. The core set is grouped into adapter, LoRA-style and prompt-based approaches, with caveats on three preprints that report gains on one benchmark only. Gaps: no shared evaluation on dense prediction tasks.

Use in RevampKeyRead the full skill →

Read-only5 alphaXiv tools

Deep-read one paper with alphaXiv AI

Works through a single arXiv or alphaXiv paper: pulls the structured report and full text, answers targeted questions against the PDF with page citations, checks claims against linked code, and sorts what the paper shows from what it only asserts. Read-only; it never changes your account.

Use it when

You have one paper link and need to understand exactly what it proves.
You want to check a headline result against the paper's own tables and baselines.
You need to know whether the linked code matches what the paper describes.

Tools it uses

get_paper_content
agentic_paper_retrieval
full_text_papers_search
answer_pdf_queries
read_files_from_github

Example

Read arXiv 2307.12307 and tell me which of its claims are backed by experiments and which are only asserted, with page references.

The central claim is a 4.2-point gain on one benchmark. That result is shown on pp. 6-7, but only against one baseline and a single run with no variance reported. Two broader claims in the introduction are asserted without evidence. The linked repository contains the model definition but not the evaluation script used for the reported numbers.

Use in RevampKeyRead the full skill →

Get all 3 without copying a file

RevampKey adds the skills when you connect alphaXiv, updates them for you and removes them when you disconnect.

Download RevampKey

How alphaXiv skills work

Connect alphaXiv
The alphaXiv MCP server gives the agent its tools.
Ask in plain words
“Do a literature review on parameter-efficient fine-tuning for vision transformers, focusing on work since 2022.” Each SKILL.md says when it applies, so only the one that fits is loaded.
Approve any change
The agent calls the tools in order, checks its work, and shows you any change before it makes it.

How to install alphaXiv skills

In RevampKey the skills install themselves when you connect alphaXiv. In other tools each skill is one folder with a SKILL.md file, and you also need the alphaXiv MCP server connected there.

About 1 minute · nothing to copy

Download RevampKey for Mac, Windows or Linux and sign in.
Open Connectors and connect alphaXiv. All 3 skills come with it and stay up to date; they go away when you remove the connector.
Ask in plain language, for example “Do a literature review on parameter-efficient fine-tuning for vision transformers, focusing on work since 2022.”
Download RevampKeyConnect alphaXiv · 1 click
Get RevampKey to connect alphaXiv
RevampKey is a free desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux. Install it, sign in, and alphaXiv is one click away with its skills already attached.
Download RevampKey
Not now? Use the skills in your current tool
for s in essentials literature-review paper-deep-read; do curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o .claude/skills/alphaxiv-$s/SKILL.md https://revampkey.com/marketplace/alphaxiv/skills/$s/SKILL.md done
Other tools

Into this project’s .claude/skills folder

Connect the alphaXiv MCP server in Claude Code.

Run this in your project folder to add all 3 skills:

for s in essentials literature-review paper-deep-read; do
  curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o .claude/skills/alphaxiv-$s/SKILL.md https://revampkey.com/marketplace/alphaxiv/skills/$s/SKILL.md
done

Ask in plain language, for example “Do a literature review on parameter-efficient fine-tuning for vision transformers, focusing on work since 2022.”

Into the shared .agents/skills folder

Connect the alphaXiv MCP server in Cursor.

Run this in your project folder to add all 3 skills:

for s in essentials literature-review paper-deep-read; do
  curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o .agents/skills/alphaxiv-$s/SKILL.md https://revampkey.com/marketplace/alphaxiv/skills/$s/SKILL.md
done

Ask in plain language, for example “Do a literature review on parameter-efficient fine-tuning for vision transformers, focusing on work since 2022.”

Into the shared .agents/skills folder

Connect the alphaXiv MCP server in Codex.

Run this in your project folder to add all 3 skills:

for s in essentials literature-review paper-deep-read; do
  curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o .agents/skills/alphaxiv-$s/SKILL.md https://revampkey.com/marketplace/alphaxiv/skills/$s/SKILL.md
done

Ask in plain language, for example “Do a literature review on parameter-efficient fine-tuning for vision transformers, focusing on work since 2022.”

Into the shared .agents/skills folder

Connect the alphaXiv MCP server in VS Code.

Run this in your project folder to add all 3 skills:

for s in essentials literature-review paper-deep-read; do
  curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o .agents/skills/alphaxiv-$s/SKILL.md https://revampkey.com/marketplace/alphaxiv/skills/$s/SKILL.md
done

Ask in plain language, for example “Do a literature review on parameter-efficient fine-tuning for vision transformers, focusing on work since 2022.”

RevampKey or copy the files?

In RevampKey

One click when you connect alphaXiv
Updated for you when a skill improves
Removed when you disconnect
The MCP server is set up for you
800+ other connectors, same way

Download free

Copy into your project

One command per project
Run it again to get updates
You connect the alphaXiv MCP server yourself
Works in Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and VS Code

See the command

alphaXiv skills FAQ

What is a alphaXiv agent skill?

A SKILL.md file: a short playbook an AI agent loads when your request matches it. Each alphaXiv skill describes one job, which alphaXiv tools to use in which order, what to check first and when to stop and ask you.

Do the alphaXiv skills change anything on their own?

3 of the 3 only read. The others tell the agent to show you the change and wait for a yes before it creates, edits or deletes anything in alphaXiv.

Which tools can use these skills?

Any agent that reads the open Agent Skills format: Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, VS Code with Copilot and RevampKey. In RevampKey they are attached when you connect alphaXiv; elsewhere you copy the folders into your project or skills directory.

Do I need the alphaXiv MCP server too?

Yes. The skills tell the agent how to do the work; the alphaXiv MCP server gives it the tools to do it. The alphaXiv MCP setup guide covers every client.

alphaXiv MCP server setup · This page as Markdown

Put alphaXiv’s best workflows in your agent

Download RevampKey, connect alphaXiv and ask your first question in about a minute.

Download RevampKey Connect alphaXiv · 1 click

All 3 alphaXiv skills

Use the alphaXiv connector with AI

Use it when

Tools it uses

Literature review from alphaXiv

Use it when

Tools it uses

Deep-read one paper with alphaXiv AI

Use it when

Tools it uses

Get all 3 without copying a file

How alphaXiv skills work

How to install alphaXiv skills

RevampKey or copy the files?

In RevampKey

Copy into your project

alphaXiv skills FAQ

Put alphaXiv’s best workflows in your agent

Skills for related tools