Scholar Sidekick agent skills for Claude Code, Cursor and RevampKey

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

Download RevampKey, free I have it: connect Scholar Sidekick

Connect Scholar Sidekick once and all 4 skills install themselves and stay up to date. Mac, Windows and Linux.

All 4 Scholar Sidekick 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 Scholar Sidekick tools

Use Scholar Sidekick with AI

Uses the Scholar Sidekick connector to resolve DOIs, PMIDs and other identifiers, format and export references, and check citations, retractions and open-access status. Every lookup is read-only.

Use it when

You have a list of DOIs or PMIDs and need the metadata behind them.
You want to know which tool to use for a citation, export or retraction question.
A lookup failed or returned mixed results and you need to know why.

Tools it uses

resolveIdentifier
formatCitation
exportCitation
verifyCitation
checkRetraction
checkOpenAccess

Example

I have these 12 DOIs and PMIDs for my review. Resolve them, tell me which ones failed, and check which are open access.

Resolved 10 of 12 identifiers. Two PMIDs returned no record, so they may be mistyped. Open-access status is available for 7 of the 10 resolved papers, and the rest are closed to free reading.

Use in RevampKeyRead the full skill →

Read-only6 Scholar Sidekick tools

Audit a whole bibliography for fabricated and retracted citations

Checks every entry in a BibTeX, RIS or CSL JSON reference list against the record at its identifier and flags fabricated, mismatched, unresolved and retracted citations in one per-entry table. It reads the list and reports; it changes nothing in your file without asking.

Use it when

You are about to submit a paper and want every reference checked before it goes out.
A co-author or AI tool drafted the bibliography and you want to catch invented entries.
You need a quick retraction check across a whole reference list.

Tools it uses

verifyCitation
checkRetraction
checkOpenAccess
formatCitation
exportCitation
resolveIdentifier

Example

Audit the references.bib for my manuscript and tell me which citations look fabricated or retracted.

I checked 34 entries. 29 matched their records. 3 have a real DOI but a title that does not match the paper at that address, which is the pattern of an invented citation, and 2 identifiers did not resolve. None are retracted. I have listed the 5 to review, with the claimed and resolved titles side by side. I have not changed your file.

Use in RevampKeyRead the full skill →

Read-only3 Scholar Sidekick tools

Format and export a reference list with Scholar Sidekick

Turns a list of DOIs, PMIDs or other identifiers into a formatted reference list in the citation style you need, then exports it to BibTeX, RIS, CSL JSON or another reference-manager format. It reports anything that failed to resolve and does not treat a formatted list as proof the citations are correct.

Use it when

You have a DOI list and need it in Vancouver for a journal submission
You want a BibTeX file for a LaTeX thesis built from PMIDs
You need an EndNote or RIS export of a set of papers for a colleague

Tools it uses

resolveIdentifier
formatCitation
exportCitation

Example

Format these 12 DOIs and PMIDs in AMA style and export them as BibTeX.

I resolved 11 of the 12 identifiers and formatted them in AMA style. One PMID did not resolve and is listed separately so you can check it. I spot-checked three entries against their records and found the author order and years correct. The BibTeX export is below; save it as references.bib.

Use in RevampKeyRead the full skill →

Read-only3 Scholar Sidekick tools

Verify a single citation with Scholar Sidekick

Checks one reference against the record at its DOI or other identifier, so you catch real identifiers attached to invented or altered titles. It also checks retraction and open-access status, and asks before changing your manuscript.

Use it when

You pasted a reference and want to know if the title and authors really match its DOI
A citation looks plausible but you suspect it was AI-generated
You need to confirm a paper has not been retracted and whether you can read it free

Tools it uses

verifyCitation
checkRetraction
checkOpenAccess

Example

Check this reference: doi 10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2, claimed title "Array programming with NumPy", first author Harris, 2020. Is it real and is it retracted?

Verdict: matched. The DOI resolves to "Array programming with NumPy" by Harris et al., 2020, and the title and year agree with your reference. No retraction notice was found. Open access: gold, with a free PDF link. Recommendation: safe to use.

Use in RevampKeyRead the full skill →

Get all 4 without copying a file

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

Download RevampKey

How Scholar Sidekick skills work

Connect Scholar Sidekick
The Scholar Sidekick MCP server gives the agent its tools.
Ask in plain words
“Audit the references.bib for my manuscript and tell me which citations look fabricated or retracted.” 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 Scholar Sidekick skills

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

About 1 minute · nothing to copy

Download RevampKey for Mac, Windows or Linux and sign in.
Open Connectors and connect Scholar Sidekick. All 4 skills come with it and stay up to date; they go away when you remove the connector.
Ask in plain language, for example “Audit the references.bib for my manuscript and tell me which citations look fabricated or retracted.”
Download RevampKeyConnect Scholar Sidekick · 1 click
Get RevampKey to connect Scholar Sidekick
RevampKey is a free desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux. Install it, sign in, and Scholar Sidekick is one click away with its skills already attached.
Download RevampKey
Not now? Use the skills in your current tool
for s in essentials citation-bibliography-audit reference-list-formatting-export single-citation-verification; do curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o .claude/skills/scholar-sidekick-$s/SKILL.md https://revampkey.com/marketplace/scholar-sidekick/skills/$s/SKILL.md done
Other tools

Into this project’s .claude/skills folder

Connect the Scholar Sidekick MCP server in Claude Code.

Run this in your project folder to add all 4 skills:

for s in essentials citation-bibliography-audit reference-list-formatting-export single-citation-verification; do
  curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o .claude/skills/scholar-sidekick-$s/SKILL.md https://revampkey.com/marketplace/scholar-sidekick/skills/$s/SKILL.md
done

Ask in plain language, for example “Audit the references.bib for my manuscript and tell me which citations look fabricated or retracted.”

Into the shared .agents/skills folder

Connect the Scholar Sidekick MCP server in Cursor.

Run this in your project folder to add all 4 skills:

for s in essentials citation-bibliography-audit reference-list-formatting-export single-citation-verification; do
  curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o .agents/skills/scholar-sidekick-$s/SKILL.md https://revampkey.com/marketplace/scholar-sidekick/skills/$s/SKILL.md
done

Ask in plain language, for example “Audit the references.bib for my manuscript and tell me which citations look fabricated or retracted.”

Into the shared .agents/skills folder

Connect the Scholar Sidekick MCP server in Codex.

Run this in your project folder to add all 4 skills:

for s in essentials citation-bibliography-audit reference-list-formatting-export single-citation-verification; do
  curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o .agents/skills/scholar-sidekick-$s/SKILL.md https://revampkey.com/marketplace/scholar-sidekick/skills/$s/SKILL.md
done

Ask in plain language, for example “Audit the references.bib for my manuscript and tell me which citations look fabricated or retracted.”

Into the shared .agents/skills folder

Connect the Scholar Sidekick MCP server in VS Code.

Run this in your project folder to add all 4 skills:

for s in essentials citation-bibliography-audit reference-list-formatting-export single-citation-verification; do
  curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o .agents/skills/scholar-sidekick-$s/SKILL.md https://revampkey.com/marketplace/scholar-sidekick/skills/$s/SKILL.md
done

Ask in plain language, for example “Audit the references.bib for my manuscript and tell me which citations look fabricated or retracted.”

RevampKey or copy the files?

In RevampKey

One click when you connect Scholar Sidekick
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 Scholar Sidekick MCP server yourself
Works in Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and VS Code

See the command

Scholar Sidekick skills FAQ

What is a Scholar Sidekick agent skill?

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

Do the Scholar Sidekick skills change anything on their own?

4 of the 4 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 Scholar Sidekick.

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 Scholar Sidekick; elsewhere you copy the folders into your project or skills directory.

Do I need the Scholar Sidekick MCP server too?

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

Scholar Sidekick MCP server setup · This page as Markdown

Put Scholar Sidekick’s best workflows in your agent

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

Download RevampKey Connect Scholar Sidekick · 1 click

All 4 Scholar Sidekick skills

Use Scholar Sidekick with AI

Use it when

Tools it uses

Audit a whole bibliography for fabricated and retracted citations

Use it when

Tools it uses

Format and export a reference list with Scholar Sidekick

Use it when

Tools it uses

Verify a single citation with Scholar Sidekick

Use it when

Tools it uses

Get all 4 without copying a file

How Scholar Sidekick skills work

How to install Scholar Sidekick skills

RevampKey or copy the files?

In RevampKey

Copy into your project

Scholar Sidekick skills FAQ

Put Scholar Sidekick’s best workflows in your agent

Skills for related tools