Agent skill · research science · google-deepmind
dbsnp-database
Use when you want to look up, map, and search for short genetic variants (SNPs, indels) in NCBI's dbSNP database. Resolves between rsIDs, genomic coordinates in VCF format, and HGVS strings. For an rsID, returns variant type, gene associations, clinical significance, allele frequencies, and genomic coordinates (GRCh38).
Why this skill is useful
Provides specific commands and workflows for querying the dbSNP database that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
Requires uv installed locally. Requires ncbi account access. About 7k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-07-07. 2,648 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
dbSNP Database Integration Prerequisites 1. uv: Read the uv skill and follow its Setup instructions to ensure uv is installed and on PATH. 2. User Notification: If .licenses/dbsnpdatabaseLICENSE.txt does not already exist in the workspace root directory then (1) prominently notify the user to check the terms at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/snp/, then (2) create the file recording the notification text and timestamp. 3. .env file: Make sure the .env file exists in your home directory. Create one if it does not exist. 4. NCBIAPIKEY (optional): Raises the NCBI rate limit from 3 to 10 requests/second. The skill works without it, but a key is recommended if the user plans many queries or encounters a 429 error. You can register for a key for free at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/account/settings/. You MUST use the safe credentials protocol in the credentials skill to check for and request this key if this skill looks relevant to the user's request. Core Rules Use the Wrapper: ALWAYS execute the provided wrapper script scripts/dbsnpcli.py to query the database rather than constructing custom HTTP or curl requests. The script automatically handles rate limiting, retries, and JSON parsing. Command Choice: Do NOT use search-region to find the rsID of a specific variant; use resolve-variant instead. Output Size: Avoid using --full on get-variant unless specifically needed, as raw payloads can exceed 1 MB. Shell Safety: Always wrap HGVS strings in single quotes to prevent shell expansion errors. Notification: If this skill is used, ensure this is mentioned in the output. When to Use Use this skill when you need to: Map a genomic variant to its canonical rsID (from VCF coordinates or HGVS notation). Retrieve summary data for an rsID: variant type, gene associations, clinical significance, and population allele frequencies. Convert an rsID back to genomic coordinates on a specific assembly. Find all known variants within a chromosomal region. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills google-deepmind/dbsnp_database