Agent skill · research science · k-dense-ai
database-lookup
Query documented public database APIs with explicit endpoints, filters, pagination, and provenance. Use when a scientific, regulatory, financial, or other database-backed fact must be retrieved reproducibly from a named source rather than inferred from general knowledge.
Why this skill is useful
Adds specific patterns for querying public database APIs with detailed retrieval protocols that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 12k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-03. 32,849 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Database Lookup This skill catalogs 78 public databases with documented API access patterns. Your job is to turn the user's intent into a reproducible retrieval: select the authoritative database(s), make bounded and rate-limited API calls, verify counts when completeness matters, and return results with enough provenance that another agent or human can repeat the lookup. For complex biomedical retrievals, assume small filtering differences can change downstream conclusions. Prefer deterministic APIs, explicit identifiers, exhaustive pagination, and auditable logs over broad searching or plausible summaries. Core Workflow 1. Define the retrieval contract — Identify the target entity, accepted identifiers, organism/taxon/build/date constraints, filters, expected output fields, and whether the user needs an exhaustive dataset or a targeted lookup. If a required scientific constraint is missing and affects correctness, ask a clarifying question rather than guessing. 2. Select authoritative database(s) — Use the database selection guide below. Prefer the primary database for the user's intent, then add cross-check databases only for identifier resolution, validation, or known coverage gaps. Do not fan out across many APIs just because they are available. 3. Read the reference file and retrieval contract — Each database has a reference file in references/ with endpoint details, query formats, and example calls. Read the relevant file(s) and references/retrieval-contract.md before making API calls. 4. Plan filter semantics before calling — Separate filters the API enforces server-side from filters that must be checked locally. Note identifier conversions, fields with ambiguous meanings, pagination strategy, rate limits, and any data-source conventions such as RefSeq vs GenBank or genome build. 5. Make bounded API calls — See the Making API Calls section below. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills k-dense-ai/database-lookup