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Designed for researchers in history, philosophy, literature, and the arts, this skill supports the full lifecycle of academic writing. It assists with sharpening research questions, mapping literature, and drafting dissertation chapters while maintaining the author's original voice.
The companion provides structured critique through a four-layer review process and devil's-advocate simulations to prepare authors for reviewer comments and thesis defenses. It also includes utilities for auditing in-draft citations to prevent hallucinations.
WHO IT'S FOR
Humanities scholars
sharpening research questions and mapping literature
Compatible AgentsThe repository documents support for these agents. The skills may also work with other agents that can load SKILL.md files, but they may need some setup or small changes.
Follow the documented setup, then try a first task.
I’m using
Claude Code user-level installation with Git
Installs: User-level installation of the complete humanities-writing-companion repository. · Claude Code
Before you start
Claude Code
Git
Python 3 for the included Python scripts
zsh and grep for the included shell scripts
Run this complete command block in a terminal. It clones the repository into Claude Code's user-level skills directory and makes the included shell scripts executable.
Start a new Claude conversation—not a terminal session—and ask “What skills do you currently have loaded?” Confirm that humanities-writing-companion appears. If it does not, confirm that ~/.claude/skills/humanities-writing-companion/SKILL.md exists and restart Claude Code.
Start a new Claude conversation—not a terminal session—and ask “What skills do you currently have loaded?” Confirm that humanities-writing-companion appears. If it does not, confirm that ./.claude/skills/humanities-writing-companion/SKILL.md exists and restart Claude Code.
Installs: User-level installation of the complete humanities-writing-companion repository without Git. · Claude Code
Before you start
Claude Code
A tool that can download and extract ZIP archives
Python 3 for the included Python scripts
zsh and grep for the included shell scripts
On the GitHub repository page, click Code → Download ZIP, extract the archive, and move the extracted folder to ~/.claude/skills/humanities-writing-companion. Git is not required.
After moving the folder, run this command in a terminal to make the included shell scripts executable.
Start a new Claude conversation—not a terminal session—and ask “What skills do you currently have loaded?” Confirm that humanities-writing-companion appears. If it does not, confirm that ~/.claude/skills/humanities-writing-companion/SKILL.md exists and restart Claude Code.
Installs: Complete humanities-writing-companion folder uploaded through Claude settings as a custom skill. · Claude desktop app, claude.ai
Before you start
Access to custom skills in the Claude desktop app or claude.ai
A tool that can package the directory containing SKILL.md as a ZIP archive
Python 3 for the included Python scripts when using the toolchain in a shell-capable environment
zsh and grep for the included shell scripts when using the toolchain in a shell-capable environment
Platform: Claude desktop app or claude.ai; dialogue modes work in chat-only environments, but the scripts toolchain requires a shell-capable environment such as Claude Code or agent mode.
Package the skill folder—the directory containing SKILL.md—as a .zip. In Claude settings, find the capabilities/skills section (the exact wording may vary), then upload that ZIP as a custom skill.
In a new Claude conversation—not a terminal session—ask “What skills do you currently have loaded?” and confirm that humanities-writing-companion appears, or use a documented trigger such as “review my section.”
Turn a broad humanities topic into a focused research question
Uses humanities-writing-companion
A broad topic or research interest
The relevant humanities discipline
The intended type of scholarly text
Use the humanities-writing-companion skill to sharpen my broad interest into a focused research question. My topic is [TOPIC], my humanities discipline is [DISCIPLINE], and the text I ultimately want to produce is [ARTICLE, CHAPTER, ESSAY, OR OTHER FORMAT]. Start with a small first result: identify the central tension and propose a focused question for me to react to. Replace each bracketed placeholder with my information.
Review one paragraph without erasing the author's voice
Uses humanities-writing-companion
One paragraph of scholarly prose
The humanities discipline
The claim the paragraph is intended to establish
Use the humanities-writing-companion skill to review the paragraph pasted below. My discipline is [DISCIPLINE], and the paragraph is trying to establish [INTENDED CLAIM]. Diagnose the most important argument-through-prose issue, suggest a revision, and explain the reason while preserving my voice. Replace the bracketed placeholders and paste the paragraph after the prompt.
Use the humanities-writing-companion skill. I'm stuck on [SECTION OR ARGUMENT]. The blockage is [BRIEF DESCRIPTION], and what I already have is [SHORT SUMMARY OR OUTLINE]. Give me five ways to unblock the writing, then recommend the smallest next move. Replace each bracketed placeholder with my context.
Claude