candidate-screener

Screen candidate crystal structures through validation, property retrieval, and multi-objective ranking.

7|1|Updated Mar 13, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/hkqai/MatClaw --skill candidate-screener
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: candidate-screener
Source: https://github.com/hkqai/MatClaw/tree/main/skills/candidate-screener
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/hkqai/MatClaw --skill candidate-screener

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Researchers often generate large sets of hypothetical crystal structures that need rapid validation, property enrichment, and prioritization before expensive calculations or synthesis. This Skill automates that workflow, turning raw candidate lists into ready‑to‑use, ranked datasets.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Structure validation & analysis: checks geometry, composition, stability, and removes duplicates.
  • Hierarchical property retrieval: pulls data from Materials Project, falls back to an ASE cache, then to ML predictions, caching results automatically.
  • Criteria‑based filtering: applies hard constraints such as formation energy thresholds or band‑gap windows.
  • Multi‑objective ranking: uses Pareto or weighted‑sum methods to order candidates for downstream experiments.
  • Use case example: screening thousands of battery cathode candidates to identify the most promising compositions for DFT refinement and experimental synthesis.

Quick Start

Run the candidate-screener skill to produce a ranked list of property‑enriched structures from your generated candidates.

Frequently Asked Questions about candidate-screener

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I screen and rank hypothetical crystal structures for materials discovery?

Screen candidate crystal structures by validating geometry, retrieving properties hierarchically from Materials Project, ASE cache, and ML predictions, then applying multi-objective ranking to produce prioritized datasets.

What is the best way to filter generated crystal candidates by formation energy and band gap?

Filter generated crystal candidates by applying hard constraints like formation energy thresholds or band-gap windows during screening to eliminate unsuitable structures before downstream calculations.

Do I need a Materials Project API key to retrieve properties for candidate screening?

Yes, Materials Project API access is required to retrieve properties for candidate screening, pulling data hierarchically before falling back to an ASE database cache and ML prediction models like M3GNet or MEGNet.

Can I use Pareto ranking to prioritize battery cathode candidates for DFT refinement?

Use Pareto or weighted-sum multi-objective ranking methods to prioritize battery cathode candidates, ordering structures by multiple desired properties to identify promising compositions for DFT refinement.

How does multi-objective optimization work for high-throughput computational materials pipelines?

Multi-objective optimization for high-throughput pipelines works by processing validated structures through property retrieval, then applying Pareto or weighted-sum methods to order candidates for downstream experiments.

What are the limitations of using ML predictions like M3GNet for crystal structure validation?

ML predictions like M3GNet serve as a fallback for property retrieval when Materials Project and ASE cache lack data, meaning predicted properties are approximate and require DFT refinement for experimental synthesis.