etetoolkit

Manipulate phylogenetic trees and render publication-quality figures from Newick files.

Updated May 24, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/Estrella-231/Mathematical_modeling_tongmeng --skill etetoolkit-estrella-231
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: etetoolkit
Source: https://github.com/Estrella-231/Mathematical_modeling_tongmeng/tree/main/.agents/skills/etetoolkit
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Estrella-231/Mathematical_modeling_tongmeng --skill etetoolkit-estrella-231

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires ete3, and includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

ETE Toolkit helps you load, manipulate, compare, and publish phylogenetic and hierarchical trees so you can move from raw Newick files to analyzed, visual results.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Tree manipulation & comparisons: Read/write Newick (and related formats), prune taxa, reroot (including midpoint), compute distances, and measure topology differences with Robinson–Foulds.
  • Phylogenetic analysis with event detection: Use gene trees to detect duplication/speciation events, infer orthologs/paralogs, and split gene families by evolutionary events.
  • Taxonomy-aware annotation & visualization: Build and annotate trees using NCBI taxonomy and render publication-quality figures (PDF/SVG/PNG), optionally with custom node styling and faces.
  • Clustering support: Analyze hierarchical clustering dendrograms via ClusterTree and compute cluster quality metrics (e.g., silhouette, Dunn index).

Quick Start

Render a publication-ready visualization of your Newick tree by running the quick visualization script on your input file and saving to output.pdf.

Frequently Asked Questions about etetoolkit

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I visualize a phylogenetic tree and render it as a publication-quality PDF?

To visualize a phylogenetic tree, load your Newick file and render it as a publication-quality PDF, SVG, or PNG. Custom node styling and faces are supported via TreeStyle and NodeStyle for high-quality outputs.

How do I infer orthologs and paralogs from a gene tree?

You infer orthologs and paralogs by analyzing gene trees to detect duplication and speciation events. This allows you to split gene families based on their evolutionary events for accurate orthology detection.

Can I measure phylogenetic tree topology differences using Robinson-Foulds?

Yes, you can measure phylogenetic tree topology differences using the Robinson-Foulds metric. The toolkit computes distances and compares topological variations between multiple phylogenetic trees.

Does ete3 support reading and writing multiple tree formats like PhyloXML and NeXML?

Yes, ete3 supports reading and writing multiple tree formats including Newick, NHX, PhyloXML, and NeXML. This enables seamless I/O operations for loading, manipulating, and saving phylogenetic tree structures.

What is the best way to annotate a species tree with NCBI taxonomy?

The best way to annotate a species tree with NCBI taxonomy is by using the NCBITaxa operations. This integrates taxonomic data directly into your tree, enabling taxonomy-aware annotation and visualization.

How do I compute cluster quality metrics like the silhouette score for a dendrogram?

To compute cluster quality metrics like the silhouette score for a dendrogram, use the ClusterTree functionality. This analyzes hierarchical clustering dendrograms and calculates metrics including the Dunn index and silhouette score.