matchms

Compare mass spectra against spectral libraries to identify unknown compounds.

74|5|Updated Dec 10, 2025
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/dralkh/seerai --skill matchms-dralkh
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: matchms
Source: https://github.com/dralkh/seerai/tree/main/skills/matchms
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/dralkh/seerai --skill matchms-dralkh

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

Matchms removes the manual burden of cleaning mass spectrometry data and comparing spectra against reference libraries, making compound identification faster, more consistent, and reproducible.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Spectrum preprocessing: Harmonize metadata, normalize intensities, filter peaks, and enforce quality checks before scoring.
  • Similarity scoring: Compare spectra with cosine, modified cosine, neutral loss, fingerprint, and metadata-based methods.
  • Library workflows: Search unknown compounds, rank top hits, filter by precursor mass, and support metabolomics identification pipelines.
  • Import and export: Work across common formats such as MGF, MSP, mzML, mzXML, JSON, USI, and pickle for sharing and reusing processed data.

Quick Start

Use the matchms skill to load two spectra collections, preprocess them consistently, and return the highest-scoring library matches for each unknown sample.

Frequently Asked Questions about matchms

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I identify unknown compounds from mass spectrometry spectral libraries?

Compound identification from mass spectrometry spectral libraries involves comparing unknown spectra against reference libraries. This skill preprocesses spectra, calculates similarity scores, and ranks top hits to identify compounds consistently and reproducibly.

What mass spectrometry file formats can I use for spectral matching and library search?

Spectral matching and library search support MGF, MSP, mzML, mzXML, JSON, USI, and pickle file formats. You can import, process, and export mass spectrometry data across these common formats for reproducible metabolomics analysis.

How do I preprocess mass spectrometry data before running similarity scoring?

Preprocessing mass spectrometry data requires harmonizing metadata, normalizing intensities, filtering peaks, and enforcing quality checks. This skill automates these steps to ensure spectra are consistently prepared before calculating similarity scores.

What similarity scoring methods are available for comparing mass spectra?

Similarity scoring methods for comparing mass spectra include cosine, modified cosine, neutral loss, fingerprint, and metadata-based approaches. These methods calculate spectral similarity to rank library matches for unknown compound identification.

Can I run a metabolomics library search pipeline with precursor mass filtering?

Yes, metabolomics library search pipelines support searching unknown compounds, ranking top hits, and filtering by precursor mass. This skill streamlines identification workflows by applying similarity scoring and mass filters to reference libraries.

Why do I need harmonized spectrum metadata for mass spectrometry compound identification?

Harmonized spectrum metadata is required for mass spectrometry compound identification because it ensures consistent preprocessing, accurate similarity scoring, and reproducible library search results across different spectral data formats and analysis pipelines.