scipilot-figure-skill

Profiles datasets and renders publication-grade scientific figures with matplotlib, seaborn, and plotly.

2.4k|83|Updated May 18, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/Haojae/scipilot-figure-skill --skill scipilot-figure-skill-haojae
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: scipilot-figure-skill
Source: https://github.com/Haojae/scipilot-figure-skill
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Haojae/scipilot-figure-skill --skill scipilot-figure-skill-haojae

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires matplotlib, seaborn, plotly, pandas, numpy, scipy, Pillow, and includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Researchers often have data but don't know which chart best supports their argument, and generic plotting produces figures that fail journal requirements—wrong sizes, missing CJK glyphs, colorblind-hostile palettes, or mean-bar charts that hide small-sample distributions. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Advisor-first workflow: Runs exploratory data profiling (column types, sample sizes, skewness, outliers, correlations) before recommending chart types, and actively intercepts classic mistakes like mean bars for n<10 groups, dual Y-axes, pie charts, and rainbow colormaps. - Journal-spec rendering: Applies Nature / Science / IEEE / Elsevier / PNAS / Chinese-journal presets for column width, font size, DPI, and vector formats, with automatic CJK font configuration and minus-sign fixes. - Post-render self-check loop: Renders PNG previews, programmatically audits missing glyphs, text clipping, and tick overlap, then re-reads the image to verify legend occlusion and panel-label alignment before exporting PDF/SVG/PNG with grayscale previews. - Use Case: You drop in a results.csv and ask for a paper figure; the skill profiles the data, asks what claim the figure should support, recommends box + stripplot over a mean bar chart, renders it at Nature single-column size, and exports audited vector files. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to analyze your CSV data file and create a publication-ready figure for your target journal, letting it recommend the chart type first.

Frequently Asked Questions about scipilot-figure-skill

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I choose the right chart type for my research data?

Profile the data first to learn column types, per-group sample sizes, skewness, and correlations, then match the data shape to your argument. For example, use box plots with stripplot overlays for group comparisons and scatter plots with regression lines for continuous relationships.

How do I make matplotlib figures meet Nature or IEEE submission requirements?

Set figsize directly to the journal's column width (3.5 in for Nature single column, 7.16 in for IEEE double column), use 5-10 pt fonts depending on the journal, export as PDF or EPS with TrueType font embedding, and keep raster images at 300-600 DPI.

Why does matplotlib show boxes instead of Chinese characters?

Matplotlib's default fonts like DejaVu Sans contain no CJK glyphs. Configure a CJK font such as Noto Sans CJK SC, Source Han Sans SC, SimHei, or Microsoft YaHei, and set axes.unicode_minus to False so minus signs also render correctly.

Should I use a bar chart or box plot for small sample sizes?

For groups with n<10, avoid mean-only bar charts because they hide the distribution and sample size. Use a box plot or violin plot with a stripplot overlay showing every raw point; for n<3, plot the individual points directly without statistical summaries.

What colormaps are safe for colorblind readers in scientific figures?

Use perceptually uniform colormaps like viridis, magma, or cividis for sequential data and RdBu_r for diverging data; never use rainbow or jet. For categorical data, use the Okabe-Ito palette and add redundant encoding such as line styles or markers.

Can this skill create flowcharts or architecture diagrams?

No. It covers only data-driven charts such as line, bar, scatter, box, violin, heatmap, distribution, correlation matrix, and multi-panel figures. Diagrams, flowcharts, and architecture illustrations are explicitly out of scope.