🔬 ResearchClaw

Your AI-Powered Research Assistant

An intelligent agent-based assistant designed specifically for academic researchers — powered by LLMs, grounded in the scientific workflow.

English | 中文

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✨ What is ResearchClaw?

ResearchClaw is an AI research assistant that runs on your own machine. Built on the AgentScope framework, it uses a ReAct agent with specialized research tools to help you:

• 📄 Search & discover papers — ArXiv, Semantic Scholar, Google Scholar
• 📚 Manage references — BibTeX import/export, citation graph exploration
• 🔍 Read & summarize papers — Extract key findings from PDFs
• 📊 Analyze data — Statistical analysis, visualization, experiment tracking
• ✍️ Write & review — LaTeX assistance, literature review generation
• ⏰ Stay updated — Daily paper digests, deadline reminders, citation alerts
• 🧠 Build knowledge — Persistent research notes and memory across sessions

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

pip install researchclaw

Initialize

researchclaw init --defaults

This sets up your working directory (~/.researchclaw) and configures your LLM provider.

Launch

researchclaw app

Open http://127.0.0.1:8088/ in your browser.

One-liner Install

curl -fsSL https://researchclaw.github.io/install.sh | bash

🏗️ Architecture

User ─→ Console (Web UI) / CLI / Slack / Email
          │
          ▼
     ResearchClaw App (FastAPI + Uvicorn)
          │
          ▼
     ScholarAgent (ReActAgent)
     ├── Research Tools: ArXiv, Semantic Scholar, PDF Reader, BibTeX, LaTeX
     ├── Data Tools: pandas, matplotlib, scipy analysis
     ├── General Tools: Shell, File I/O, Browser, Memory Search
     ├── Skills: Paper Summarizer, Literature Review, Experiment Tracker, ...
     ├── Memory: Research Memory + Knowledge Base + Auto-compaction
     ├── Model: OpenAI / Anthropic / DashScope / Local models
     └── Crons: Daily Paper Digest, Deadline Reminder, Citation Alerts

🔧 Built-in Research Tools

Tool	Description
arxiv_search	Search and download papers from ArXiv
semantic_scholar_search	Query Semantic Scholar for papers, authors, citations
paper_reader	Extract text, figures, and tables from PDF papers
bibtex_manager	Parse, generate, and manage BibTeX references
latex_helper	LaTeX syntax assistance and template generation
data_analysis	Statistical analysis with pandas, numpy, scipy
plot_generator	Create publication-quality figures with matplotlib
shell	Execute shell commands
file_io	Read, write, and edit files
browser_control	Web browsing and information gathering
memory_search	Search through research notes and conversation history
get_current_time	Get current date and time

📦 Extensible Skills

ResearchClaw ships with research-focused skills that can be customized:

• arxiv — Advanced ArXiv search with category filters and alerts
• paper_summarizer — Multi-level paper summarization (abstract → detailed)
• literature_review — Generate structured literature reviews
• citation_network — Explore citation graphs and find related work
• experiment_tracker — Log experiments, parameters, and results
• figure_generator — Create publication-ready figures
• research_notes — Structured note-taking with tagging
• pdf — Advanced PDF processing and annotation

⚙️ Configuration

ResearchClaw stores all data locally in ~/.researchclaw/:

~/.researchclaw/
├── config.json          # Main configuration
├── .env                 # API keys and environment variables
├── jobs.json            # Scheduled tasks (paper digests, reminders)
├── chats.json           # Conversation history
├── active_skills/       # Currently active skills
├── customized_skills/   # Your custom skills
├── memory/              # Research notes and knowledge base
├── papers/              # Downloaded papers cache
├── references/          # BibTeX library
└── experiments/         # Experiment tracking data

LLM Provider Setup

ResearchClaw supports multiple LLM providers:

# Set up with OpenAI
researchclaw env set OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

# Or Anthropic
researchclaw env set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# Or use local models via Ollama
researchclaw providers add ollama

🤖 Agent Commands

In the chat interface, use these commands:

Command	Description
/new	Start a new conversation
/compact	Compress conversation memory
/clear	Clear all history
/history	Show conversation statistics
/papers	List recently discussed papers
/refs	Show current reference library

📋 CLI Reference

researchclaw init          # Interactive setup wizard
researchclaw app           # Start the web server
researchclaw papers search # Search for papers from CLI
researchclaw papers list   # List saved papers
researchclaw skills list   # List available skills
researchclaw skills add    # Install a skill from the hub
researchclaw env list      # List environment variables
researchclaw providers     # Manage LLM providers
researchclaw cron          # Manage scheduled tasks

🛡️ Privacy & Security

• All data stays local — your papers, notes, and API keys never leave your machine
• No telemetry — ResearchClaw does not collect usage data
• You control the LLM — choose your provider, use local models for sensitive research

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

📄 License

Apache License 2.0 — see LICENSE for details.