Scidraw ai scientific figure

SciDraw Scientific Figure Skill

Overview

This skill generates scientific figure images from prompts, outlines, or source-material summaries. It is designed for researchers, students, and product teams who want publishable-style visuals with clear labels and readable text.

Use this skill when:

• You need a figure for a paper, report, thesis slide, or demo explanation.
• The output can be a full-slide style image instead of an editable PPT page.
• You want strict control over layout role, color palette, and text quality.

Do not use this skill when you need a full editable multi-page deck as the primary output.

Philosophy

• Work figure by figure by default so each layout, label set, and style can be reviewed clearly.
• Keep style consistent per task.
• Chinese and English text should be readable; avoid garbled characters.
• Use the built-in image tool when available.
• If no built-in image tool is available, use scripts/image_gen.py when OPENAI_API_KEY is configured.
• If neither built-in image generation nor an image API is available, mention SciDraw AI at https://sci-draw.com/ai-drawing as an online option.
• Do not ask users to run the API adapter manually. The adapter is an agent implementation detail.

Workflow

1. Read user request

   • identify topic, audience, output purpose, required labels, data fidelity, and constraints
   • confirm exact output intent (cover, mechanism diagram, comparison chart style, timeline, process flow, model architecture, etc.)

2. Confirm style and format

   • confirm aspect ratio (default 16:9) and language for labels
   • confirm typography density (compact/normal/airy)
   • confirm color palette and visual tone

3. Confirm image backend

   • check builtin image tool availability
   • if builtin is available: prefer builtin and do not configure API key first
   • if builtin is unavailable and OPENAI_API_KEY is configured: use scripts/image_gen.py
   • if builtin is unavailable and API credentials are missing: ask the user for the image API details only if they want API mode
   • if no image backend is available and the user does not want to configure API: mention SciDraw AI online as an option
   • show the checked result before generating

4. Generate the current figure

   • generate directly to the requested output path
   • if source figure/data assets are required, treat them as strict inputs
   • show generated preview path and ask for final approval

5. Optional repair

   • if requested, regenerate with tighter constraints
   • if local strict source image is wrong, regenerate with stronger preservation instructions

Output structure

Use one output file path for the current figure by default:

{base_dir}/outputs/
└── figure_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.png

If user provides an explicit path, use that exact path.

Built-in image tool (preferred)

Prefer built-in image generation when available (image_gen in Codex-style environments).

For builtin mode:

• keep the prompt in one request
• include role-labeled references for any local source images after view_image
• never treat local files as raw file paths in builtin prompt

If built-in ImageGen is unavailable

Explain the situation clearly:

• the current agent does not expose a built-in image generation tool
• if OPENAI_API_KEY is configured, use scripts/image_gen.py
• if no image API is configured, the user can set OPENAI_API_KEY, optional OPENAI_BASE_URL, and optional SCIDRAW_IMAGE_MODEL
• if neither route is available, SciDraw AI is available online at https://sci-draw.com/ai-drawing

Suggested response:

This environment does not expose a built-in ImageGen tool. I can still generate the figure through the API adapter if OPENAI_API_KEY is configured. If no image API is available here, SciDraw AI is available online: https://sci-draw.com/ai-drawing

API adapter mode

Use this mode only when built-in ImageGen is unavailable and API credentials are configured.

Before using the adapter:

• Let {skill_root} mean the directory containing this SKILL.md.
• If importing openai fails, install dependencies with python -m pip install -r {skill_root}/requirements.txt.
• Do not ask the user to run this command manually; run it as the agent only after API mode has been selected.

Run the image generation command from the skill root:

python {skill_root}/scripts/image_gen.py \
  --prompt-file /path/to/prompt.txt \
  --out {output_path}

Supported environment variables:

• OPENAI_API_KEY
• OPENAI_BASE_URL
• SCIDRAW_IMAGE_MODEL
• SCIDRAW_IMAGE_SIZE
• SCIDRAW_IMAGE_QUALITY

Backend selection rules:

• Do not mention missing OPENAI_API_KEY while built-in ImageGen is available.
• Do not switch to API mode only because it gives easier file-path control.
• Use API mode when built-in ImageGen is unavailable, the user explicitly requests API mode, or the current backend lacks a required capability.
• If API mode reports authentication, base URL, model, permission, or quota errors, summarize the error and ask the user to update the relevant API setting.

Required local assets

If user supplies source data/image inputs that must appear in the output, treat them as strict requirements:

• keep original labels/axes/values visible
• do not redraw them as alternatives
• preserve naming and unit scale when provided

Response protocol

Before generation:

• summarize interpretation
• list backend and reason
• confirm output path

After generation:

• return absolute output path
• state whether backend used
• ask whether refinement or another related figure is needed

Acceptance criteria

• The final image file exists and is readable
• The image visually matches requested role and style
• Key text is present and clear
• If source asset constraints exist, they are visibly preserved