bib-search-citation

Search and cite from one local BibTeX/BibLaTeX .bib library, including Zotero exports with custom metadata fields.

Use It For

• Search by topic, author, year, venue, DOI, arXiv/eprint, keywords, annotation, or abstract.
• Combine compact filters such as year>=2024, has:code, and cite:both.
• Return stable JSON, exact raw BibTeX, or LaTeX/Typst citation snippets.
• Preview saved JSON results as a compact human-readable summary.
• Add lexical claim-overlap and recency metadata as verification handoffs.

Do Not Use It For

• Validate citations already used in a manuscript; use the writing skill's bibliography module.
• Compile, format, or rewrite .tex or .typ projects.
• Run online discovery without a local .bib file.
• Treat a bibliography match or lexical overlap as proof that a paper supports a claim.
• Invent metadata missing from the source library.

Module Router

Module	Use when	Primary command
query	One-shot compact search with inline filters	uv run python -B academic-writing-skills/bib-search-citation/scripts/search_bib.py --bib references.bib --query 'mamba forecasting author:Cheng year>=2024 has:code cite:both limit:5'
spec-json	A complex request needs explicit structured filters	uv run python -B academic-writing-skills/bib-search-citation/scripts/search_bib.py --bib references.bib --spec-json '{"query":"mamba forecasting","filters":{"year_min":2024},"citation_mode":"both"}'
spec-file	A saved search must be repeatable	uv run python -B academic-writing-skills/bib-search-citation/scripts/search_bib.py --bib references.bib --spec-file search.json
preview	Search JSON already exists and needs a short summary	uv run python -B academic-writing-skills/bib-search-citation/scripts/preview_bib_search.py --input results.json

Minimum Inputs

• One local .bib path.
• One compact --query, inline --spec-json, or saved --spec-file.
• Optional sort, limit, return fields, citation mode, raw-export, recency, or claim preferences.

First Commands

uv run python -B academic-writing-skills/bib-search-citation/scripts/search_bib.py --bib references.bib --query 'transformer forecasting year>=2024 has:doi cite:both limit:5'
uv run python -B academic-writing-skills/bib-search-citation/scripts/preview_bib_search.py --input results.json

search_bib.py owns parsing, filtering, scoring, sorting, raw-entry preservation, and citation generation. preview_bib_search.py only renders existing JSON.

Output Artifacts

• Structured JSON with interpreted filters and matching entries.
• Requested bibliographic fields and provenance identifiers.
• Optional exact raw_bib.
• Optional LaTeX and Typst citation snippets.
• Additive meta.recency and per-result claim_support with explicit caveats.

Public Resources

References

• Query syntax
• Search planning defaults
• Known limitations and errors

Examples

• Compact query
• Raw BibTeX export
• Preview summary

Common Requests And Handoffs

Use this skill for local retrieval and citation-ready output. Hand off to a writing skill when citations must be checked inside manuscript source, and to a research verification workflow when the paper's content must be read to determine whether it supports a claim.