bib-search-citation

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from review. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: bib-search-citation
description: Search and cite from local BibTeX/BibLaTeX .bib libraries, including Zotero exports. Use to find, filter, preview, export, or generate LaTeX/Typst citation snippets by topic, author, year, venue, DOI, arXiv ID, keywords, abstract, fields, recency, or claim support. Do not use for manuscript writing or polishing.
when_to_use: >-
  Trigger on prompts like "search my references.bib", "find papers by author/year/venue",
  "Mamba papers after 2024", "generate \cite{} snippets", "export selected BibTeX",
  "filter Zotero export", "check DOI/arXiv IDs", or "find citations supporting this claim".
metadata:
  category: academic-writing
  tags:
    [
      bibtex,
      biblatex,
      citation,
      latex,
      typst,
      bibliography,
      research,
      zotero,
      bib,
    ]
  version: "6.0.0"
  last_updated: "2026-07-16"
argument-hint: "--bib library.bib --query QUERY"
allowed-tools: Read, Bash(uv *)
---

# Bib Search Citation

## Capability Summary

Research-oriented retrieval over a local `.bib` file (BibTeX/BibLaTeX, including
Zotero exports with fields like `shorttitle`, `annotation`, `keywords`,
`abstract`, `file`, DOI, URL, eprint). Searches by topic and field filters,
returns stable JSON, renders compact previews, emits LaTeX/Typst citation
snippets, and returns raw BibTeX only when exact export or manual verification
requires it.

## Triggering

Requests such as: "Search my `.bib` file for recent Mamba forecasting papers",
"Find entries by Cheng after 2024 that have code and return cite snippets",
"Show the raw BibTeX for the best match", "Filter Zotero-exported entries whose
annotation mentions CodeAvailable", "Preview the JSON output from a saved
search". For a natural-language request, infer a conservative search spec and
state the assumptions. If the user gives a compact filter expression, preserve
it closely instead of translating it into vague prose.

## Do Not Use

- validating citations already used inside a `.tex`/`.typ` project (use the
  writing skill's bibliography module)
- compiling, formatting, or diagnosing manuscript source trees
- rewriting related-work prose
- online discovery with no local `.bib` file (use a research workflow and
  verify external metadata first)
- inventing bibliographic metadata missing from the `.bib` file

## Module Router

| Module      | Best for                                                       | Command                                                                                                                                                                 |
| ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `query`     | one-shot compact search with inline filters                    | `uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/search_bib.py --bib references.bib --query 'mamba forecasting author:Cheng year>=2024 has:code cite:both limit:5'`                 |
| `spec-json` | structured search spec generated from a complex request        | `uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/search_bib.py --bib references.bib --spec-json '{"query":"mamba forecasting","filters":{"year_min":2024},"citation_mode":"both"}'` |
| `spec-file` | repeatable saved search workflow                               | `uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/search_bib.py --bib references.bib --spec-file search.json`                                                                        |
| `preview`   | compact human-readable summary after JSON search output exists | `uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/preview_bib_search.py --input results.json`                                                                                        |

`search_bib.py` is the source of truth for parsing, filtering, scoring, sorting,
raw BibTeX preservation, and citations; `preview_bib_