| name | journal-latest-issue |
| description | Retrieve the latest journal issue's table of contents and abstracts from URL/DOI/PMID/RSS/TOC sources, then generate Chinese key points locally (no external translation APIs) when a new issue needs quick review and archiving. |
| license | MIT |
| author | AIPOCH |
Source: https://github.com/aipoch/medical-research-skills
Validation Shortcut
Run this minimal command first to verify the supported execution path:
python scripts/journal_digest.py --help
When to Use
- You want the latest issue table of contents (TOC) for one or more journals for quick scanning.
- You need a structured digest (title/DOI/abstract) plus Chinese key points for internal reading notes without using external translation services.
- You want to export results to Markdown and CSV for review, sharing, or archiving.
- You have an RSS feed or TOC URL and want a repeatable pipeline to pull the newest issue content.
- You need a batch mode (JSON input) to process multiple journals in one run.
Key Features
- Fetches the latest issue TOC and (optionally) abstracts by crawling public web pages only.
- Supports multiple input sources: journal name, RSS, TOC URL, and batch JSON configuration.
- Generates Chinese key points locally based on title + abstract (no external translation APIs); keeps the original English abstract for verification.
- Outputs:
output.md (human-readable digest grouped by journal/issue)output.csv (structured table for downstream processing)
- Safety controls:
- Domain allowlist by default; optional override via
--allow-all
- Built-in timeout/retry behavior (implementation-dependent)
Dependencies
- Python 3.x
- Python standard library only (no third-party packages required)
Example Usage
1) Single journal (optionally provide RSS/TOC)
python scripts/journal_digest.py --journal "Nature" --rss "https://example.com/rss"
2) Batch mode via JSON
Create input.json:
{
"journals": [
{ "name": "Nature", "rss": "https://...", "toc": "https://..." }
]
}
Run:
python scripts/journal_digest.py --json input.json
3) Common optional flags
python scripts/journal_digest.py \
--journal "Nature" \
--max-items 20 \
--fetch-abstracts
Implementation Details
Inputs
Supported CLI inputs:
--journal: Journal name (repeatable)--rss: RSS/TOC feed URL (optional)--toc: Table of Contents page URL (optional)--json: Batch input file (JSON)
Batch JSON format:
{
"journals": [
{ "name": "Journal Name", "rss": "https://...", "toc": "https://..." }
]
}
Optional parameters:
--allow-all: Allow crawling non-whitelisted domains (must be explicitly enabled)--max-items: Maximum number of items to output (default: 20; set to 0 for unlimited)--fetch-abstracts: Additionally crawl abstracts from article landing pages (slower)
Source selection logic
- If
--rss or --toc is provided, the skill prioritizes those sources to identify the latest issue content.
- If neither is provided, the skill may attempt built-in source hints for common journals (e.g., known RSS endpoints). For best accuracy, prefer providing RSS/TOC (and/or stable identifiers such as ISSN if supported by your setup).
Chinese key points generation (no external translation APIs)
- The skill does not call external translation services.
- It produces Chinese key points as a brief outline derived from the English title and abstract.
- The original English abstract is retained in outputs for manual review and validation.
Outputs
output.md: Latest issue directory and generated key points, grouped by journal/issue.output.csv: Tabular export (e.g., Title / DOI / Abstract / Chinese Key Points).
Security and compliance notes
- Network access is limited to crawling public pages.
- A domain allowlist is enforced by default; use
--allow-all only when you explicitly accept the risk of crawling unknown domains.
- Timeout/retry mechanisms are used to improve robustness (exact values depend on the implementation).
When Not to Use
- Do not use this skill when the required source data, identifiers, files, or credentials are missing.
- Do not use this skill when the user asks for fabricated results, unsupported claims, or out-of-scope conclusions.
- Do not use this skill when a simpler direct answer is more appropriate than the documented workflow.
Required Inputs
- A clearly specified task goal aligned with the documented scope.
- All required files, identifiers, parameters, or environment variables before execution.
- Any domain constraints, formatting requirements, and expected output destination if applicable.
Recommended Workflow
- Validate the request against the skill boundary and confirm all required inputs are present.
- Select the documented execution path and prefer the simplest supported command or procedure.
- Produce the expected output using the documented file format, schema, or narrative structure.
- Run a final validation pass for completeness, consistency, and safety before returning the result.
Output Contract
- Return a structured deliverable that is directly usable without reformatting.
- If a file is produced, prefer a deterministic output name such as
journal_latest_issue_result.md unless the skill documentation defines a better convention.
- Include a short validation summary describing what was checked, what assumptions were made, and any remaining limitations.
Validation and Safety Rules
- Validate required inputs before execution and stop early when mandatory fields or files are missing.
- Do not fabricate measurements, references, findings, or conclusions that are not supported by the provided source material.
- Emit a clear warning when credentials, privacy constraints, safety boundaries, or unsupported requests affect the result.
- Keep the output safe, reproducible, and within the documented scope at all times.
Failure Handling
- If validation fails, explain the exact missing field, file, or parameter and show the minimum fix required.
- If an external dependency or script fails, surface the command path, likely cause, and the next recovery step.
- If partial output is returned, label it clearly and identify which checks could not be completed.
Input Validation
This skill accepts requests that match the documented purpose of journal-latest-issue and include enough context to complete the workflow safely.
Do not continue the workflow when the request is out of scope, missing a critical input, or would require unsupported assumptions. Instead respond:
journal-latest-issue only handles its documented workflow. Please provide the missing required inputs or switch to a more suitable skill.
Quick Validation
Run this minimal verification path before full execution when possible:
python scripts/journal_digest.py --help
Expected output format:
Result file: journal_latest_issue_result.md
Validation summary: PASS/FAIL with brief notes
Assumptions: explicit list if any
Deterministic Output Rules
- Use the same section order for every supported request of this skill.
- Keep output field names stable and do not rename documented keys across examples.
- If a value is unavailable, emit an explicit placeholder instead of omitting the field.
Completion Checklist
- Confirm all required inputs were present and valid.
- Confirm the supported execution path completed without unresolved errors.
- Confirm the final deliverable matches the documented format exactly.
- Confirm assumptions, limitations, and warnings are surfaced explicitly.
