name	benchling-integration
description	Benchling R&D platform integration. Access registry (DNA, proteins), inventory, ELN entries, workflows via API, build Benchling Apps, query Data Warehouse, for lab data management automation.

Benchling Integration

Overview

Benchling is a cloud platform for life sciences R&D. Access registry entities (DNA, proteins), inventory, electronic lab notebooks, and workflows programmatically via Python SDK and REST API.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

Working with Benchling's Python SDK or REST API
Managing biological sequences (DNA, RNA, proteins) and registry entities
Automating inventory operations (samples, containers, locations, transfers)
Creating or querying electronic lab notebook entries
Building workflow automations or Benchling Apps
Syncing data between Benchling and external systems
Querying the Benchling Data Warehouse for analytics
Setting up event-driven integrations with AWS EventBridge

Core Capabilities

1. Authentication & Setup

Python SDK Installation:

# Stable release
pip install benchling-sdk
# or with Poetry
poetry add benchling-sdk

Authentication Methods:

API Key Authentication (recommended for scripts):

from benchling_sdk.benchling import Benchling
from benchling_sdk.auth.api_key_auth import ApiKeyAuth

benchling = Benchling(
    url="https://your-tenant.benchling.com",
    auth_method=ApiKeyAuth("your_api_key")
)

OAuth Client Credentials (for apps):

from benchling_sdk.auth.client_credentials_oauth2 import ClientCredentialsOAuth2

auth_method = ClientCredentialsOAuth2(
    client_id="your_client_id",
    client_secret="your_client_secret"
)
benchling = Benchling(
    url="https://your-tenant.benchling.com",
    auth_method=auth_method
)

Key Points:

API keys are obtained from Profile Settings in Benchling
Store credentials securely (use environment variables or password managers)
All API requests require HTTPS
Authentication permissions mirror user permissions in the UI

For detailed authentication information including OIDC and security best practices, refer to references/authentication.md.

2. Registry & Entity Management

Registry entities include DNA sequences, RNA sequences, AA sequences, custom entities, and mixtures. The SDK provides typed classes for creating and managing these entities.

Creating DNA Sequences:

from benchling_sdk.models import DnaSequenceCreate

sequence = benchling.dna_sequences.create(
    DnaSequenceCreate(
        name="My Plasmid",
        bases="ATCGATCG",
        is_circular=True,
        folder_id="fld_abc123",
        schema_id="ts_abc123",  # optional
        fields=benchling.models.fields({"gene_name": "GFP"})
    )
)

Registry Registration:

To register an entity directly upon creation:

sequence = benchling.dna_sequences.create(
    DnaSequenceCreate(
        name="My Plasmid",
        bases="ATCGATCG",
        is_circular=True,
        folder_id="fld_abc123",
        entity_registry_id="src_abc123",  # Registry to register in
        naming_strategy="NEW_IDS"  # or "IDS_FROM_NAMES"
    )
)

Important: Use either entity_registry_id OR naming_strategy, never both.

Updating Entities:

from benchling_sdk.models import DnaSequenceUpdate

updated = benchling.dna_sequences.update(
    sequence_id="seq_abc123",
    dna_sequence=DnaSequenceUpdate(
        name="Updated Plasmid Name",
        fields=benchling.models.fields({"gene_name": "mCherry"})
    )
)

Unspecified fields remain unchanged, allowing partial updates.

Listing and Pagination:

# List all DNA sequences (returns a generator)
sequences = benchling.dna_sequences.list()
for page in sequences:
    for seq in page:
        print(f"{seq.name} ({seq.id})")

# Check total count
total = sequences.estimated_count()

Key Operations:

Create: benchling.<entity_type>.create()
Read: benchling.<entity_type>.get(id) or .list()
Update: benchling.<entity_type>.update(id, update_object)
Archive: benchling.<entity_type>.archive(id)

Entity types: dna_sequences, rna_sequences, aa_sequences, custom_entities, mixtures

For comprehensive SDK reference and advanced patterns, refer to references/sdk_reference.md.

3. Inventory Management

Manage physical samples, containers, boxes, and locations within the Benchling inventory system.

Creating Containers:

from benchling_sdk.models import ContainerCreate

container = benchling.containers.create(
    ContainerCreate(
        name="Sample Tube 001",
        schema_id="cont_schema_abc123",
        parent_storage_id="box_abc123",  # optional
        fields=benchling.models.fields({"concentration": "100 ng/μL"})
    )
)

Managing Boxes:

from benchling_sdk.models import BoxCreate

box = benchling.boxes.create(
    BoxCreate(
        name="Freezer Box A1",
        schema_id="box_schema_abc123",
        parent_storage_id="loc_abc123"
    )
)

Transferring Items:

# Transfer a container to a new location
transfer = benchling.containers.transfer(
    container_id="cont_abc123",
    destination_id="box_xyz789"
)

Key Inventory Operations:

Create containers, boxes, locations, plates
Update inventory item properties
Transfer items between locations
Check in/out items
Batch operations for bulk transfers

4. Notebook & Documentation

Interact with electronic lab notebook (ELN) entries, protocols, and templates.

Creating Notebook Entries:

from benchling_sdk.models import EntryCreate

entry = benchling.entries.create(
    EntryCreate(
        name="Experiment 2025-10-20",
        folder_id="fld_abc123",
        schema_id="entry_schema_abc123",
        fields=benchling.models.fields({"objective": "Test gene expression"})
    )
)

Linking Entities to Entries:

# Add references to entities in an entry
entry_link = benchling.entry_links.create(
    entry_id="entry_abc123",
    entity_id="seq_xyz789"
)

Key Notebook Operations:

Create and update lab notebook entries
Manage entry templates
Link entities and results to entries
Export entries for documentation

5. Workflows & Automation

Automate laboratory processes using Benchling's workflow system.

Creating Workflow Tasks:

from benchling_sdk.models import WorkflowTaskCreate

task = benchling.workflow_tasks.create(
    WorkflowTaskCreate(
        name="PCR Amplification",
        workflow_id="wf_abc123",
        assignee_id="user_abc123",
        fields=benchling.models.fields({"template": "seq_abc123"})
    )
)

Updating Task Status:

from benchling_sdk.models import WorkflowTaskUpdate

updated_task = benchling.workflow_tasks.update(
    task_id="task_abc123",
    workflow_task=WorkflowTaskUpdate(
        status_id="status_complete_abc123"
    )
)

Asynchronous Operations:

Some operations are asynchronous and return tasks:

# Wait for task completion
from benchling_sdk.helpers.tasks import wait_for_task

result = wait_for_task(
    benchling,
    task_id="task_abc123",
    interval_wait_seconds=2,
    max_wait_seconds=300
)

Key Workflow Operations:

Create and manage workflow tasks
Update task statuses and assignments
Execute bulk operations asynchronously
Monitor task progress

6. Events & Integration

Subscribe to Benchling events for real-time integrations using AWS EventBridge.

Event Types:

Entity creation, update, archive
Inventory transfers
Workflow task status changes
Entry creation and updates
Results registration

Integration Pattern:

Configure event routing to AWS EventBridge in Benchling settings
Create EventBridge rules to filter events
Route events to Lambda functions or other targets
Process events and update external systems

Use Cases:

Sync Benchling data to external databases
Trigger downstream processes on workflow completion
Send notifications on entity changes
Audit trail logging

Refer to Benchling's event documentation for event schemas and configuration.

7. Data Warehouse & Analytics

Query historical Benchling data using SQL through the Data Warehouse.

Access Method: The Benchling Data Warehouse provides SQL access to Benchling data for analytics and reporting. Connect using standard SQL clients with provided credentials.

Common Queries:

Aggregate experimental results
Analyze inventory trends
Generate compliance reports
Export data for external analysis

Integration with Analysis Tools:

Jupyter notebooks for interactive analysis
BI tools (Tableau, Looker, PowerBI)
Custom dashboards

Best Practices

Error Handling

The SDK automatically retries failed requests:

# Automatic retry for 429, 502, 503, 504 status codes
# Up to 5 retries with exponential backoff
# Customize retry behavior if needed
from benchling_sdk.retry import RetryStrategy

benchling = Benchling(
    url="https://your-tenant.benchling.com",
    auth_method=ApiKeyAuth("your_api_key"),
    retry_strategy=RetryStrategy(max_retries=3)
)

Pagination Efficiency

Use generators for memory-efficient pagination:

# Generator-based iteration
for page in benchling.dna_sequences.list():
    for sequence in page:
        process(sequence)

# Check estimated count without loading all pages
total = benchling.dna_sequences.list().estimated_count()

Schema Fields Helper

Use the fields() helper for custom schema fields:

# Convert dict to Fields object
custom_fields = benchling.models.fields({
    "concentration": "100 ng/μL",
    "date_prepared": "2025-10-20",
    "notes": "High quality prep"
})

Forward Compatibility

The SDK handles unknown enum values and types gracefully:

Unknown enum values are preserved
Unrecognized polymorphic types return UnknownType
Allows working with newer API versions

Security Considerations

Never commit API keys to version control
Use environment variables for credentials
Rotate keys if compromised
Grant minimal necessary permissions for apps
Use OAuth for multi-user scenarios

Resources

references/

Detailed reference documentation for in-depth information:

authentication.md - Comprehensive authentication guide including OIDC, security best practices, and credential management
sdk_reference.md - Detailed Python SDK reference with advanced patterns, examples, and all entity types
api_endpoints.md - REST API endpoint reference for direct HTTP calls without the SDK

Load these references as needed for specific integration requirements.

scripts/

This skill currently includes example scripts that can be removed or replaced with custom automation scripts for your specific Benchling workflows.

Common Use Cases

1. Bulk Entity Import:

# Import multiple sequences from FASTA file
from Bio import SeqIO

for record in SeqIO.parse("sequences.fasta", "fasta"):
    benchling.dna_sequences.create(
        DnaSequenceCreate(
            name=record.id,
            bases=str(record.seq),
            is_circular=False,
            folder_id="fld_abc123"
        )
    )

2. Inventory Audit:

# List all containers in a specific location
containers = benchling.containers.list(
    parent_storage_id="box_abc123"
)

for page in containers:
    for container in page:
        print(f"{container.name}: {container.barcode}")

3. Workflow Automation:

# Update all pending tasks for a workflow
tasks = benchling.workflow_tasks.list(
    workflow_id="wf_abc123",
    status="pending"
)

for page in tasks:
    for task in page:
        # Perform automated checks
        if auto_validate(task):
            benchling.workflow_tasks.update(
                task_id=task.id,
                workflow_task=WorkflowTaskUpdate(
                    status_id="status_complete"
                )
            )

4. Data Export:

# Export all sequences with specific properties
sequences = benchling.dna_sequences.list()
export_data = []

for page in sequences:
    for seq in page:
        if seq.schema_id == "target_schema_id":
            export_data.append({
                "id": seq.id,
                "name": seq.name,
                "bases": seq.bases,
                "length": len(seq.bases)
            })

# Save to CSV or database
import csv
with open("sequences.csv", "w") as f:
    writer = csv.DictWriter(f, fieldnames=export_data[0].keys())
    writer.writeheader()
    writer.writerows(export_data)

Additional Resources

Official Documentation: https://docs.benchling.com
Python SDK Reference: https://benchling.com/sdk-docs/
API Reference: https://benchling.com/api/reference
Support: [email protected]

name	benchling-integration
description	Benchling R&D platform integration. Access registry (DNA, proteins), inventory, ELN entries, workflows via API, build Benchling Apps, query Data Warehouse, for lab data management automation.