| name | cutadapt |
| description | Adapter/primer trimming for short and long reads. Use this skill when working with cutadapt: installing, choosing parameters, running commands, interpreting outputs, or troubleshooting. Upstream: https://github.com/marcelm/cutadapt. For stage routing use tool-selection / metagenomics-workflow.
|
| license | MIT |
| category | analysis-tools |
| tags | ["qc","adapters"] |
| upstream | https://github.com/marcelm/cutadapt |
| stage | qc |
Cutadapt
Upstream: Cutadapt
Citation
Martin, M. Cutadapt removes adapter sequences from high-throughput sequencing reads. EMBnet J. 17, 10–12 (2011). https://doi.org/10.14806/ej.17.1.200
See also docs/references.md.
Analytical thinking
Use when adapters/primers are known exactly (amplicon-like primers on shotgun libraries, custom oligos). For general Illumina shotgun QC prefer fastp.
How to run
conda install -c bioconda cutadapt
cutadapt -j 8 -a AGATCGGAAGAGC -A AGATCGGAAGAGC \
-o temp/qc/${id}_1.fq.gz -p temp/qc/${id}_2.fq.gz \
seq/${id}_1.fq.gz seq/${id}_2.fq.gz
Key parameters
| -a/-A | adapters | R1/R2 |
| -j | threads | |
Decision notes
- Stage: QC — adapter/primer trimming before host depletion / assembly
- Prefer when custom adapters or amplicon primers matter; else
fastp often enough
- Keep trimmed PE pairing consistent for KneadData / assembly
Related skills
fastp · trimmomatic · tool-selection · metagenomics-workflow