Skills

Skills & Recommended Settings

DingDuff works on its own, but these skills make it noticeably better. None are required. Each is a one-time download that you upload to Claude; it then stays in your skill picker.

Skill files are named dingduff_<skill>_v1.0.skill. In Claude's skill picker they appear under their dingduff-… name.

The skills

Research skills

• dingduff-case-law-research-standard — the right default for most legal questions. Runs systematic searches, reads the actual opinions, and builds a cited answer. Download: dingduff_case-law-research-standard_v1.0.skill
• dingduff-case-law-research-deep — exhaustive case-law research that maps the full citation network and validity-checks every key case. For briefs, dispositive motions, and formal opinions. Download: dingduff_case-law-research-deep_v1.0.skill
• dingduff-statute-research-deep — exhaustive statutory research: full code mapping, definitions, cross-references, and judicial gloss on ambiguous terms. Download: dingduff_statute-research-deep_v1.0.skill

Citation checking

• dingduff-citation-check — after you draft a memo with DingDuff, verifies every citation against the opinion and statute files you saved and opens a review panel showing the memo and each source side by side. Runs entirely in your own session. Download: dingduff_citation-check_v1.1.skill Needs python3 (Cowork and Claude Code provide it) and the cited sources saved first via opinion_store / statute_store.

Citation formatting

• dingduff-legal-citation-format — formats legal citations in practitioner / brief style (cases, statutes, signals like see / cf., pincites, short forms, block quotes). It fixes form only — pair it with the research or cite-check skills to confirm an authority exists and is quoted accurately. Works on its own (no connector needed). Download: dingduff_legal-citation-format_v1.0.skill

How to install a skill

Download the .skill file(s) above (on GitHub, open the file and use the Download raw file button), then upload to Claude — pick the row that matches how you use Claude:

• Cowork (desktop): Customize (upper right) → Skills → upload the file.
• claude.ai (browser): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → upload the file.
• Claude Code (CLI): install the whole library at once as a plugin instead:

  /plugin marketplace add DingDuff/dingduff-plugins
  /plugin install dingduff@dingduff
  

Once uploaded, the skill appears in the skill picker (the / menu). The research skills trigger automatically when you ask a legal question; to cite-check, draft a memo with DingDuff, then ask Claude to "cite-check this memo."

Recommended Claude settings

Always use DingDuff for legal research

Add a custom instruction so you don't have to ask every time:

1. Open Profile → Instructions for Claude (in your general settings).
2. Add something like:

   When I ask a legal question, always use the DingDuff connector and rely only on the DingDuff database. Tell me the jurisdiction you searched and include citations.

Turn off chat training (privacy)

In your Claude privacy settings, turn off the option that lets Claude train on your chats. Recommended for confidential legal work.

Tips for better results

When you ask a legal question, it helps to tell Claude to:

1. Use only the DingDuff database (so it doesn't pull from the open web) — handled automatically if you set the custom instruction above.
2. Specify the jurisdiction you want cases or statutes from.
3. Ask for citations in the answer.

Complex questions can take several minutes — that's normal while Claude researches.