Getting Started

Getting Started

This guide walks you through setting up Skillful-Alhazen and using it for the first time.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

1. Claude Code installed and configured
2. Docker for running TypeDB
3. uv for Python dependency management

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/gullyburns/skillful-alhazen
cd skillful-alhazen

2. Install Python Dependencies

# Install uv if you haven't already
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Install all dependencies
uv sync --all-extras

3. Start TypeDB

docker compose -f docker-compose-typedb.yml up -d

This starts TypeDB on port 1729. The database schema will be initialized automatically when you first use the system.

4. Verify Installation

Open Claude Code in the project directory:

claude

Try a simple command:

You: What skills are available?
Claude: [Lists available skills: /jobhunt, /epmc-search, /typedb-notebook, /domain-modeling]

Your First Session

Example 1: Job Hunting

You: I'm looking for ML engineering jobs. Here's one I found:
     https://boards.greenhouse.io/company/jobs/12345

Claude: I'll ingest and analyze this posting...

[Claude fetches the job description, extracts requirements,
and creates a fit analysis based on your profile]

Example 2: Literature Research

You: Search for papers about CRISPR delivery mechanisms

Claude: [Searches Europe PMC, returns results]

Found 1,247 papers. Here are the top 10 by citation count...

You: Add the top 5 to a collection called "CRISPR Delivery Review"

Claude: [Creates collection, adds papers with metadata]

Example 3: Knowledge Notes

You: Remember that the Smith et al. 2024 paper found lipid nanoparticles
     were 3x more effective than viral vectors for liver targeting

Claude: [Stores this finding in the knowledge graph with provenance]

Noted. I've stored this finding linked to the Smith et al. paper.

Dashboard

The project includes a Next.js dashboard for visualizing your knowledge graph:

cd dashboard
npm install
npm run dev

Visit http://localhost:3000 to see:

• Pipeline Board: Kanban view of job applications
• Skills Matrix: Gap analysis across positions
• Learning Plan: Resources linked to skill gaps

Environment Variables

You can customize TypeDB connection settings:

Variable	Default	Description
TYPEDB_HOST	localhost	TypeDB server hostname
TYPEDB_PORT	1729	TypeDB server port
TYPEDB_DATABASE	alhazen_notebook	Database name

Next Steps

• Read about Design Concepts to understand the architecture
• Explore individual skills for detailed usage
• Learn about the History behind the project name