Formula Derivation

VerifiedSafe

Structures and derives research formulas, organizes assumptions, and turns scattered equations into a coherent derivation package.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DocumentationAdvanced
8/6/2026
Claude Code
#math-derivation#theory-writing#assumptions-tracking#research-notes#markdown-output

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Automated summary

Structures a research formula derivation: it freezes the target, picks the invariant object, normalizes assumptions and notation, classifies each step (identity, proposition, approximation), then writes or updates a DERIVATION_PACKAGE.md with an explicit coherence status.

Strengths

  • Forces the target and invariant object to be fixed before any symbolic manipulation, preventing derivations that drift from the actual claim.
  • Requires an explicit coherence status (coherent as stated, coherent after reframing, not yet coherent) and permits a blocker report instead of a fabricated proof.
  • Separates exact steps from approximations and surfaces hidden assumptions, undefined notation, and scope ambiguities.
  • Preserves the user's original notation while allowing a cleaner internal formulation purely as a derivation device.

Limitations

  • Performs no symbolic computation or machine checking; algebraic correctness rests entirely on the model's reasoning.
  • The output is a local Markdown document, and the described workflow stops at step classification rather than full proof writing.
  • When the target, object, or notation is ambiguous, the stated interpretation must be confirmed by the user before the result is usable.
When to use it

Use it when scattered theory notes or dispersed equations must become a coherent derivation package, or when you need to diagnose why the current derivation does not hold together.

When not to use it

Avoid it when the target is already fixed and you need a machine-verified formal proof or a numerical computation, which belong to a proof assistant or computer algebra system.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score80/100

The skill is confined to Read, Write, Edit, Grep, and Glob — no bash, network, or shell execution. Its only write target is a derivation markdown file (default DERIVATION_PACKAGE.md), and it explicitly warns against writing into paper/appendix .tex files unless the user asks. There is no exfiltration, obfuscation, destructive command, or safety-disabling instruction; the file-modifying tools are used for their normal purpose of drafting a document from local notes.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

From messy notes to a derivation package
Here are my scattered notes on the scaling relation for our loss, with three equations that may or may not connect. Build a coherent derivation package in DERIVATION_PACKAGE.md: freeze the target first, choose the invariant object, and flag any hidden assumptions before deriving.
Coherence check of an appendix
These are my appendix notes for the effective-cost proposition. Normalize the notation and assumptions, classify every nontrivial step as identity, proposition, or approximation, and tell me whether it is coherent as stated, coherent only after reframing, or not yet coherent.
Choosing the right object to derive from
I want a formula for effective throughput but I'm unsure whether to start from total cost or per-request latency. Help me decide which quantity should be the invariant object, then derive from it and write the result into DERIVATION_PACKAGE.md.

name: formula-derivation description: Structures and derives research formulas when the user wants to 推导公式, build a theory line, organize assumptions, turn scattered equations into a coherent derivation, or rewrite theory notes into a paper-ready formula document. Use when the derivation target is not yet fully fixed, the main object still needs to be chosen, or the user needs a coherent derivation package rather than a finished theorem proof. argument-hint: [problem-goal-current-formulas-or-notes] allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob

Formula Derivation: Research Theory Line Construction

Build an honest derivation package, not a fake polished theorem story.

Constants

  • DEFAULT_DERIVATION_DOC = DERIVATION_PACKAGE.md in project root
  • STATUS = COHERENT AS STATED | COHERENT AFTER REFRAMING / EXTRA ASSUMPTION | NOT YET COHERENT

Context: $ARGUMENTS

Goal

Produce exactly one of:

  1. a coherent derivation package for the original target
  2. a reframed derivation package with corrected object / assumptions / scope
  3. a blocker report explaining why the current notes cannot yet support a coherent derivation

Inputs

Extract and normalize:

  • the target phenomenon, formula, relation, or theory line
  • the intended role of the derivation:
    • exact identity / algebra
    • proposition / local theorem
    • approximation
    • mechanism interpretation
  • explicit assumptions
  • notation and definitions
  • any user-provided formula chain, sketch, messy notes, or current draft
  • nearby local theory files if the request points to them
  • desired output style if specified:
    • internal alignment note
    • paper-style theory draft
    • blocker report

If the target, object, notation, or assumptions are ambiguous, state the exact interpretation you are using before deriving anything.

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Derivation Context

Determine the target derivation file with this priority:

  1. a file path explicitly specified by the user
  2. a derivation draft already referenced in local notes
  3. DERIVATION_PACKAGE.md in project root as the default target

Read the relevant local context:

  • the chosen target derivation file, if it already exists
  • any local theory notes, formula drafts, appendix notes, or files explicitly mentioned by the user

Extract:

  • target formula / theory goal
  • current formula chain
  • assumptions
  • notation
  • known blockers
  • desired output mode

Step 2: Freeze the Target

State explicitly:

  • what is being explained, derived, or supported
  • whether the immediate goal is:
    • identity / algebra
    • proposition
    • approximation
    • interpretation
  • what the derivation is expected to output in the end

Do not start symbolic manipulation before this is fixed.

Step 3: Choose the Invariant Object

Identify the single quantity or conceptual object that should organize the derivation.

Typical possibilities include:

  • objective / utility / loss
  • total cost / energy / welfare
  • conserved quantity / state variable
  • expected metric / effective rate / effective cost

If the current notes start from a narrower quantity, decide explicitly whether it is:

  • the true top-level object
  • a proxy
  • a local slice
  • an approximation

Do not let a convenient proxy silently replace the actual conceptual object.

Step 4: Normalize Assumptions and Notation

Restate:

  • all assumptions
  • all symbols
  • regime boundaries or special cases
  • which quantities are fixed, adaptive, or state dependent

Identify:

  • hidden assumptions
  • undefined notation
  • scope ambiguities
  • whether the current formula chain already mixes exact steps with approximations

Preserve the user's original notation unless a cleanup is necessary for coherence. If you adopt a cleaner internal formulation, keep that as a derivation device rather than silently replacing the user's target.

Step 5: Classify the Derivation Steps

For every nontrivial step, determine whether it is:

  • identity: exact algebraic reformulation
  • proposition: a claim requiring conditions
  • approximation: model simplification or surrogate
  • interpretation: prose-level meaning of a formula

Never merge these categories without signaling the transition. If one part is only interpretive, do not present it as if it were mathematically proved.

Step 6: Build a Derivation Map

Choose a derivation strategy, for example:

  • definition -> substitution -> simplification
  • primitive law -> intermediate variable -> target expression
  • global quantity -> perturbation -> decomposition
  • exact model -> approximation -> interpretable closed form
  • general dynamic object -> simplified slice -> local theorem -> return to general case

Then write a derivation map:

  • target formula or theory line
  • required intermediate identities or lemmas
  • which assumptions each nontrivial step uses
  • where approximations enter
  • where special-case and general-case regimes diverge or collapse

If the derivation needs a decomposition, derive it from the chosen global quantity. Do not make a split appear magically from one local variable itself.

Step 7: Write the Derivation Document

Write to the chosen target derivation file.

If the target derivation file already exists:

  • read it first
  • update the relevant section
  • do not blindly duplicate prior content

If the user does not specify a target, default to DERIVATION_PACKAGE.md in project root.

Do NOT write directly into paper sections or appendix .tex files unless the user explicitly asks for that target.

The derivation package must include:

  • target
  • status
  • invariant object
  • assumptions
  • notation
  • derivation strategy
  • derivation map
  • main derivation steps
  • remarks / interpretations
  • boundaries and non-claims

Writing rules:

  • do not hide gaps with words like "clearly", "obviously", or "similarly"
  • define every symbol before use
  • mark approximations explicitly
  • separate derivation body from remarks
  • if the true object is dynamic or state dependent but a simpler slice is analyzed, say so explicitly
  • if a formula line is only heuristic, label it honestly

Step 8: Final Verification

Before finishing the target derivation file, verify:

  • the target is explicit
  • the invariant object is stable across the derivation
  • every assumption used is stated
  • each formula step is correctly labeled as identity / proposition / approximation / interpretation
  • the derivation does not silently switch objects
  • special cases and general cases still belong to one theory line
  • boundaries and non-claims are stated

If the derivation still lacks a coherent object, stable assumptions, or an honest path from premises to result, downgrade the status and write a blocker report instead of forcing a clean story.

Required File Structure

Write the target derivation file using this structure:

# Derivation Package

## Target
[what is being derived or explained]

## Status
COHERENT AS STATED / COHERENT AFTER REFRAMING / NOT YET COHERENT

## Invariant Object
[top-level quantity organizing the derivation]

## Assumptions
- ...

## Notation
- ...

## Derivation Strategy
[chosen route and why]

## Derivation Map
1. Target depends on ...
2. Intermediate step A uses ...
3. Approximation enters at ...

## Main Derivation
Step 1. ...
Step 2. ...
...

## Remarks and Interpretation
- ...

## Boundaries and Non-Claims
- ...

## Open Risks
- ...

Output Modes

If the derivation is coherent as stated

Write the full structure above with a clean derivation package.

If the notes are close but not coherent yet

Write:

  • the exact mismatch
  • the corrected invariant object, assumption, or scope
  • the reframed derivation package

If the derivation cannot be made coherent honestly

Write:

  • Status: NOT YET COHERENT
  • the exact blocker:
    • missing object
    • unstable assumptions
    • notation conflict
    • unsupported approximation
    • theorem-level claim without enough conditions
  • what extra assumption, reframe, or intermediate derivation would be needed

Relationship to proof-writer

Use formula-derivation when the user says things like:

  • “我不知道怎么起这条推导主线”
  • “这个公式到底该从哪个量出发”
  • “帮我把理论搭顺”
  • “把说明文档变成可写进论文的公式文档”
  • “这几段公式之间逻辑不通”

Use proof-writer only after:

  • the exact claim is fixed
  • the assumptions are stable
  • the notation is settled
  • and the task is now to prove or refute that claim rigorously

Chat Response

After writing the target derivation file, respond briefly with:

  • status
  • whether the target survived unchanged or had to be reframed
  • what file was updated

Key Rules

  • Never fabricate a coherent derivation if the object, assumptions, or scope do not support one.
  • Prefer reframing the derivation over overclaiming.
  • Separate assumptions, identities, propositions, approximations, and interpretations.
  • Keep one invariant object across special and general cases whenever possible.
  • Treat simplified constant-parameter cases as analysis slices, not as the conceptual main object.
  • If uncertainty remains, mark it explicitly in Open Risks; do not hide it in polished prose.
  • Coherence matters more than elegance.

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/formula-derivation-msh3usv7/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/formula-derivation-msh3usv7' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/formula-derivation-msh3usv7/download' --output '.skill-downloads/formula-derivation-msh3usv7/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/formula-derivation-msh3usv7/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/formula-derivation-msh3usv7/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

Tools declared by the author (check availability in your agent): Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

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3. Load the skill

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Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/formula-derivation-msh3usv7/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/formula-derivation-msh3usv7/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/formula-derivation' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/formula-derivation-msh3usv7' '.claude/skills/formula-derivation'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/formula-derivation-msh3usv7'

openskills read 'formula-derivation-msh3usv7'

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For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

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Read .skill-downloads/formula-derivation-msh3usv7/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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