Our review
Scaffolds matplotlib figure code for publication-ready topological data analysis (TDA) figures following project conventions.
Strengths
- Enforces consistent style constants and predefined figure sizes.
- Generates figures ready for submission (PDF/PNG).
- Uses coherent color palettes and avoids problematic colormaps like jet.
Limitations
- Requires familiarity with the project's visual conventions.
- Limited to the figure types listed in the specification.
- Does not cover entirely novel figure designs.
When you need to quickly produce a TDA figure that adheres to the project's publication standards.
For exploratory visualization or when the project's conventions are not applicable.
Security analysis
SafeThe skill provides code generation templates and style guidelines for matplotlib figures, with no executable shell commands, destructive actions, or data exfiltration risks.
No concerns found
Examples
/tda-figure-spec persistence-diagram P01-B/tda-figure-spec null-histogram P01-A/tda-figure-spec/tda-figure-spec — Generate Publication-Ready TDA Figures
Scaffold matplotlib figure code following the established trajectory_tda/viz/ conventions.
Uses PUBLICATION_RC, DPI, FIGSIZE_*, STATE_COLORS, and _save_figure from the
codebase — never ad-hoc sizes or colours.
Usage
/tda-figure-spec [figure-type] [paper-number]
Example: /tda-figure-spec persistence-diagram P01-B
Example: /tda-figure-spec null-histogram P01-A
Example: /tda-figure-spec (interactive)
Style constants (always import from trajectory_tda/viz/constants.py)
from trajectory_tda.viz.constants import (
DPI, FIGSIZE_FULL, FIGSIZE_WIDE, FIGSIZE_HALF, FIGSIZE_SQUARE,
PUBLICATION_RC, STATE_COLORS, STATES, STATE_LABELS, REGIME_LABELS,
)
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.rcParams.update(PUBLICATION_RC)
Figure size guide
| Use case | Constant | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Single full-width plot | FIGSIZE_FULL | 190mm × 120mm |
| Wide two-panel | FIGSIZE_WIDE | 190mm × 104mm |
| Half-width single panel | FIGSIZE_HALF | 90mm × 120mm |
| Square heatmap | FIGSIZE_SQUARE | 90mm × 90mm |
Save function (always use this pattern)
def _save_figure(fig, output_dir: Path, name: str) -> None:
output_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
fig.savefig(output_dir / f"{name}.pdf", format="pdf")
fig.savefig(output_dir / f"{name}.png", format="png", dpi=DPI)
Colour rules
- State space: always
STATE_COLORSdict — nevertab10or default cycle - Observations:
#2d6a2e(green); Null:steelblue; Dim 0: green; Dim 1:#1a237e - Regimes:
plt.cm.tab10withREGIME_LABELSorder - Sequential/diverging:
viridis,plasma,RdBu_r— neverjet
Annotation standards
- p-values: write
p=0.003, notp<0.01 - Axes: remove top and right spines; keep bottom and left
- Legends:
frameon=False - Subplot labels:
ax.text(0.02, 0.97, "(a)", transform=ax.transAxes, ...)
Figure templates available
| Template | When to use |
|---|---|
| plot_persistence_diagram(diagram, dim, ax) | Scatter birth-death pairs |
| plot_barcode(diagram, dim, ax) | Feature lifetimes sorted by persistence |
| plot_null_histogram(observed, null_dist, p_value, dim, ax) | Permutation test result |
| plot_landscape_comparison(obs, null, grid, ax) | L² landscape distance (mandatory) |
Output paths
| Context | Path | Naming |
|---|---|---|
| Production paper figure | papers/PXX/figures/ | fig{N}_{desc}.{pdf\|png} |
| Supplement | papers/PXX/figures/ | figS{N}_{desc}.{pdf\|png} |
| Working / exploratory | figures/{domain}/ | YYYYMMDD_{desc}.png |
Working figures must not be saved to papers/PXX/figures/ — that is for production only.
Next.js App Router Expert
Development
A skill that turns Claude into a Next.js App Router expert.
README Generator
Development
Creates professional and comprehensive README.md files for your projects.
API Documentation Writer
Development
Generates comprehensive API documentation in OpenAPI/Swagger format.