PaperclipOrg
Claude Agent Skill · by Aradotso

Autoresearch Genealogy

Install Autoresearch Genealogy skill for Claude Code from aradotso/trending-skills.

Install
Terminal · npx
$npx skills add https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill analytics-tracking
Works with Paperclip

How Autoresearch Genealogy fits into a Paperclip company.

Autoresearch Genealogy drops into any Paperclip agent that handles this kind of work. Assign it to a specialist inside a pre-configured PaperclipOrg company and the skill becomes available on every heartbeat — no prompt engineering, no tool wiring.

S
SaaS FactoryPaired

Pre-configured AI company — 18 agents, 18 skills, one-time purchase.

$27$59
Explore pack
Source file
SKILL.md505 lines
Expand
---name: autoresearch-genealogydescription: Structured prompts, vault templates, and autonomous research workflows for AI-assisted genealogy using Claude Code.triggers:  - help me research my family tree with AI  - set up genealogy vault template  - run autoresearch genealogy prompts  - find ancestors using Claude Code  - genealogy research workflow setup  - cross-reference audit for family history  - DNA chromosome analysis genealogy  - organize genealogy documents with AI--- # autoresearch-genealogy > Skill by [ara.so](https://ara.so) — Daily 2026 Skills collection. A structured system of autoresearch prompts, Obsidian vault templates, archive guides, and methodology references for AI-assisted genealogy research. Built for Claude Code's autonomous research loops, adaptable to any AI tool or manual workflow. --- ## What This Project Does - Provides 12 Claude Code `/autoresearch` prompts that autonomously search the web, update your vault, and self-verify results- Supplies a complete 19-file Obsidian vault starter kit with YAML frontmatter and markdown templates- Includes 24 country/region-specific archive guides (Europe, Americas, Oceania, Jewish genealogy)- Offers 9 methodology reference documents covering confidence tiers, DNA guardrails, naming conventions, and source hierarchy- Defines 7 step-by-step workflows for OCR pipelines, oral history, discrepancy resolution, and phase planning --- ## Installation ```bash# Clone the repositorygit clone https://github.com/mattprusak/autoresearch-genealogy.gitcd autoresearch-genealogy # Copy vault template into your Obsidian vaultcp -r vault-template/ ~/path/to/your/ObsidianVault/genealogy/ # Or copy to any markdown editor foldercp -r vault-template/ ~/Documents/my-genealogy/``` No package manager or build step required — this is a pure markdown/prompt project. --- ## Project Structure ```autoresearch-genealogy/├── prompts/              # 12 autoresearch prompt files for Claude Code├── vault-template/       # 19-file Obsidian vault starter kit│   ├── Family_Tree.md│   ├── Research_Log.md│   ├── Open_Questions.md│   ├── templates/        # Person, certificate, postcard, region, etc.│   └── ...├── archives/             # 24 country/region research guides├── reference/            # 9 methodology documents├── workflows/            # 7 step-by-step process guides└── examples/             # 6 anonymized worked examples``` --- ## Quick Start Workflow ### Step 1: Seed your family tree Open `vault-template/Family_Tree.md` and fill in what you already know, starting with yourself and working backward: ```markdown---title: Family Treelast_updated: 2026-03-19generations_documented: 3lines_active: 2--- # Family Tree ## Generation 1 (Self)- **Name**: Jane Smith (b. 1985, Chicago, IL) ## Generation 2 (Parents)- **Father**: John Smith (b. 1955, Detroit, MI)- **Mother**: Mary O'Brien (b. 1958, Boston, MA) ## Generation 3 (Grandparents)- **Paternal Grandfather**: Robert Smith (b. ~1920, unknown)- **Paternal Grandmother**: Helen Kowalski (b. ~1925, Poland?)``` ### Step 2: Scan physical documents Photograph or scan certificates, letters, postcards. Use the OCR workflow: ```See: workflows/ocr-pipeline.md``` ### Step 3: Run autoresearch prompts in Claude Code ```/autoresearch prompts/01-tree-expansion.md``` ### Step 4: Audit and verify ```/autoresearch prompts/02-cross-reference-audit.md``` --- ## Autoresearch Prompts — Reference Each prompt in `prompts/` follows this structure: ```markdown## Goal[What this iteration should accomplish] ## Metric[Measurable success condition — e.g., "increase sourced person files from N to N+10"] ## Direction[Step-by-step instructions for the AI] ## Verify[Cross-check to run after each iteration] ## Guard Rails[What NOT to do — prevent hallucination, preserve source rigor] ## Iterations[How many loops to run before stopping for human review] ## Protocol[Output format, file naming, YAML fields to populate]``` ### All 12 Prompts | File | Purpose ||------|---------|| `01-tree-expansion.md` | Push every branch back using web research || `02-cross-reference-audit.md` | Find and fix discrepancies between tree and sources || `03-findagrave-sweep.md` | Locate Find a Grave memorials for deceased ancestors || `04-gedcom-completeness.md` | Sync GEDCOM file with vault data || `05-source-citation-audit.md` | Verify every person has ≥2 independent sources || `06-unresolved-persons.md` | Identify and resolve unnamed people in documents || `07-timeline-gap-analysis.md` | Find life events where records should exist but don't || `08-open-question-resolution.md` | Systematically attack every open research question || `09-bygdebok-extraction.md` | Extract data from digitized local history books || `10-colonial-records-search.md` | Search pre-1800 colonial American records || `11-immigration-search.md` | Locate passenger manifests and naturalization records || `12-dna-chromosome-analysis.md` | Analyze per-chromosome ancestry data | ### Running a prompt in Claude Code ```bash# In Claude Code terminal or chat:/autoresearch prompts/08-open-question-resolution.md # With a specific vault path context:/autoresearch prompts/03-findagrave-sweep.md --context vault-template/Family_Tree.md``` --- ## Vault Template Files ### Person file template (`vault-template/templates/person.md`) ```markdown---full_name: ""birth_date: ""birth_place: ""death_date: ""death_place: ""father: ""mother: ""spouse: ""children: []confidence: "Moderate Signal"  # Strong Signal | Moderate Signal | Speculativesources: []open_questions: []last_updated: ""--- # [Full Name] ## Life Events | Event | Date | Place | Source ||-------|------|-------|--------|| Birth | | | || Marriage | | | || Death | | | | ## Sources 1. [Source 1 — type, repository, date accessed]2. [Source 2 — type, repository, date accessed] ## Open Questions - [ ] Question 1- [ ] Question 2 ## Notes [Narrative summary, naming variant notes, contextual history]``` ### Certificate transcription template (`vault-template/templates/certificate.md`) ```markdown---document_type: ""        # birth | death | marriage | baptismdocument_date: ""repository: ""file_reference: ""transcribed_by: ""transcription_date: ""confidence: ""--- # Certificate: [Type] — [Name] — [Year] ## Transcription [Verbatim transcription of the document] ## Key Data Extracted - **Subject**: - **Date**: - **Place**: - **Witnesses/Informants**: - **Officiant**:  ## Discrepancies [Note any conflicts with other sources] ## Image ![[filename.jpg]]``` ### Research log entry pattern (`vault-template/Research_Log.md`) ```markdown## 2026-03-19 — Tree Expansion Session **Prompt run**: 01-tree-expansion.md  **Iterations**: 5  **Metric start**: 42 sourced person files  **Metric end**: 51 sourced person files   ### Searches Performed- FamilySearch: "Kowalski Poznan 1880–1920" — 3 results, 2 useful- Ancestry: "Smith Michigan census 1920" — found Robert Smith (b. 1919)- FindAGrave: "Helen Kowalski Detroit" — memorial #12345678 ### Negative Results (Important)- No passenger manifest found for Stanislaw Kowalski, searched 1890–1910- No church records found for O'Brien line in Cork pre-1850 ### New Open Questions- [ ] Was Robert Smith born in Michigan or Ohio? 1920 census says MI, 1930 says OH.``` --- ## Confidence Tier System From `reference/confidence-tiers.md`: ```Strong Signal    — Two or more independent primary sources agreeModerate Signal  — One primary source, or two secondary sources agreeSpeculative      — Logical inference, DNA suggestion, or single secondary source``` Apply confidence in every person file YAML: ```markdown---confidence: "Moderate Signal"---``` --- ## Archive Guides — Key Countries Each guide in `archives/` covers:- Where to find records (free vs paid)- What AI tools can access directly vs what requires browser- Record types available by era ```archives/├── ireland.md├── england-wales.md├── scotland.md├── norway.md├── sweden.md├── poland.md├── germany.md├── italy.md├── france.md├── spain-portugal.md├── netherlands.md├── austria.md├── hungary.md├── russia-ukraine.md├── usa-colonial.md├── usa-immigration.md├── usa-census.md├── usa-vital-records.md├── african-american.md├── canada.md├── mexico-latin-america.md├── australia-new-zealand.md├── jewish-genealogy.md└── ...``` Example usage in a prompt: ```markdown# In prompts/09-bygdebok-extraction.md## DirectionConsult archives/norway.md for Digitalarkivet access patterns.Search Bygdebok collections for the Rogaland region, 1750–1900.``` --- ## Common Patterns ### Pattern 1: New ancestor intake When a new ancestor is found during research: ```markdown1. Create person file from vault-template/templates/person.md2. Set confidence based on source count3. Add to Family_Tree.md under correct generation4. Log the discovery in Research_Log.md5. Add unresolved questions to Open_Questions.md6. Run 02-cross-reference-audit.md to check for conflicts``` ### Pattern 2: Resolving a date discrepancy ```markdown# Open_Questions.md entry## Q-042: Robert Smith birth state conflict- 1920 census: born Michigan- 1930 census: born Ohio- Status: Unresolved- Next step: Run 07-timeline-gap-analysis.md targeting Robert Smith``` Then in Claude Code: ```/autoresearch prompts/07-timeline-gap-analysis.md# Focus: Robert Smith, b. ~1919, discrepancy Q-042``` ### Pattern 3: DNA-to-genealogy mapping ```markdown# In vault-template/Genetic_Profile.md---test_company: AncestryDNAtest_date: 2024-11-01ethnicity_summary:  - region: Eastern Europe    percentage: 38  - region: Ireland/Scotland    percentage: 31--- # Then run:/autoresearch prompts/12-dna-chromosome-analysis.md``` ### Pattern 4: Immigration research loop ```bash# Run immigration search prompt/autoresearch prompts/11-immigration-search.md # Prompt will:# 1. Pull all foreign-born ancestors from Family_Tree.md# 2. Search passenger manifests (Ellis Island, Ancestry, FamilySearch)# 3. Search naturalization records (NARA, Ancestry)# 4. Update person files with ship name, arrival date, port# 5. Log negative results for each unresolved ancestor``` --- ## Reference Documents | File | Contents ||------|---------|| `reference/confidence-tiers.md` | Strong / Moderate / Speculative definitions || `reference/source-hierarchy.md` | Primary vs secondary vs derivative sources || `reference/dna-guardrails.md` | What DNA can and cannot prove; centimorgan thresholds || `reference/naming-conventions.md` | Patronymics, farm names, Polish przydomki || `reference/gedcom-guide.md` | GEDCOM field reference and export instructions || `reference/common-pitfalls.md` | AI hallucination patterns in genealogy, date traps || `reference/glossary.md` | Record type definitions, Latin terms, abbreviations || `reference/ai-capabilities.md` | What AI can access directly vs what requires human || `reference/case-for-autoresearch.md` | Methodology rationale | --- ## Troubleshooting ### AI is inventing sources Set guard rails explicitly in your prompt session: ```markdown## Guard Rails (add to any prompt)- Do NOT fabricate census record URLs or Ancestry record IDs- If a source cannot be directly linked, mark as "reported" not "confirmed"- All new claims require a real URL or repository reference- When uncertain, add to Open_Questions.md — do not guess``` ### Vault files getting out of sync with GEDCOM Run the completeness audit: ```/autoresearch prompts/04-gedcom-completeness.md``` This compares every person in your GEDCOM against vault person files and flags mismatches. ### Name variants causing duplicate person files Check `reference/naming-conventions.md` for your family's relevant region. Common traps: - Norwegian farm name changes (Haugen → Bakke on emigration)- Polish name Latinization in church records (Stanisław → Stanislaus)- Irish anglicization (Ó Briain → O'Brien → Bryan)- Spelling variation in census records ("Sakkarias" vs "Zacharias" — both valid) Add aliases to person file YAML: ```markdown---full_name: "Stanisław Kowalski"name_variants:  - "Stanislaus Kowalski"  - "Stanley Kowalski"  - "S. Kowalski"---``` ### Autoresearch loop running too long Each prompt has an `## Iterations` field. Set it explicitly: ```markdown## IterationsRun 3 iterations maximum, then stop and output a summary for human review.``` ### OCR producing poor results on old documents See `workflows/ocr-pipeline.md`. General guidance: 1. Photograph at 600 DPI minimum2. Use even, diffuse lighting — no flash3. Pre-process with a contrast adjustment before running OCR4. Use `vault-template/templates/transcription.md` to record both the OCR output and your manual corrections side by side --- ## Contributing To add a new archive guide or prompt: 1. Follow the existing file structure and YAML frontmatter patterns2. Use placeholder names in all examples (no real family data)3. Open a PR with a brief description of what region or record type you've added License: MIT