r-docs-guide - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: r-docs-guide description: | Query R package documentation across all ecosystems at once (CRAN, tidyverse, Bioconductor). Use this skill when: - Looking up R package usage, functions, or vignettes - Comparing packages for the same task (e.g., data.table vs dplyr) - User says "R docs", "how to use this R package", or asks about R functions - Need to find the right R package for a task argument-hint: "[package name or topic to look up]" allowed-tools: WebFetch

R Docs Guide

Query R package documentation directly via WebFetch across multiple sources.

When to Use

When the user asks about R packages, functions, or needs help with R programming tasks.

Execution Steps (IMPORTANT!)

You MUST WebFetch official documentation - never answer from memory!

Step 1: Identify the package or topic

The user's query: $ARGUMENTS

Step 2: Determine the best documentation source

Source	URL Pattern	Best For
CRAN Reference	`https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/{pkg}/index.html`	Package overview, links
CRAN Manual (PDF)	`https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/{pkg}/{pkg}.pdf`	Full function reference
Vignettes	`https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/{pkg}/vignettes/`	Tutorials, guides
RDocumentation	`https://www.rdocumentation.org/packages/{pkg}`	Searchable docs
tidyverse pkgdown	`https://{pkg}.tidyverse.org/`	tidyverse packages
Shiny	`https://shiny.posit.co/r/reference/`	Shiny framework
Bioconductor	`https://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/{pkg}.html`	Bioinformatics
R Documentation	`https://stat.ethz.ch/R-manual/R-devel/library/{pkg}/html/00Index.html`	Base R packages
CRAN Task Views	`https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/{topic}.html`	Find packages by domain
rdrr.io	`https://rdrr.io/cran/{pkg}/`	Quick function lookup

Step 3: WebFetch the documentation

For a specific package, fetch in parallel:

CRAN page: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/{pkg}/index.html
RDocumentation: https://www.rdocumentation.org/packages/{pkg}
If tidyverse: https://{pkg}.tidyverse.org/reference/index.html

For a topic/task (e.g., "how to do time series in R"):

CRAN Task View: https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/{relevant-view}.html
RDocumentation search: https://www.rdocumentation.org/search?q={query}

For a specific function:

https://www.rdocumentation.org/packages/{pkg}/topics/{function}
Or https://rdrr.io/cran/{pkg}/man/{function}.html

Step 4: Present findings

## {Package Name}

**Version:** x.y.z | **CRAN:** [link] | **Docs:** [link]

### Description
[What the package does]

### Key Functions
| Function | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `func()` | ... |

### Installation
```r
install.packages("{pkg}")

Quick Example

library({pkg})
# example code

Related Packages

[alternatives or companions]


## Common CRAN Task Views

| Domain | Task View URL |
|--------|--------------|
| Time Series | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/TimeSeries.html` |
| Machine Learning | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/MachineLearning.html` |
| Bayesian | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Bayesian.html` |
| Spatial | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Spatial.html` |
| Finance | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Finance.html` |
| Clinical Trials | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/ClinicalTrials.html` |
| Psychometrics | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Psychometrics.html` |
| Survival | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/Survival.html` |
| Web Technologies | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/WebTechnologies.html` |
| Reproducible Research | `https://cran.r-project.org/web/views/ReproducibleResearch.html` |

## Important Reminders

- **Always WebFetch** - never answer R package questions from memory
- **Check version** - R packages update frequently, always get current docs
- **Vignettes first** - vignettes are often more useful than function reference
- If a package is not on CRAN, check Bioconductor or GitHub