Bulk RNA-seq Orchestrator
An end-to-end router that takes bulk RNA-seq from raw FASTQ through QC, quantification, a counts matrix, DESeq2, pathway enrichment, and publication figures.
Data & AnalyticsAdvanced★ 41,485⑂ 3,824AI score 9/10Last updated: Aug 31, 2026
What it does
- Drives the full bulk RNA-seq workflow: FastQC/trimming → STAR and/or Salmon quantification → gene-level counts matrix → PyDESeq2 differential expression → GSEA/ORA enrichment → figures.
- Routes between Path A (
nf-core/rnaseqvia Nextflow, most reproducible) and Path B (standalone bioconda tools for small or constrained setups) and tells you which to pick. - Owns the awkward gap — quant output to a DESeq2-ready matrix — via
scripts/build_counts_matrix.py(Salmon through pytximportlength_scaled_tpm, STAR strandedness column selection, featureCounts parsing). - Enforces design and QC gates: ≥3 biological replicates, batch/confounding checks, strandedness verification, PCA and sample-distance heatmaps, pinned pipeline/tool/genome versions.
Who it's for
- Wet-lab researchers and grad students who need to go from FASTQ files to DE genes and enriched pathways.
- Bioinformaticians configuring
nf-core/rnaseqor bridging STAR/Salmon/featureCounts output into DESeq2/PyDESeq2. - Anyone wanting an experimental design sanity check (replicates, batch, library strandedness) before burning compute.
- Single-cell data? Use the
scanpyskill instead.
Example uses
- "Analyze my RNA-seq" → validate the samplesheet →
nextflow run nf-core/rnaseq -r 3.26.0 --aligner star_salmon→ feedsalmon.merged.gene_counts_length_scaled.tsvinto DE. - "Build a counts matrix from my Salmon quant folder" →
build_counts_matrix.py --from salmon --tx2gene tx2gene.tsvemitscounts.csvplusmetadata_template.csv. - "3 controls vs 3 treated across two batches — what design formula?" → recommends
~batch + condition, flags confounding, and points to QC thresholds.
· · · Install guide · · ·
Try it now, no install
Paste this into Claude to use the skill without installing anything.
Read the instructions in this file and follow them to help me: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills/HEAD/skills/bulk-rnaseq/SKILL.md What I want: (describe your task here)
If Claude can't open the link, open it yourself and paste the contents instead.
↓ If it works for you, download the ZIP below and install it. Then it runs on its own — no pasting each time.
Install in the Claude app (no terminal)
- Download the ZIP with the button below.
- In Claude, open Settings → Capabilities and turn on 'Code execution and file creation'. (one time)
- Go to Customize → Skills → + → 'Upload a skill' and upload the ZIP.
Install in Claude Code
Let Claude do it — paste this into Claude Code
Install the skill I found on Claude Skill Mart. Copy the skills/bulk-rnaseq folder from the GitHub repo K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills into my ~/.claude/skills/bulk-rnaseq/. When it's done, tell me in one line what this skill can do.
Install with a command instead
git clone https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills.git && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r scientific-agent-skills/skills/bulk-rnaseq ~/.claude/skills/⚠ This is a third-party skill. Check the source repository before installing.
- Open a terminal and clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills.git - Create the skills directory:
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills - Copy this skill in:
cp -r scientific-agent-skills/skills/bulk-rnaseq ~/.claude/skills/ - Also copy the companion skills it hands off to:
cp -r scientific-agent-skills/skills/{pydeseq2,pathway-enrichment,nextflow,scientific-visualization} ~/.claude/skills/ - Install the glue dependencies:
uv pip install pytximport pandas(orpip install pytximport pandas) - Pick a path — Path A needs Nextflow plus Docker/Singularity; Path B:
conda create -n rnaseq -c bioconda -c conda-forge fastqc fastp trim-galore star=2.7.11b salmon=1.10.3 subread multiqc - Restart Claude Code and try a prompt like "take my FASTQ files to differentially expressed genes and enriched pathways".
View source on GitHub ↗License: MIT