feat: Add ArXiv channel for academic paper search (zero-config)
Author: princepal9120Created Sep 4, 2026Updated Sep 4, 2026
Summary
Add ArXiv as a zero-config channel for academic paper search. ArXiv is the primary preprint server for AI/ML, CS, physics, and math — and its API requires no authentication.
Why
Agent-Reach is heavily used for research workflows (competitive analysis, trend discovery, literature surveys). Adding ArXiv closes a gap for anyone researching academic topics, tracking new AI papers, or doing literature reviews. Currently, users must manually search ArXiv via web — structured API access would be a major unlock.
Proposed Implementation
Use the official ArXiv API:
- Search papers:
http://export.arxiv.org/api/query(no auth) - Paper details:
http://export.arxiv.org/api/query?id_list=XXXX.XXXXX(no auth) - Category browse:
cat:cs.AI,cat:cs.CL,cat:stat.ML, etc. (no auth) - Author search:
au:Author_Name(no auth)
Tier: 0 (zero-config, zero-auth) — works immediately after install.
Acceptance Criteria
-
agent-reach doctorshows ArXiv asokout of the box - Channel supports: full-text search, paper detail (title, abstract, authors, categories, PDF link), date-range filtering, category filtering
- Results return structured JSON with: title, authors, abstract, categories, published date, PDF URL, ArXiv ID
- SKILL.md documents the new channel with curl examples
- Tests cover: API mocking, URL matching, health check states
Additional Context
- ArXiv API docs: https://arxiv.org/help/api
- Categories list: https://arxiv.org/category_taxonomy
- Rate limit: 1 request/3s (self-enforced, documented)
- Estimated user value: high — essential for AI/ML research, academic trend tracking
Source: Panniantong/Agent-Reach