anima README

The project's README from github.com/Garinmckayl/anima. As one markdown file: README.md.

Anima

Ask Claude for a biology figure. Get an interactive, sourced, isometric one.

License: MIT CI Release GitHub stars Zero runtime dependencies

A Claude Code skill that turns "show me how cocaine and amphetamine act differently at a dopamine synapse" into a live, standalone page: real structures, a mechanism you can toggle, a readout driven by one small model, and a citation for every number on screen.

Five interactive figures: dopamine receptors, stimulants at the dopamine transporter, the reward pathway, semaglutide on a beta cell, and estrogen in an aggression circuit

Try every figure live (no install) · 35-second launch video · Full demo (MP4) · Request a figure

Why it exists

Most science graphics are either static diagrams or confident-looking animations with no sources. This skill holds itself to a different standard:

Install

npx skills add Garinmckayl/anima -g -a claude-code

Requires Claude Code and Node.js 20.10 or later. The drawing kit uses only Node built-ins and has zero runtime dependencies. Chrome or Chromium is needed only for the capture and verification scripts.

Use it

In Claude Code:

/anima show how cocaine and amphetamine act differently at the dopamine transporter, with a drug selector and sourced mechanisms; standalone HTML

/anima visualize semaglutide acting on a pancreatic beta cell, with glucose-dependent insulin release, cited label numbers and an educational-use note

/anima show D1 and D2 receptor signalling in a striatal neuron, with the G-protein cycle and a receptor-antagonist toggle

/anima make a mid-sagittal brain showing the mesolimbic pathway and one model of how it changes with repeated drug exposure; cite every claim

More to try:

/anima show how CRISPR-Cas9 finds and cuts a target sequence, with a guide-mismatch toggle and cited cleavage numbers

/anima animate the mitochondrial electron transport chain with a proton-gradient readout and an inhibitor toggle

Name the biological subject, the mechanism to explain, the audience and the output format. The skill sizes the job first (Figure, Hero or Epic), collects sources before drawing, builds the page, then checks it the way a reviewer would: zoomed in, in both themes, at phone width.

Each figure builds to a standalone HTML page in dark and light themes. The links open the live pages, so they run in your browser. To open them from a clone, use the files in examples/.
Dopamine receptors (light)
D1-like receptors couple Gαs/olf and raise cAMP; D2-like receptors couple Gαi/o and lower it. Full G-protein cycle, a dopamine-level slider and a generic D2-antagonist toggle.
dopamine receptors		 Stimulants at the transporter (light)
None, cocaine or amphetamine. Reuptake, blockade, and amphetamine's transport, vesicle leak and reverse efflux. Skeletal formulas from PubChem.
stimulants dat
Reward and addiction (light)
The mesolimbic pathway, a cue sequence, and one leading model of what changes after repeated exposure. Framed as a model, with sources.
reward addiction		 Semaglutide and GLP-1 (light)
A GLP-1 receptor agonist on a beta cell: glucose-dependent insulin release, the molecule's engineered features, and the preclinical-versus-clinical state of the appetite and reward evidence.
Estrogen and aggression (light)
Testosterone to estradiol by aromatase, then estrogen receptor α, in an amygdala-type neuron. States that the human evidence is weak (pooled Fisher z 0.16 across 14 studies).
estrogen aggression		 A myelinated neuron (light)
Saltatory conduction along a myelinated axon with a hoverable synapse.
neuron
Sunflower seedling bending toward light (light)
BendLab's two-state model (sensing lag and a saturating bend rate) running live. Move the sliders to see when the rate limit matters and when it can't be read from the trajectory. Model by BendLab, reviewed for accuracy by its author; not peer reviewed. Includes three fitted presets from the author.
sunflower bend

What every figure has

Make your own

Copy the closest example and change the biology:

node examples/dopamine-receptors/build.mjs
node examples/dopamine-receptors/build.mjs --light

Each build.mjs imports the kit from kit/ and writes standalone pages next to itself. kit/blob.mjs draws organic forms, kit/branch.mjs branching structures, kit/chem.mjs molecules, helices and ribbons, and kit/bio-audit.mjs checks membrane intersections, label targets and declared scale. WebGL shaders and a 3D mode are optional extras for figures that need them.

Record a demo of your own figures with scripts/make-demo.mjs (needs Chrome and ffmpeg), and check a page with scripts/capture.mjs, scripts/drive.mjs and scripts/lines.mjs. CONTRIBUTING.md lists every check.

How it works

Sources and limits

Every displayed number, including sizes, concentrations, potentials, rates and doses, must cite its source in the caption or a sources block, with species, tissue, conditions and units. Schematic scales are labelled as schematic.

These are educational figures. They are not medical advice, not a validated anatomy atlas, and not a diagnostic or prescribing tool. Drug figures explain mechanism only. Biology varies between species, tissues and individuals, and a 2D or isometric illustration cannot capture every spatial relationship.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, a local health service or helpline can help.

Contribute

Anima grows by figures. If a subject you know well is missing, request it or send a pull request with one. Issues labelled good first issue are a place to start, and CONTRIBUTING.md lists every check.

If Anima saved you time, a star helps others find it.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.

anima (Garinmckayl/anima)

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218 ·GitHub
Anima
What is this?Anima is a Claude Code skill that turns a plain-language biology question into an interactive, sourced, isometric figure: a standalone web page showing real structures, a toggleable mechanism, a live readout, and a citation for every number shown.
Is this an app, or something Claude Code generates for me?It is not an app you run directly — it is a skill installed inside Claude Code. You describe the biology topic and Claude Code uses the skill to generate a standalone HTML page you open in a browser.
How do I actually use it to get a figure?In Claude Code, you name the biological subject, the mechanism to explain, the audience, and the output format. The skill then sizes the job (Figure, Hero, or Epic), gathers sources, builds the page, and checks it zoomed in, in both themes, and at phone width.
What do I need installed before this works?You need Claude Code and Node.js 20.10 or later. The drawing kit itself only uses Node built-ins with zero runtime dependencies; Chrome or Chromium is only needed for the optional capture and verification scripts.
Will it ever give dosing or medical advice for drugs?No — figures involving drugs are restricted to explaining mechanism only, with no doses, routes, schedules, or recommendations, and every figure is explicitly framed as educational rather than medical advice.
How does it make sure the numbers on screen are trustworthy?Every displayed value — size, concentration, potential, rate, or dose — must cite its source with species, tissue, conditions and units in the caption or sources block; numbers that cannot be verified are left out rather than approximated.
What does every generated figure contain?A framed card with a figure number, title, and interaction hint, a live readout driven by a small model, hover/keyboard explanations, a pause control, a reduced-motion still frame, a sources block, and both light and dark themes.
Can I build my own new figure instead of using the examples?Yes — you copy the closest existing example and adapt it, reusing the kit modules (kit/blob.mjs, kit/branch.mjs, kit/chem.mjs, kit/bio-audit.mjs) that each build.mjs imports to draw organic forms, branching structures, molecules, and run membrane/label checks.
Why was Anima built instead of using typical science animations?Most biology graphics are either static or confident-looking but unsourced; Anima insists on drawing real structures, citing every number, stating confidence levels, and only animating mechanisms, not decoration.
What are similar projects?aetherviz-master, vistep, svg-diagram, answer-me-with-html, live-panel-skill, anatomy, explainer, motion-video-kit
Which topics is it in?science, educational, zero-dependency, claude-skill, interactive, claude-code-skill, svg, visualization, data-visualization, design, skill, anthropic
Creator
Garinmckayl
Size
18.8 MB
Stars
218
Updated
CommitOct 16
Age
9d
Commits · 90 Days