SKILL.md
Matchms
Routing Boundary
Use this skill only for matchms, mass spectra, MS/MS spectrum processing, spectral similarity, and metabolomics spectrum workflows. Do not use it for PubMed searches, generic chemistry, non-spectral metabolomics, plotting-only requests, or literature review tasks that do not process mass spectra.
Overview
Matchms is an open-source Python library for mass spectrometry data processing and analysis. Import spectra from various formats, standardize metadata, filter peaks, calculate spectral similarities, and build reproducible analytical workflows.
Core Capabilities
1. Importing and Exporting Mass Spectrometry Data
Load spectra from multiple file formats and export processed data:
from matchms.importing import load_from_mgf, load_from_mzml, load_from_msp, load_from_json
from matchms.exporting import save_as_mgf, save_as_msp, save_as_json
# Import spectra
spectra = list(load_from_mgf("spectra.mgf"))
spectra = list(load_from_mzml("data.mzML"))
spectra = list(load_from_msp("library.msp"))
# Export processed spectra
save_as_mgf(spectra, "output.mgf")
save_as_json(spectra, "output.json")
Supported formats:
- mzML and mzXML (raw mass spectrometry formats)
- MGF (Mascot Generic Format)
- MSP (spectral library format)
- JSON (GNPS-compatible)
- metabolomics-USI references
- Pickle (Python serialization)
For detailed importing/exporting documentation, consult references/importing_exporting.md.
2. Spectrum Filtering and Processing
Apply comprehensive filters to standardize metadata and refine peak data:
from matchms.filtering import default_filters, normalize_intensities
from matchms.filtering import select_by_relative_intensity, require_minimum_number_of_peaks
# Apply default metadata harmonization filters
spectrum = default_filters(spectrum)
# Normalize peak intensities
spectrum = normalize_intensities(spectrum)
# Filter peaks by relative intensity
spectrum = select_by_relative_intensity(spectrum, intensity_from=0.01, intensity_to=1.0)
# Require minimum peaks
spectrum = require_minimum_number_of_peaks(spectrum, n_required=5)
