# How to Set Up the Chinese Patent Skill Tool: Complete Installation Guide

> Easily set up the Chinese patent skill tool. Follow our complete installation guide to clone the repo install dependencies configure Playwright and more. Get started today.

- Repository: [handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill)
- Tags: getting-started
- Published: 2026-09-08

---

**To set up the Chinese patent skill tool, clone the `handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill` repository into your Agent-Skills directory, install Python dependencies from [`requirements.txt`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/requirements.txt), configure the Playwright browser, and optionally set up sub-skill-specific components for CNIPA crawling or OA embeddings.**

The **Chinese Patent Skill** (`patent-disclosure-skill`) is an Agent-Skills-compatible package that bundles independent sub-skills for Chinese patent drafting, disclosure generation, docket handling, and examination workflows. This guide covers the complete setup process based on the actual source code structure found in the repository.

## Prerequisites

Before installing the tool, ensure your environment meets these requirements:

- **Python 3.9+** installed system-wide
- **Git** for cloning the repository
- A compatible browser (Chrome, Edge, or Chromium) for web automation features
- Approximately 500MB of disk space for dependencies and browser binaries

## Step 1: Clone the Repository into an Agent-Skills Location

The repository must reside in a location where your AI agent can discover it. Choose one of two canonical locations:

**Option A: Global skill directory (recommended)**

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.cursor/skills
git clone https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill ~/.cursor/skills/patent-disclosure-skill

```

**Option B: Project-local skill directory**

```bash
mkdir -p ./.cursor/skills
git clone https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill ./.cursor/skills/patent-disclosure-skill

```

After cloning, verify that the root directory contains [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md). This manifest file defines the skill name and enables discovery by Agent-Skills-compatible interfaces like Claude or Cursor.

## Step 2: Install Core Python Dependencies

Navigate to the repository root and install the base requirements:

```bash
cd patent-disclosure-skill
pip install -r requirements.txt

```

This installs common libraries used across all sub-skills, including `python-docx`, `playwright`, and `latex2mathml`. According to the source code, these dependencies support document generation and browser automation features found in `skills/patent-disclosure/tools/`.

## Step 3: Prepare the Playwright Browser

The tool requires a Chromium-based browser for rendering diagrams and crawling patent databases. First, probe for existing browser installations:

```bash
python skills/patent-disclosure/tools/browser.py --probe

```

If the probe reports `ok=false` or no compatible browser is found, install the bundled Chromium:

```bash
python -m playwright install chromium

```

Successful probe output displays `ok=true`, confirming that [`browser.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/browser.py) can wrap Playwright operations for patent workflows.

## Step 4: Install Sub-Skill-Specific Extras (Optional)

Depending on which patent workflows you intend to use, install additional dependencies for specific sub-skills:

**CNIPA crawling** (required for `patent-search` and disclosure novelty checks):

```bash
pip install -r skills/patent-disclosure/tools/crawl/requirements-cnipa.txt

```

**Obsidian integration** (for `patent-reader` knowledge-base features):

```bash
pip install -r skills/patent-reader/tools/requirements.txt

```

**OA examination assistance** (for `patent-oa` embedding capabilities):

```bash
pip install -r skills/patent-oa/tools/requirements-oa.txt
export ZHIPUAI_API_KEY=YOUR_KEY
python skills/patent-oa/tools/config.py set --preset zhipu

```

These optional components enable specific capabilities like querying the China National Intellectual Property Administration database or generating examination answer embeddings.

## Step 5: Verify the Installation

Confirm your setup by running a test command from any sub-skill. For example, test the disclosure skill's diagram rendering:

```bash
python skills/patent-disclosure/tools/mermaid_render.py --input demo.mmd --output demo.png

```

Successful execution indicates that Playwright and the Python environment are properly configured. You can also test the CNIPA search functionality:

```bash
python skills/patent-search/tools/cnipa_search.py \
    --inventor "张三" \
    --applicant "某公司" \
    --type utility_model \
    --max-pages 5

```

Results appear in `outputs/patent-search/SEARCH-*.md` if the installation is correct.

## Step 6: Configure Environment Variables

Set optional environment variables to customize behavior without modifying source code:

- `PATENT_SKILL_SKIP_LINEART=1` — Disables automatic line-art generation in disclosure drafts
- `PATENT_READER_OBSIDIAN_VAULT` — Absolute path to your Obsidian vault for the reader sub-skill
- `PATENT_OA_HOME` — Overrides the default location for OA case storage

Add these to your shell profile or project `.env` file as needed.

## Step 7: Start Using the Skill

Once configured, invoke the skill through any Agent-Skills-compatible interface. The root-level [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) serves as the entry point. Trigger specific workflows using these keywords:

- **"交底书"** — Launches the `patent-disclosure` workflow for drafting invention disclosures
- **"申请文件"** — Runs the `patent-application` workflow for generating application documents
- **"著录检索"** — Executes the `patent-search` workflow for bibliographic searches

Each trigger activates the corresponding prompt chain defined under `skills/*/prompts/`, utilizing the tools installed in `skills/*/tools/`.

## Summary

- **Clone** the `handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill` repository into `~/.cursor/skills/` or your project-local `.cursor/skills/` directory
- **Install** core dependencies via [`requirements.txt`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/requirements.txt) and verify Python 3.9+ compatibility
- **Configure** the Playwright browser using `browser.py --probe` and install Chromium if needed
- **Extend** functionality with optional requirements for CNIPA crawling, Obsidian integration, or OA embeddings
- **Verify** installation by running test commands like [`mermaid_render.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/mermaid_render.py) or [`cnipa_search.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/cnipa_search.py)
- **Invoke** the skill using Chinese trigger keywords that map to specific sub-skill workflows

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Where should I clone the patent-disclosure-skill repository?

Clone the repository into either `~/.cursor/skills/patent-disclosure-skill` for global access across projects, or `./.cursor/skills/patent-disclosure-skill` for project-local use. The parent directory must contain the root [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) file so Agent-Skills interfaces can discover and load the tool.

### What Python version is required to set up the Chinese patent skill tool?

The tool requires **Python 3.9 or higher**. This requirement ensures compatibility with the `playwright` and `python-docx` libraries used across sub-skills for browser automation and document generation.

### How do I fix browser errors when running the patent disclosure skill?

Run `python skills/patent-disclosure/tools/browser.py --probe` to check for Chrome or Edge installations. If the probe fails, execute `python -m playwright install chromium` to download a compatible browser binary that the tool's Browser class can wrap.

### Can I use only specific sub-skills without installing all dependencies?

Yes. While [`requirements.txt`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/requirements.txt) provides core functionality, each sub-skill in `skills/*/tools/` may have specific requirement files (e.g., [`requirements-cnipa.txt`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/requirements-cnipa.txt) for search, [`requirements-oa.txt`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/requirements-oa.txt) for examination assistance). Install only the extras corresponding to the workflows you need.