tidy-r-skill

An LLM skill for modern tidyverse R using R >= 4.5.0, tidyverse >= 2.0.0, and dplyr >= 1.2.0.

What does it do?

When you ask an LLM to write R code, it draws on its training data, which mixes base R, old StackOverflow posts, deprecated tidyverse APIs, and current best practice. This skill gives the model a structured reference for modern tidyverse patterns so it produces clean, idiomatic code with less back-and-forth.

The skill covers: native pipe and lambda syntax, join_by() joins, .by grouping, the dplyr 1.2 recode/replace family, tidy selection, stringr, error handling with cli, and migration from base R or older tidyverse APIs.

Installation

Claude Code (one command)

Clone directly into your skills directory:

git clone https://github.com/statzhero/tidy-r-skill.git ~/.claude/skills/tidy-r

That's it. The skill is available immediately as /tidy-r in any Claude Code session.

If you prefer not to use the terminal, you can add skills from the Claude desktop app:

1. Download this repository as a ZIP from GitHub.
2. Open the Claude desktop app and switch to the Code tab.
3. Click Customize in the left sidebar, then select Skills.
4. Click the + button, choose Upload a skill, and select the ZIP file.

Codex

Clone into your user skills directory (available across all projects):

git clone https://github.com/statzhero/tidy-r-skill.git ~/.agents/skills/tidy-r

If you prefer not to use the terminal, download the ZIP, unzip it, and move the folder to ~/.agents/skills/tidy-r/ or .agents/skills/tidy-r/ inside your project.

Other LLMs

Paste the contents of SKILL.md into your system prompt or attach it as context. The reference files in references/ can be appended when you need coverage of a specific topic.

Test the skill

After installing, try this prompt in Claude Code:

/tidy-r Rewrite this using modern tidyverse:
penguins %>% group_by(species) %>% summarise(avg_bill = mean(bill_length_mm)) %>% ungroup()

The skill should guide the model toward .by grouping and native pipe.

Acknowledgements

This skill stands on the shoulders of giants, but I built it over many iterations and can no longer trace any single influence. I regret not keeping better records. If you recognize your ideas here, please open an issue so I can credit you properly.

References

Topic	Source
Tidyverse style guide	https://style.tidyverse.org/
dplyr	https://dplyr.tidyverse.org/
stringr	https://stringr.tidyverse.org/
tidyselect	https://tidyselect.r-lib.org/
cli (error messages)	https://cli.r-lib.org/
readr	https://readr.tidyverse.org/

Changelog

• 2026-04-24 — Added if_else()/case_when() plain NA guidance (dplyr >= 1.1.0).
• 2026-04-10 — Updated license.
• 2026-04-07 — Streamlined SKILL.md; consolidated reference files; added tidyselect reference; fixed example code.
• 2026-03-31 — Initial release.

License

MIT • Ulrich Atz (ulrichatz)