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PaperLab CLI and VS Code Chat Install

The neqsim paperlab command group manages PaperLab agents and skills from the NeqSim CLI. Running neqsim paperlab by itself is only a help command; it confirms that the PaperLab command group exists, but it does not install agents or skills.

Command Summary

Command What it does
neqsim paperlab Prints PaperLab CLI help and exits. No files are copied.
neqsim paperlab list Lists the PaperLab gateway agent and skills available for export.
neqsim paperlab install --vscode --dry-run Shows where files would be copied without installing them.
neqsim paperlab install --vscode Installs the @paperlab gateway agent and declared skills for VS Code Chat.
neqsim paperlab install --vscode --include-internal Also exports internal specialist PaperLab agents and skills for compatibility or direct use.

What neqsim paperlab Means

Run this command when you only want to check the available PaperLab subcommands:

neqsim paperlab

It prints the PaperLab command help:

usage: neqsim paperlab [-h] {install,list} ...

Install PaperLab agents and skills for VS Code Chat.

positional arguments:
	{install,list}
		install       Install PaperLab agents and skills
		list          List PaperLab agents and skills

options:
	-h, --help      show this help message and exit

This output is expected and is not an error. It means the PaperLab CLI entry point is available. To see what would be exported, run neqsim paperlab list; to install into VS Code Chat, run neqsim paperlab install --vscode.

Check What Is Available

List the PaperLab gateway agent and skills that can be exported:

neqsim paperlab list

The normal public export contains one gateway agent named paperlab and the PaperLab skills it declares. Use the gateway agent as @paperlab in VS Code Chat after installation.

Preview the Install

Before copying files, preview the export destinations:

neqsim paperlab install --vscode --dry-run

On Windows with the default user scope, the dry run should show destinations under your personal Copilot folders:

%USERPROFILE%\.copilot\agents
%USERPROFILE%\.copilot\skills

For example:

C:\Users\<user>\.copilot\agents\paperlab.agent.md
C:\Users\<user>\.copilot\skills\paperlab_publication_opportunity_mining\SKILL.md

Install for VS Code Chat

Run the actual install from the NeqSim repository:

neqsim paperlab install --vscode

Then reload VS Code with Developer: Reload Window so Copilot Chat picks up the new agent and skills.

Optional Internal Exports

The default install exports the single @paperlab gateway agent and its declared skills. This is enough for normal VS Code Chat usage.

Use internal exports only when you explicitly need legacy or direct access to specialist PaperLab agents:

neqsim paperlab install --vscode --include-internal

Troubleshooting

If neqsim paperlab prints this usage text, the command is available but no install has run yet:

usage: neqsim paperlab [-h] {install,list} ...

Run neqsim paperlab install --vscode to install. If the installer cannot find your ~/.copilot folder, specify the destination explicitly:

neqsim paperlab install --vscode --vscode-agents-dir "%USERPROFILE%\.copilot\agents" --vscode-skills-dir "%USERPROFILE%\.copilot\skills"