name: clinical-trials-search
description: Search ClinicalTrials.gov with natural language queries. Find clinical trials, enrollment, and outcomes using Valyu semantic search.
keywords:
- clinical-trials
- trial-search
- patient-recruitment
- clinical-research
- trial-outcomes
- semantic-search
license: MIT

Clinical Trials Search

Search the complete ClinicalTrials.gov database of clinical studies using natural language queries powered by Valyu's semantic search API.

Why This Skill is Powerful

• No API Parameter Parsing: Just pass natural language queries directly - no need to construct complex search parameters
• Semantic Search: Understands the meaning of your query, not just keyword matching
• Full-Text Access: Returns complete trial information including phases, conditions, interventions, and outcomes
• Image Links: Includes data visualizations when available
• Comprehensive Coverage: Access to all ClinicalTrials.gov data

Requirements

1. Node.js 18+ (uses built-in fetch)
2. Valyu API key from https://platform.valyu.ai ($10 free credits)

CRITICAL: Script Path Resolution

The scripts/search commands in this documentation are relative to this skill's installation directory.

Before running any command, locate the script using:

CLINICAL_TRIALS_SCRIPT=$(find ~/.claude/plugins/cache -name "search" -path "*/clinical-trials-search/*/scripts/*" -type f 2>/dev/null | head -1)

Then use the full path for all commands:

$CLINICAL_TRIALS_SCRIPT "CAR-T cell therapy trials" 15

API Key Setup Flow

When you run a search and receive "setup_required": true, follow this flow:

1. Ask the user for their API key:
   "To search ClinicalTrials.gov, I need your Valyu API key. Get one free ($10 credits) at https://platform.valyu.ai"

2. Once the user provides the key, run:
   bash scripts/search setup <api-key>

3. Retry the original search.

When to Use This Skill

• Finding ongoing and completed clinical trials
• Identifying trial eligibility criteria
• Recruiting status and enrollment information
• Comparing treatment approaches in trials
• Patient recruitment and enrollment research
• Outcomes and safety data from trials

Output Format

{
  "success": true,
  "type": "clinical_trials_search",
  "query": "CAR-T cell therapy trials",
  "result_count": 10,
  "results": [
    {
      "title": "Trial Title",
      "url": "https://clinicaltrials.gov/...",
      "content": "Trial details, phase, conditions, outcomes...",
      "source": "clinical-trials",
      "relevance_score": 0.95,
      "images": []
    }
  ],
  "cost": 0.025
}

Processing Results

With jq

# Get trial titles
scripts/search "query" 10 | jq -r '.results[].title'

# Get URLs
scripts/search "query" 10 | jq -r '.results[].url'

# Extract full content
scripts/search "query" 10 | jq -r '.results[].content'

Common Use Cases

Drug Development

# Find drug trials
scripts/search "phase 2 trials for Alzheimer's disease" 50

Treatment Research

# Search for treatment studies
scripts/search "checkpoint inhibitor combinations in lung cancer" 20

Medical Device Studies

# Find device trials
scripts/search "continuous glucose monitoring device studies" 15

Intervention Analysis

# Search for intervention studies
scripts/search "behavioral interventions for obesity" 25

Error Handling

All commands return JSON with success field:

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "Error message"
}

Exit codes:
- 0 - Success
- 1 - Error (check JSON for details)

API Endpoint

• Base URL: https://api.valyu.ai/v1
• Endpoint: /search
• Authentication: X-API-Key header

Architecture

scripts/
├── search          # Bash wrapper
└── search.mjs      # Node.js CLI

Direct API calls using Node.js built-in fetch(), zero external dependencies.

Adding to Your Project

If you're building an AI project and want to integrate Clinical Trials Search directly into your application, use the Valyu SDK:

Python Integration

from valyu import Valyu

client = Valyu(api_key="your-api-key")

response = client.search(
    query="your search query here",
    included_sources=["valyu/valyu-clinical-trials"],
    max_results=20
)

for result in response["results"]:
    print(f"Title: {result['title']}")
    print(f"URL: {result['url']}")
    print(f"Content: {result['content'][:500]}...")

TypeScript Integration

import { Valyu } from "valyu-js";

const client = new Valyu("your-api-key");

const response = await client.search({
  query: "your search query here",
  includedSources: ["valyu/valyu-clinical-trials"],
  maxResults: 20
});

response.results.forEach((result) => {
  console.log(`Title: ${result.title}`);
  console.log(`URL: ${result.url}`);
  console.log(`Content: ${result.content.substring(0, 500)}...`);
});

See the Valyu docs for full integration examples and SDK reference.