Multi-Agent Bioinformatics Analysis System powered by LangGraph
Project description
๐ฆ Lobster
Bioinformatics co-pilot to automate redundant omics-related tasks so you can focus on science
๐ Table of Contents
- What is Lobster AI? - Overview and use cases
- Quick Start - Install in 3 commands
- LLM Providers - Ollama, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, Google Gemini
- Features - Single-cell, bulk RNA-seq, proteomics, visualization
- Case Studies - Real-world examples
- Roadmap - 2026 development plans
- Use with Claude Code - IDE integration
- Documentation - Wiki and guides
- Community & Support - Get help
- License - AGPL-3.0-or-later
โจ What is Lobster AI?
Lobster AI combines specialized AI agents with open-source bioinformatics tools to analyze multi-omics data through natural language. Describe your analysis needs - no coding required.
Perfect for:
- ๐งฌ Bioinformatics researchers analyzing RNA-seq data
- ๐ป Computational biologists seeking intelligent workflows
- ๐ฌ Life science teams needing reproducible results
- ๐ Students learning modern bioinformatics
โก Quick Start
# Install Lobster globally
uv pip install lobster-ai
# Configure (interactive wizard)
lobster init
# Start analyzing
lobster chat
Don't have uv? Install it: macOS/Linux | Windows
Alternative installation methods: See Complete Installation Guide or Wiki
๐บ Getting Started
|
1๏ธโฃ Install in 30 seconds |
2๏ธโฃ Configure in 1 minute |
3๏ธโฃ Start analyzing with natural language
๐๏ธ Architecture Overview
Lobster is a modular bioinformatics platform with pluggable execution environments, LLM providers, and integrated data management:
Component Matrix
| Layer | Component | Configuration | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Execution | Local | Default (no setup) | Privacy-first, offline, cost-sensitive |
| Cloud | LOBSTER_CLOUD_KEY |
Team collaboration, scaling, managed infrastructure | |
| LLM Provider | Ollama | ollama pull gpt-oss:20b |
Local-only, unlimited usage, offline |
| Anthropic | ANTHROPIC_API_KEY |
Best quality, quick start, cloud/local | |
| AWS Bedrock | AWS credentials | Enterprise, compliance, high throughput | |
| Google Gemini | GOOGLE_API_KEY |
Long context, multimodal, free tier available | |
| Data Sources | GEO/SRA/ENA | Auto-configured | Transcriptomics datasets |
| PRIDE/MassIVE | Auto-configured | Proteomics datasets | |
| PubMed/PMC | NCBI_API_KEY (optional) |
Literature mining, metadata extraction | |
| Data Management | DataManagerV2 | Auto-configured | Multi-modal data orchestration, provenance tracking |
Configuration & Deployment
Lobster supports four deployment patterns optimized for different use cases:
| Pattern | Best For | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Local + Ollama | Privacy, learning, zero cost | Offline, unlimited usage, 100% local |
| Local + Anthropic | Quality, development | Best accuracy, quick setup, flexible |
| Local + Gemini | Cost optimization, free tier | Long context, multimodal, free tier available |
| Cloud + Bedrock | Production, teams | Enterprise SLA, high limits, scalable |
Learn more:
- ๐ Deployment Patterns Guide - Detailed setup for each pattern
- ๐ Provider Auto-Detection - How Lobster selects providers
- โ๏ธ Complete Configuration Guide - All configuration options
๐งฌ Features
| Category | Capabilities | Docs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ๐งฌ Single-Cell RNA-seq | QC, Clustering, Annotation, Markers, Trajectories | Tutorial | โ Available |
| ๐ Bulk RNA-seq | Differential expression, Complex designs, Formula-based stats | Tutorial | โ Available |
| ๐ Literature Mining | PubMed search, Full-text retrieval, Methods extraction | Guide | โ Available |
| ๐๏ธ Dataset Discovery | GEO, SRA, PRIDE, ENA search and validation | Guide | โ Available |
| ๐ Visualization | UMAP, Volcano plots, Heatmaps, Interactive figures | Examples | โ Available |
| ๐งช Metadata Assistant | Cross-dataset harmonization, ID mapping | Guide | โญ Premium |
| ๐ฌ Proteomics | DDA/DIA workflows, Missing values, Normalization | Tutorial | โญ Premium |
๐ Interactive Dashboard (Alpha)
Real-time analysis monitoring with live updates and visualization
Dashboard for deep-diving into omics anlaysis.
#start with
lobster dashboard
#or during CLI session with
โฏ /dashboard
๐ Case Studies
๐งฌ Single-Cell Analysis
Download โ QC โ Cluster โ Annotate in one conversation
โฏ Download GSE109564, perform QC, cluster cells, and find markers
โ Downloaded 5,000 cells ร 20,000 genes
โ Quality control: filtered to 4,477 high-quality cells
โ Identified 12 distinct clusters
โ Generated UMAP visualization with marker genes
๐ Literature Mining
Find papers, extract methods, discover datasets
โฏ Find papers about CRISPR screens in cancer and extract their GEO datasets
Found 47 papers with 23 associated GEO datasets
Extracted methods from 12 papers with full-text access
Cached metadata for all datasets in workspace
๐ Visualization
Publication-ready figures with natural language
โฏ Create a UMAP colored by cell type with cluster labels
Generated interactive UMAP visualization
Saved as: geo_gse109564_umap_celltype.html
Also exported as PNG for publications
More examples in our cookbook โ
๐๏ธ Roadmap
2026 Development:
- Custom feature agent (bring your tools/best practices)
- Knowledge graph integration for multi-dataset analysis
- Lobster Cloud compute infrastructure
- Enhanced multi-omics workflows (MuData integration)
- Community-contributed agent marketplace
Submit feature ideas: GitHub Discussions
๐ง Use with Claude Code
Lobster integrates with Claude Code as an Agent Skill, allowing you to run bioinformatics analyses directly from your development environment.
Quick Setup
# 1. Install Lobster
uv pip install lobster-ai
lobster init
# 2. Install Lobster Skill for Claude Code
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/the-omics-os/lobster-local/main/claude-skill/SKILL.md \
-o ~/.claude/skills/lobster/SKILL.md --create-dirs
# 3. Start Claude Code
claude
Usage Examples
Claude Code will automatically invoke Lobster when you mention bioinformatics tasks:
# In Claude Code, just ask naturally:
You: "Analyze the single-cell dataset in data/counts.h5ad"
Claude: I'll use Lobster to analyze this single-cell dataset...
[Invokes: lobster query "analyze data/counts.h5ad..."]
You: "Download GSE109564 and run quality control"
Claude: I'll use Lobster to download and analyze this dataset...
[Invokes: lobster query "download GSE109564 and run QC"]
You: "Find papers about CRISPR screens in cancer"
Claude: I'll use Lobster to search the literature...
[Invokes: lobster query "search pubmed for CRISPR screens cancer"]
What this enables:
- ๐งฌ Run bioinformatics analyses without leaving your IDE
- ๐ Extract data and generate reports programmatically
- ๐ Combine Lobster with your development workflow
- ๐ค Let Claude handle the complexity of bioinformatics commands
Learn more about Agent Skills โ
๐ Documentation
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Getting Started | First-time user guide |
| Installation | Detailed installation options |
| Configuration | LLM providers, API keys, settings |
| CLI Commands | Interactive command reference |
| Examples Cookbook | Real-world analysis recipes |
| Troubleshooting | Common issues and solutions |
| FAQ | Frequently asked questions |
Full reference: README_FULL.md | Wiki Home
๐ค Community & Support
- ๐ฌ Discussions: GitHub Discussions
- ๐ Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
- ๐ง Email: info@omics-os.com
- ๐ Website: omics-os.com
- โญ Premium: info@omics-os.com for pricing
Contributing: We welcome contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
๐ License
Lobster AI is open source under AGPL-3.0-or-later.
This license ensures all users receive the freedoms to use, study, share, and modify the software. Documentation is licensed CC-BY-4.0.
Commercial licensing: Contact info@omics-os.com
Transform Your Bioinformatics Research Today
uv pip install lobster-ai && lobster chat
Made with sleep deprivation โ๏ธ by Omics-OS
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