Brian2 (Claude Skill)

Guides Claude through building spiking neural network simulations with Brian2 — defining neuron populations from differential equations, wiring synapses with plasticity, recording activity, and running multicompartment models.

   
Type Claude Skill
Supplier NeuroForge (community OSS, MIT)
Availability GA — part of the NeuroForge neuroscience skill set
Pricing Free / OSS (MIT)
Capabilities Read/Write — Claude writes and runs Brian2 Python locally (Bash), not as an MCP tool
Verified works · 2026-07-20
Security caution · 2026-07-20 — skills/brian2 dir confirmed but GitHub license null vs MIT claim, single-maintainer, stale (2026-02-24)

How to install

  • Claude Code — clone and copy the skill into your skills directory: 
    git clone https://github.com/HughYau/neuroforge-skills
cp -r neuroforge-skills/skills/brian2 ~/.claude/skills/

    Project-scoped alternative: copy into .claude/skills/ instead. The skill invokes Brian2 in your Python environment — install it first:

    pip install brian2

    (The skill targets Brian2 2.10.1; the C++ standalone backend additionally needs a working C++ compiler.)

What it does

Covers the full Brian2 workflow for spiking neural network modeling:

  • Neuron modeling — define populations with differential equations, threshold/reset dynamics, and state tracking via NeuronGroup.
  • Synaptic plasticity — build connections with event-driven updates and STDP-style rules via Synapses.
  • Stimulation — inject Poisson or time-varying (TimedArray) inputs.
  • Recording & analysis — capture spikes, continuous variables, and population firing rates via SpikeMonitor / StateMonitor.
  • Execution control — switch between Python runtime and cpp_standalone backends via set_device.
  • Spatial morphology — simulate multicompartment neurons over dendritic/axonal trees with SpatialNeuron / Morphology.

Primary use cases: spiking neural network simulation, synaptic plasticity/STDP experiments, computational neuroscience modeling.

Notes

Distributed as a SKILL.md plus references/*.md in the NeuroForge skill set — Claude executes Brian2 locally via Bash/Python rather than as an MCP server. Upstream skill front-matter name is brian2; the skill directory upstream is skills/brian2. Upstream license: MIT. The README documents context-injection usage for other agents, but the copy-into-~/.claude/skills/ path above is the standard Claude Code Agent Skills install.

Sources

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