Level 0

Claude skills

A skill is a set of instructions Claude loads when a task calls for it. These skills give Claude a fixed method for working with this knowledge base. Claude reads the site live each time, so the skills stay current as pages change.

Formative research planning

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Plan, scope or critique Level 0 (formative) research before an AI tool is built for development or humanitarian users, grounded in the MERL Tech Initiative's Level 0 knowledge base.

Describe a project and ask for help scoping its formative research.

level0-formative-research.zip5 KB

Proposal review

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Review a funding proposal for an AI tool in development or humanitarian settings against Level 0 (formative) research good practice from the MERL Tech Initiative knowledge base: evidence, gaps, red flags, questions for the applicant.

Attach a proposal and ask Claude to evaluate it using the Level 0 skills.

level0-proposal-evaluation.zip5 KB

Install

  1. Download both zips. The skills hand work to each other, so install both.
  2. In Claude, open Settings, then Capabilities, and use Upload a skill for each zip. Skills must be turned on for your plan.
  3. Turn on web access. The skills read this site every time they run.
  4. Start a new chat for each review, so earlier conversation does not shape it.

If Claude cannot read the site

Claude runs some tasks in its own sandbox, which only reaches websites on an allowed list. If Claude says it could not download a page, add levelzero.merltech.org to the allowed domains for code execution in Claude's settings. On a Team or Enterprise plan, your workspace admin may need to do this. Without it, Claude falls back to a tool that can shorten pages, and the review will say so.

Connect Claude to the knowledge base

The knowledge base is also a connector (an MCP server). Claude receives each page exactly as published, and it works where Claude cannot reach the site from its sandbox. Connect with MCP.

Before you use them

  • Every output opens with the date and the version of this site it read, so you can tell whether a different result comes from the site or from the run.
  • Most pages are drafts, and several buckets are still empty. Results are only as good as what is here.
  • Do not upload real proposals unless your organisation has approved the AI tool for that. Use a redacted copy.