# neo4j-cypher-skill

Writes, optimizes and validates Cypher 25 queries for Neo4j 2025.x and 2026.x. Useful when a slow MATCH needs fixing or a batch write has to be assembled.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1500 installs · ★ 116
- Author: neo4j-contrib
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-skills/tree/HEAD/neo4j-cypher-skill/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-21
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/neo4j-cypher-skill

## What it does

The skill hooks into your agent and steers it through Cypher 25 syntax: `MATCH`, `MERGE`, `CREATE`, `WITH`, `RETURN`, `CALL`, `UNWIND`, `FOREACH`, `LOAD CSV`, `SEARCH`, expressions, functions, indexes and subqueries. It insists on a schema first. If a file like `<db-name>-schema.json` sits somewhere in the project, the skill reads labels and relationship types from it; otherwise it asks for `CALL db.schema.visualization()`, `SHOW INDEXES` and `SHOW CONSTRAINTS`. With no schema at all it returns a sketch outside a code block and refuses to fill in guessed names.

Ready-made patterns cover `MERGE` on a constrained key, `WITH` scope, the subquery forms `EXISTS`, `COUNT`, `COLLECT` and `CALL (p) { ... }`, plus bulk writes with `CALL IN TRANSACTIONS`. A style table pins PascalCase for labels, SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE for relationship types and camelCase for properties. Every query starts with `CYPHER 25` as the first token, and exploratory reads get `LIMIT 25`.

The compatibility baseline is Neo4j 2025.01. The GQL-conformance clauses `LET`, `FINISH`, `FILTER` and `INSERT` arrived later, mostly in 2025.06, so on older servers the skill falls back to `WITH`, `WHERE` and `CREATE`. Driver migration and API changes are out of scope — that is `neo4j-migration-skill`. So is database administration: users, config, backups belong to `neo4j-cli-tools-skill`. Hybrid search that mixes a vector index with fulltext or other ranked sources goes to `neo4j-vector-index-skill`.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add neo4j-contrib/neo4j-skills --skill neo4j-cypher-skill -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/neo4j-cypher-skill/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/neo4j-cypher-skill/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add neo4j-contrib/neo4j-skills --skill neo4j-cypher-skill -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/neo4j-cypher-skill/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add neo4j-contrib/neo4j-skills --skill neo4j-cypher-skill -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/neo4j-cypher-skill/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install neo4j-contrib/neo4j-skills neo4j-cypher-skill
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/neo4j-cypher-skill/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add neo4j-contrib/neo4j-skills --skill neo4j-cypher-skill -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-skills --path neo4j-cypher-skill
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/neo4j-cypher-skill/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add neo4j-contrib/neo4j-skills --skill neo4j-cypher-skill -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-skills/tree/HEAD/neo4j-cypher-skill/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- write a Cypher 25 query from scratch against a known schema
- find out why a variable-length MATCH traversal is slow
- load a CSV into the graph with CALL IN TRANSACTIONS
- check that a label and relationship type actually exist
- replace the deprecated CALL { WITH x ... } with CALL (x) { ... }

## Example prompts
- write a Cypher query: find every Person who knows more than 5 people, ordered by connection count
- optimize this MATCH, it crawls on the variable-length traversal
- load data.csv into the graph with LOAD CSV and CALL IN TRANSACTIONS, 1000 rows at a time

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 6f4b849899138197.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 6f4b849899138197
````text
---
name: neo4j-cypher-skill
description: Generates, optimizes, and validates Cypher 25 queries for Neo4j 2025.x and 2026.x.
  Use when writing new Cypher queries, optimizing slow queries, graph pattern matching, vector
  or fulltext search, subqueries, or batch writes. Covers MATCH, MERGE, CREATE, WITH, RETURN,
  CALL, UNWIND, FOREACH, LOAD CSV, SEARCH, expressions, functions, indexes, and subqueries.
  Does NOT handle driver migration or API changes — use neo4j-migration-skill.
  Does NOT cover DB administration or server ops — use neo4j-cli-tools-skill.
compatibility: Neo4j >= 2025.01 (safe baseline); Cypher 25
version: 1.0.30
---

## When to Use
- Writing, optimizing, or debugging Cypher queries
- Graph pattern matching, QPEs, variable-length paths
- Vector/fulltext search, subqueries, batch writes, LOAD CSV

## When NOT to Use
- **Driver migration/API changes** → `neo4j-migration-skill`
- **DB admin** (users, config, backups) → `neo4j-cli-tools-skill`
- **Hybrid search that combines vector with fulltext or other ranked sources** → `neo4j-vector-index-skill`

GQL conformance note: `LET`, `FINISH`, `FILTER`, and `INSERT` are valid Cypher 25 clauses (introduced via GQL conformance, mostly in Neo4j 2025.06). On older versions, fall back to `WITH` / (omit RETURN) / `WHERE` / `CREATE`. `INSERT` requires `&`-separated multi-labels and does not support dynamic labels/types.

---

## Pre-flight

| ? | Known | Unknown |
|---|---|---|
| `<db-name>-schema.json` found in project | Use it directly — skip live inspection | — |
| Schema (from context or live DB) | Use directly | Run Schema-First Protocol |
| Neo4j version | Use version features | Default to 2025.01 safe set |
| Executing (not generating)? | Use EXPLAIN + write gate | State query is unvalidated |

Schema unknown + no tool → produce non-executable sketch outside a code block:
```
(<SOURCE_LABEL> {<KEY>: $value})-[:<REL_TYPE>]->(<TARGET_LABEL>)
```
Never fill guessed names — realistic guesses get copied blindly.

---

## Defaults — apply every query
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 6f4b849899138197

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