adaptyvbio/protein-design-skills/chai

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Structure prediction using Chai-1, a foundation model for molecular structure. Use this skill when: (1) Predicting protein-protein complex structures, (2) Validating designed binders, (3) Predicting protein-ligand complexes, (4) Using the Chai API for high-throughput prediction, (5) Need an alternative to AlphaFold2. For QC thresholds, use protein-qc. For AlphaFold2 prediction, use alphafold. For ESM-based analysis, use esm.

Install

npx vskill@latest install adaptyvbio/protein-design-skills/chai

SKILL.md

Chai-1 Structure Prediction

Prerequisites

RequirementMinimumRecommended
Python3.10+3.11
CUDA12.0+12.1+
GPU VRAM24GB40GB (A100)
RAM32GB64GB

How to run

First time? See Getting started to set up Modal and biomodals.
Option 1: Modal
bash
cd biomodals
modal run modal_chai1.py \
--input-faa complex.fasta \
--out-dir predictions/

GPU: A100 (40GB) | Timeout: 30min default

Option 2: Chai API (recommended)
bash
pip install chai_lab
python -c "
import chai_lab
from chai_lab.chai1 import run_inference
# Run prediction
run_inference(
fasta_file='complex.fasta',
output_dir='predictions/',
num_trunk_recycles=3
)
"
Option 3: Local installation
bash
git clone https://github.com/chaidiscovery/chai-lab.git
cd chai-lab
pip install -e .
chai-lab predict \
--fasta complex.fasta \
--output predictions/

FASTA Format

Protein complex
>binder
MKTAYIAKQRQISFVKSHFSRQLE...
>target
MVLSPADKTNVKAAWGKVGAHAGE...
Protein + ligand
>protein
MKTAYIAKQRQISFVKSHFSRQLE...
>ligand|smiles
CCO
Protein + DNA/RNA
>protein
MKTAYIAKQRQISFVKSHFSRQLE...
>dna
ATCGATCGATCG

Key parameters

ParameterDefaultRangeDescription
num_trunk_recycles31-10Recycles (more = better)
num_diffn_timesteps20050-500Diffusion steps
seed0intRandom seed

Output format

predictions/
├── pred.model_idx_0.cif # Best model (CIF format)
├── pred.model_idx_1.cif # Second model
├── scores.json # Confidence scores
├── pae.npy # PAE matrix
└── plddt.npy # pLDDT values

Note: Chai-1 outputs CIF format. Convert to PDB if needed:

python
from Bio.PDB import MMCIFParser, PDBIO
parser = MMCIFParser()
structure = parser.get_structure("pred", "pred.model_idx_0.cif")
io = PDBIO()
io.set_structure(structure)
io.save("pred.model_idx_0.pdb")
Extracting metrics
python
import numpy as np
import json
# Load scores
with open('predictions/scores.json') as f:
scores = json.load(f)
plddt = np.load('predictions/plddt.npy')
pae = np.load('predictions/pae.npy')
print(f"pLDDT: {plddt.mean():.3f}")
print(f"pTM: {scores['ptm']:.3f}")
print(f"ipTM: {scores.get('iptm', 'N/A')}")

Use cases

Binder validation
python
# Predict complex with Chai
chai-lab predict --fasta binder_target.fasta --output val/
# Check ipTM > 0.5
scores = json.load(open('val/scores.json'))
if scores['iptm'] > 0.5:
print("Design passes validation")
Protein-ligand complex
python
# FASTA with SMILES
fasta = """
>protein
MKTA...
>ligand|smiles
CCO
"""
# Chai handles both protein and small molecules
Batch prediction
bash
# Multiple sequences
for fasta in sequences/*.fasta; do
chai-lab predict \
--fasta "$fasta" \
--output "predictions/$(basename $fasta .fasta)"
done

Comparison with AF2

AspectChai-1AlphaFold2
MSA requiredNoYes
Small moleculesYesNo
DNA/RNAYesLimited
SpeedFasterSlower
AccuracyComparableReference

Sample output

Successful run
$ chai-lab predict --fasta complex.fasta --output predictions/
[INFO] Loading Chai-1 model...
[INFO] Running inference...
[INFO] Saved 5 models to predictions/
predictions/scores.json:
{
"ptm": 0.82,
"iptm": 0.71,
"ranking_score": 0.76
}

What good output looks like:

  • pTM: > 0.7 (confident global structure)
  • ipTM: > 0.5 (confident interface, > 0.7 for high confidence)
  • CIF files with reasonable atom positions

Decision tree

Should I use Chai?
│
├─ What are you predicting?
│ ├─ Protein-protein complex → Chai ✓ or ColabFold
│ ├─ Protein + small molecule → Chai ✓
│ ├─ Protein + DNA/RNA → Chai ✓
│ └─ Single protein only → Use ESMFold (faster)
│
├─ Need MSA?
│ ├─ No / want speed → Chai ✓
│ └─ Yes / want accuracy → ColabFold
│
└─ Priority?
├─ Highest accuracy → ColabFold with MSA
├─ Speed / no MSA → Chai ✓
└─ Ligand binding → Chai ✓

Typical performance

Campaign SizeTime (A100)Cost (Modal)Notes
100 complexes30-60 min~$10Standard validation
500 complexes2-4h~$45Large campaign
1000 complexes5-8h~$90Comprehensive

Per-complex: ~20-40s for typical binder-target complex.


Verify

bash
find predictions -name "*.cif" | wc -l # Should match input count

Troubleshooting

Low pLDDT: Increase num_trunk_recycles Low ipTM: Check chain order, interface region OOM errors: Use A100-80GB or reduce batch Slow prediction: Reduce num_diffn_timesteps

Error interpretation
ErrorCauseFix
RuntimeError: CUDA out of memoryComplex too largeUse A100-80GB or split prediction
KeyError: 'iptm'Single chain predictedEnsure FASTA has multiple chains
ValueError: invalid SMILESMalformed ligandValidate SMILES with RDKit
torch.cuda.OutOfMemoryErrorGPU exhaustedReduce num_diffn_timesteps to 100

Next: protein-qc for filtering and ranking.

Security

  • Security scanPassed, 100 of 100Pattern checks on the skill's files.
  • Model reviewNot runA model review is scheduled for the next rescan.

Quality evaluation

  • Task evaluationNot runNo evaluation yet. Run one in Skill Studio.

Source

Popularity

Repository stars
142
Repository forks
16
7-day trend score
25

Stars and forks are for the whole GitHub repository, not this skill alone. Refreshed 13 May 2026, 5 months ago.

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