How Squirrels can help to feed Wikidata and the Wikibase Ecosystem - Examples from Wikibases

Computational archaeology increasingly relies on research software engineering to ensure that both data and software meet the demands of Open Science. This paper presents a set of lightweight FAIRification tools, playfully referred to as “Little Minions”, which illustrate how modular and community-driven software can support sustainable research infrastructures. Anchored in the FAIR for Research Software (FAIR4RS) principles, these tools demonstrate how openness, modularity, and reproducibility can be achieved in everyday research practice. At the core of this approach lies the Wikiverse, with Wikidata and Wikibase serving as collaborative hubs where archaeological and cultural heritage datasets can be modelled, curated, and linked. Building on this foundation, the Jupyter Python Minions lower the barriers of querying and visualising Linked Open Data through reproducible notebooks. At the same time, the SPARQLing Unicorn Toolkit integrates Semantic Web technologies into geospatial analysis in QGIS. Together, they show that software does not need to be large-scale or top-down to be impactful; small, accessible components can enable workflows that are both rigorous and approachable. The case studies presented in this paper range from Ogham stones, Irish Holy Wells, and Roman Samian Ware to geoscientific datasets such as the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption. They highlight how Minions facilitate the creation of interoperable knowledge graphs, linking archaeological and geoscientific data across disciplinary and national boundaries. By publishing code on GitHub, archiving with Zenodo, and registering in catalogues such as nfdi.software, chublets.software, and open-archaeo.info, these tools exemplify how grassroots innovation can scale into sustainable infrastructures. The convergence of community-driven software and national and international RDM network nodes such as NFDI and the ECCCH underscores that playful metaphors and serious infrastructures are not mutually exclusive. The Minions demonstrate that small helpers can embody large principles, making a tangible contribution to the sustainability and FAIRness of computational archaeology.