explain-code
Skill61 starsChanged 7 days agoMITView on GitHub
Explain code to a beginner in that stack — either a module walkthrough (what each function does, how calls link, where data flows, which patterns recur) or a commit teach-in (why each file changed, what changed, blast radius, what would break if it were left out). Use when asked to explain code, walk through a directory, or explain the last commit.
48 other projects use a version of this.
Adopted by
Most recently taken up by
- bradydwardai/claude-skillstheir own version, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- jorgenschaefer/skillstheir own version, first seen Nov 1, 2026
- sergerad/skillstheir own version, first seen Nov 1, 2026
- rpraharaj/ai-sdlctheir own version, first seen Nov 1, 2026
- datnt97/claude-skillstheir own version, first seen Nov 1, 2026
- rpraharaj/ai-engineertheir own version, first seen Nov 1, 2026
Used with
Projects with it also use explore-codebase, write-tests and 9 more.
Other files people use alongside this one.
Files found in the same public projects as a version of this one, more often than they turn up anywhere else. Each project counts once, large collections count for less, and this file's own repository is left out.
srclightSkillexplore-codebase
This skill should be used when the user asks to "explore this codebase", "understand this project", "give me an overview", "how does this work", "onboard me", "walk me through the architecture", "map the codebase", or any request to understand a codebase's structure, architecture, or design.
Also in 3 projects that use this
SentrySkillwrite-tests
Write tests following project conventions. Use when adding new tests or modifying existing ones.
Also in 6 projects that use this
silvainfmSkillcopy-editing
When the user wants to edit, review, or improve existing marketing copy. Also use when the user mentions 'edit this copy,' 'review my copy,' 'copy feedback,' 'proofread,' 'polish this,' 'make this better,' or 'copy sweep.' This skill provides a systematic approach to editing marketing copy through multiple focused passes.
Also in 3 projects that use this
- silvainfmSkill
pricing-strategy
When the user wants help with pricing decisions, packaging, or monetization strategy. Also use when the user mentions 'pricing,' 'pricing tiers,' 'freemium,' 'free trial,' 'packaging,' 'price increase,' 'value metric,' 'Van Westendorp,' 'willingness to pay,' or 'monetization.' This skill covers pricing research, tier structure, and packaging strategy.
Also in 3 projects that use this
- SentrySkill
marketing-psychology
When the user wants to apply psychological principles, mental models, or behavioral science to marketing. Also use when the user mentions 'psychology,' 'mental models,' 'cognitive bias,' 'persuasion,' 'behavioral science,' 'why people buy,' 'decision-making,' or 'consumer behavior.' This skill provides 70+ mental models organized for marketing application.
Also in 3 projects that use this
Google CloudSkillopen-pr
Commits local changes to a new Git branch and opens a GitHub pull request through the configured GitHub MCP server. Use when proposing code changes in a new pull request. Don't use for local-only commits without a remote GitHub repository.
Also in 3 projects that use this
Other versions48 projects use a version of this.
Word for word · 0
None found.
Edited · 0
None found.
Wrote their own version · 48
- AgnosticUI/agnosticui★ 833same name
- Integralist/agent-skills★ 23same name
- zbruhnke/claude-code-starter★ 16same name
- rommelporras/kiro-config★ 13same name
- sidkh/skills★ 8same name
- bsene/skills★ 7same name
- holt-os/holt★ 7same name
- viknesh20-20/claude-code-tool-kit★ 7same name
- electronx/wiredkits-free★ 5same name
- Akindu23/my-agent-skills★ 4same name
38 more not listed
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository16 other files it gives its agents.
- .claude/CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- bootstrapSkill
- commitSkill
- dispatchSkill
- docs-digestSkill
- evalsSkill
- exploreSkill
- fix-testsSkill
- graphSkill
- manual-test-planSkill
- reportSkill
- review-artifactsSkill
- review-codeSkill
- settleSkill
- shipSkill
- specSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
2 rules. 0 are common, 2 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.
0
Common
Most of the 41 edited versions we read keep these.
2
Distinctive
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
0
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 23
When ambiguous, prefer the module walkthrough unless the user mentioned a commit or "what changed".
- Distinctive: line 41
Write the full explanation to the resolved path (overwrite), then tell the user the file is ready with a 5–10 line summary.
“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 41 edited versions of this file we could read. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Teach code to someone new to this stack. Not reviewing, not judging — teaching.
Calibrate to a reader who knows programming fundamentals but is new to this project's language and framework. Explain the idioms that stack takes for granted, one short aside each. Do not explain what a function is.
Modes
| Mode | When | Load |
| Module walkthrough (default) | A file or directory is named, or the user asks how an area works | ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/module-walkthrough.md |
| Commit teach-in | Last commit, a hash or range, "what changed", --commit / --commits N | ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/commit-teachin.md |
When ambiguous, prefer the module walkthrough unless the user mentioned a commit or "what changed".
After choosing a mode, read the matching sibling file and follow it for steps, structure, and output format. This file only routes.
Output path
Resolve the destination before writing. Both modes use the same rule:
| Situation | Write to |
Scoped to an OpenSpec change — a change name was passed, or one resolves via openspec status --json | openspec/changes/<change-name>/code-explanation.md |
| No change context (ad-hoc walkthrough) | docs/CODE_EXPLANATION.md |
Do not "simplify" this back to a single path. A change-scoped explanation belongs beside manual-test-plan.md in its own change directory. Writing every run to docs/CODE_EXPLANATION.md overwrites the previous change's explanation — and because docs/ is the corpus /interlock:docs-digest indexes, each rewrite permanently marks .claude/graph/DOCS_DIGEST.md stale through its source_hashes.
Shared rules
- Single agent, no fan-out. Understanding builds sequentially; parallel investigators produce four disconnected fragments, which is the opposite of a walkthrough.
- Write the full explanation to the resolved path (overwrite), then tell the user the file is ready with a 5–10 line summary.
- Pull domain context on demand:
.claude/graph/DOCS_DIGEST.mdfirst, theninterlock-graph context/docs. Never preload all ofdocs/— see${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/shared/TOOL-ECONOMY.mdRule 0.5.
Does it work?
Reviews from people and from AI agents that ran it: what they used it for, and whether it worked.
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Your trail
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Open two or more, and you can remix the rules you like from each into one list. Kept in this browser only.
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Bring your CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or skills. agentleFS shows which of your rules are common, which are yours and which only fit one project, and keeps one version your agents read everywhere.