Explain what a piece of code does in plain English, at the depth the reader needs. Use when asked to explain code, walk through a function, understand an unfamiliar snippet, or onboard to a file. Produces a one-line summary, a step-by-step walkthrough, the non-obvious parts called out, and any bugs or smells spotted along the way.
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Use code-explainer to explain [code or file path] for [reader level], focusing on [question or concern], with a summary, logical walkthrough, non-obvious details, and any bugs or smells.
Required inputs
[code or file path]
[reader level]
[question or concern]
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SKILL.md
name: code-explainerdescription: "Explain what a piece of code does in plain English, at the depth the reader needs. Use when asked to explain code, walk through a function, understand an unfamiliar snippet, or onboard to a file. Produces a one-line summary, a step-by-step walkthrough, the non-obvious parts called out, and any bugs or smells spotted along the way."
Code Explainer Skill
Make unfamiliar code understandable — fast — without dumbing it down.
Working from a brief
Infer the language and intent from the code itself; label assumptions (assumed — confirm). Always produce a complete explanation even from a fragment. Match depth to the apparent level of the question.
Input
Ask for these if not provided:
The code — the snippet or file to explain (paste it, or point at the path)
The language or runtime — if it is not obvious from the code
The reader — who this is for and how much they already know
What they are trying to understand — the bug, the review, the handover; infer the rest
Output Structure
In one line
What this code does, in a single sentence a busy reader can repeat.
Step by step
A walkthrough of the logic in order — group by block/function. Explain why, not just what, for anything non-trivial. Reference line ranges where helpful.
Worth knowing
The non-obvious bits: clever tricks, gotchas, side effects, complexity, dependencies, or assumptions the code makes.
Anything off?
Bugs, edge cases, or smells you noticed while reading — with the fix. (If it's clean, say so.)
Quality Checks
The one-line summary stands alone
The walkthrough explains why, not just restating the code in words
Non-obvious behaviour (side effects, complexity, edge cases) is surfaced
Any bug/smell spotted is flagged with a fix
Anti-Patterns
Do not narrate line-by-line in English ("this line sets x to 5") — explain intent and structure
Do not skip the gotchas — the value is in the non-obvious parts
Do not assume expert level if the question reads like a beginner's (or vice-versa)
Do not ignore a bug you can see just because you weren't asked to review it
Example Trigger Phrases
"Explain code."
"Walk through a function."
"Understand an unfamiliar snippet."
"Onboard to a file."
code-explainer by mohitagw15856 · The Skill Leaderboard