code-explainer SKILL.md skillA

code-explainer from microsoft/waza is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.

Install it, pinned

mdr add microsoft/waza/code-explainer@git:20260203.d797e60

Pins git:20260203.d797e60 in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.

Audit grade: A, 17 of 17 checks passed
Kind: SKILL.md skill
Repository: microsoft/waza
Path: examples/code-explainer/SKILL.md
Versions recorded: 2
Latest version: git:20260203.d797e60, committed Feb 3, 2026
First version recorded: Feb 1, 2026
Size: 4,659 bytes
Repository stars: 1,424
License: MIT

**UTILITY SKILL** - Explain code snippets, functions, and algorithms in plain language. USE FOR: explain code, what does this code do, break down this function, help me understand this, walk through this algorithm, clarify this logic, explain this snippet, describe what happens here. DO NOT USE FOR: writing new code (use code generation), fixing bugs (use debugging), refactoring (use refactoring skills), code review with action items. INVOKES: file reading tools to access code, language…

Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.

What the file says

# Code Explainer

A skill that explains code snippets in clear, educational language. Helps developers understand unfamiliar code, algorithms, and programming patterns.

## Skill Activation Triggers

**Use this skill immediately when the user asks to:**
- "Explain this code"
- "What does this function do?"
- "Break down this algorithm"
- "Help me understand this snippet"
- "Walk me through this code"
- "What's happening in this file?"

**Key Indicators:**
- User shares a code snippet and asks for explanation
- User is confused about existing code
- User wants to learn how something works
- User asks "what does X do?" about code

**Do NOT use when:**
- User wants to write new code
- User wants to fix a bug
- User wants code review with suggestions
- User wants refactoring recommendations

## Quick Reference

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Input | Code snippet + optional language hint |
| Output | Plain language explanation |
| Best for | Learning, onboarding, code comprehension |

## Explanation Guidelines

### Structure

A good code explanation should include:

1. **Overview** - One sentence summary of what the code does
…

Read the whole file at its exact version.

How to install

The exact contents, by fingerprint

mdr add microsoft/waza/code-explainer@sha256:8b01f2320b069ae8

The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20260203.d797e60, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.

Badge

[![mdr](https://markdownregistry.com/badge/art_3a3y2tal2zjnmden.svg)](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_3a3y2tal2zjnmden)

1 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.

Versions

The registry has recorded 2 versions of this file, between Feb 1, 2026 and Feb 3, 2026, about one every 2 days.

version	committed	commit	size	audit
git:20260203.d797e60 latest	2026-02-03	d797e60	4,659 B	A	view · diff
git:20260201.e794c7d	2026-02-01	e794c7d	4,444 B	A	view

Audit of the latest version

A 17 of 17 checks passed. Fixed automatic checks with no AI involved, so the same checks give the same answer every run.

pass: Frontmatter block present
pass: Frontmatter declares a name
pass: Frontmatter declares a description
pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (4659 bytes)
pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
pass: No credential-shaped string
pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
pass: No text hidden with inline styles
pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
pass: No instruction to read or print local credentials
pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
pass: No link to a raw IP address
pass: No script tag

Source

GitHub

microsoft/waza · 1,424 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-10-21 · branch main

API

GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_3a3y2tal2zjnmden
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=microsoft/waza/code-explainer
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/8b01f2320b069ae873a22e42f7fcd9fc9bd30a5b23c6890094a81658dcc6f267

Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.

Guides: the SKILL.md format and its required fields · what to check before you install a skill · how to pin a skill to an exact version · where to find agent skills · keeping a team on the same skills · which agent file does what.

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