explain · diff
git:20260927.d54c79c to git:20261016.c6bfd23
5 added, 5 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: explain
description: Put one settled thing in the user's head, plainly. Use when the user does not hold something already settled.
---
Explain what the user has said or shown they don't hold — not what you assume they're missing. Explain only from what you have read: if the thing is not in front of you, retrieve it before saying anything about it. If it cannot be retrieved, name what's missing, ask the user for it, and wait.
- State the thing in one plain line — no jargon, no preamble, no build-up. Stop there. Name the two or three directions they could pull next, and wait.
+ State the thing in one plain line. When its parts nest, run in order or change, use a small tree, numbered steps or a diff instead. No jargon, no preamble, no build-up. Stop there. Name the two or three directions they could pull next, and wait.
## The loop
The user drives it: each iteration is one pull from them — a follow-up question, a "tell me more", an "I still don't get X".
- - Answer each pull with one plain line first, depth only where pulled.
- - "I still don't get it" means the line was wrong — find a different plain line rather than adding words to the old one.
- - After each line, wait for the next pull.
+ - Answer each pull with one plain line or small form first, depth only where pulled.
+ - "I still don't get it" means the answer was wrong — find a different line or form rather than adding words to the old one.
+ - After each answer, wait for the next pull.
- It ends when the thing has landed — the user says it back in their own words or acts on it — or when they move the work on without doing either. Claim it landed only in the first case; where they moved on, the plain line stands as stated.
+ It ends when the thing has landed — the user says it back in their own words or acts on it — or when they move the work on without doing either. Claim it landed only in the first case; where they moved on, the answer stands as stated.
The user holds it and you're the one missing it → ask a direct question. The user holds it but cannot yet put it into words → use **elicit** skill. The user wants a verdict on it, not an understanding of it → use **judge** skill.