explain-simply git:20261007.87f312aA

Immutable. This exact content never changes and is served at /api/v1/blob/8898ec996411d529.

---
name: explain-simply
argument-hint: "[thing to explain]"
description: >-
  Re-explain something from the CURRENT conversation — a finding id (e.g. F7.2), a term, a
  decision, an acronym, or a paragraph you just wrote — in plain language for someone with zero
  context. Use when the user says "explain X simply", "what does that even mean", "eli5",
  "as if I don't know what you're talking about", "in plain terms / plain English", "break that
  down", or points at jargon or an open decision and wants it made understandable.
---

# explain-simply

Explain the thing the user points at, from this conversation, to a smart reader with zero context.

- Use plain words and short sentences. Define a term the first time you need it.
- Say what the thing is, why it matters, and what follows from it. Stop there.
- Use only facts from this conversation. When a needed fact was never settled, say so.
- Add one everyday comparison or one small inline ASCII drawing only when the idea is hard to see without it.
- When the thing is a choice the user must make, end with the options, each with one pro and one con, your pick first.
- When you cannot tell which thing the user means, ask in one line.