explain is agent-read markdown (skill) from thoughtbot/rails-consultant: Explain what a piece of code does — a specific file, class, or method in close detail, or a user-facing flow as a concise system overview. What it does and why, not whether it's good..
Indexed from public GitHub and served as immutable, content-addressed versions. Install it pinned to an exact SHA-256 with the mdr CLI, and every file is verified against the hash recorded here before it reaches your agent. The deterministic audit below grades the latest version, and the same file always earns the same grade.
What the file says
## Behavior
Explain `$ARGUMENTS`. Do the research and deliver the explanation in one pass.
Determine the mode from the argument:
- **If the argument is a file path, class name, or method** — this is a **code explanation**. Follow the Code Explanation section.
- **If the argument is a user action, feature, or flow description** (e.g. "password reset", "checkout", "authentication") — this is a **flow explanation**. Follow the Flow Explanation section.
---
## Code Explanation
Start by checking the git history for the file: `git log --oneline -15 <file>` and `git log -1 -p <file>` for the most recent change. Commit messages often reveal the "why" that the code itself doesn't — a bug that was fixed, a refactor that simplified something, a workaround for an external constraint. Note anything that reframes the code before diving into it.
Then read the code carefully and explain in this order:
### 1. What it does — in one paragraph
Plain English. No jargon, no code. Describe what this code accomplishes from the outside — what goes in, what comes out, what changes as a result. Write it the way you'd explain it to the client who asked for the feature.
…
Pin to a label to follow the author's releases, or to a sha256 to freeze the exact bytes forever. Either way the resolved hash is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install reproduces it on any machine.
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_t47vmodvfgsalnls
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=thoughtbot/rails-consultant/explain
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/017f182739990d0b76686aa910f4345dd8cabfbb04468f3700bcf05a00e75848
Your agent 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.
thoughtbot/rails-consultant · skills/challenge/SKILL.md · Pressure-test an assumption, decision, or inherited constraint — Socratic cross-examination that forces you to defend…
thoughtbot/rails-consultant · skills/feature-dev/SKILL.md · Take one new feature slice from idea to reviewed, committed code in a single guided pass — scope it into the smallest…
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thoughtbot/rails-consultant · skills/prior-art/SKILL.md · Discover how a codebase already handles a specific concern — search broadly, find every instance, and assess…
thoughtbot/rails-consultant · skills/rubber-duck/SKILL.md · Think out loud about a problem, decision, or approach — Socratic friction to help you find clarity, not sympathy
thoughtbot/rails-consultant · skills/slice/SKILL.md · Turn a feature into well-defined, independently shippable slices — whether it's an epic that needs breaking apart or a…
thoughtbot/rails-consultant · skills/socratic-review/SKILL.md · Socratic code review and refactoring session — whether it's your own code, a teammate's PR, or something you inherited…
thoughtbot/rails-consultant · skills/standup/SKILL.md · Write a client update — identify what was done, what's next, and surface risks before they become surprises. End of…
dcouple/pane · main/src/services/paneChatBundle/skills/explain/SKILL.md · Use when the person wants to understand a concept or how something works today. Never plans.
gkaria/vibe-learn · adapters/cursor/skills/explain/SKILL.md · Guided code tour of a file or subsystem this session touched — entry point, the load-bearing pieces, the edges, and…
gkaria/vibe-learn · adapters/copilot-cli/skills/explain/SKILL.md · Guided code tour of a file or subsystem this session touched — entry point, the load-bearing pieces, the edges, and…
saadshahd/moo.md · hope/skills/explain/SKILL.md · Put one settled thing in the user's head, plainly. Use when the user does not hold something already settled.
marcel-bich/marcel-bich-claude-marketplace · plugins/credo/skills/explain/SKILL.md · Explain something in depth on request. Use when the user writes "???" - alone, or placed directly after a reference…
harnessprotocol/harness-kit · plugins/explain/skills/explain/SKILL.md · Use when user invokes /explain with a file path, directory path, function/class name, or natural language concept. Also…
ramboz/jig · hosts/claude/skills/explain/SKILL.md · Explain jig vocabulary and artifacts in plain language. Three modes: term mode defines one lexicon term; artifact mode…
