ase-code-explain SKILL.md skillA
ase-code-explain from rse/ase is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
mdr add rse/ase/ase-code-explain@git:20260804.af0eeb8Pins git:20260804.af0eeb8 in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.
- Audit grade
- A, 17 of 17 checks passed
- Kind
- SKILL.md skill
- Repository
- rse/ase
- Path
plugin/skills/ase-code-explain/SKILL.md- Versions recorded
- 5
- Latest version
- git:20260804.af0eeb8, committed Aug 4, 2026
- First version recorded
- Jun 15, 2026
- Size
- 4,526 bytes
- Repository stars
- 62
- License
- Apache-2.0
Explains code with WHAT, WHY, ANALOGY, DIAGRAM, CRUXES, and GOTCHAS. Use when you want to know how code works or when the user asks "how does this work?".
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
@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-control.md
@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-skill.md
@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-getopt.md
<purpose name="ase-code-explain">
Explain Source Code
</purpose>
<expand name="getopt" arg1="ase-code-explain">
$ARGUMENTS
</expand>
<objective>
*Analyze* the source code of <getopt-arguments/>, and its directly related source
code, and *explain* it in a *brief*, *standardized*, and *concise* way.
</objective>
<flow>
1. <step id="STEP 1: Investigate Code Base">
Investigate the code. If the code base is large, you *MUST* use
the `Agent` tool (not inline work) to create multiple sub-agents to
split the investigation task into appropriate chunks.
</step>
2. <step id="STEP 2: WHAT and WHY">
**Explain the WHAT and WHY**.
First, explain *WHAT* the code does (*functionality*).
Second, explain *WHY* the code does it (*rationale*).
Keep your explanations *brief* and *concise*.
<if condition="<ase-project-boxing/> is equal `black`">
The project source artifacts are classified as a *black box*, so the
user wants only the *minimal* surface explanation. Output *only* the
…Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add rse/ase/ase-code-explain@sha256:f28f5aea8c2870a5The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20260804.af0eeb8, 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.
[](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_uaed45krdnvgu7f7)
3 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.
Versions
The registry has recorded 5 versions of this file, between Jun 15, 2026 and Aug 4, 2026, about one every 12 days.
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| git:20260804.af0eeb8 latest | 2026-08-04 | af0eeb8 | 4,526 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260801.f1208fb | 2026-08-01 | f1208fb | 4,525 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260704.c6a9c18 | 2026-07-04 | c6a9c18 | 4,521 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260704.2f9d1bd | 2026-07-04 | 2f9d1bd | 3,727 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260615.ca65ad9 | 2026-06-15 | ca65ad9 | 3,727 B | A | view |
Audit of the latest version
- pass: Frontmatter block present
- pass: Frontmatter declares a name
- pass: Frontmatter declares a description
- pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (4526 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
rse/ase · 62 stars · license Apache-2.0 · pushed 2026-11-04 · branch master
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_uaed45krdnvgu7f7 GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=rse/ase/ase-code-explain GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/f28f5aea8c2870a54df9228ada8761baba599b06cfd0681567938cc99baf040c
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.