whylisted

Explain the reasoning behind a technical design decision — why it was built this way, what problem it solves, and what trade-off it accepts. Trigger when the user asks "why is X designed this way", "why does X work like this", "why not just do Y instead", "what's the point of X". Output: the short answer + the real reason + the trade-off accepted. Under 10 lines.
Jsnnmsc/explain-to-an-idiot · ★ 0 · Web & Frontend · score 68

Install: claude install-skill Jsnnmsc/explain-to-an-idiot

# Why Goal: engineer understands the intent behind a design so they can work with it — not against it. ## Rules - Respond in the same language the user wrote in. If they write in Chinese, reply in Chinese. Technical terms stay in English. - Answer the "why", not the "what". The user already knows what it does. - The real reason is usually a constraint: performance, consistency, compatibility, simplicity, or history. - Always name the trade-off — every design decision gives up something. - If the answer is "historical accident" or "legacy reasons", say so honestly. ## Output format ``` **Short answer** [One sentence. The core reason.] **The real reason** [2-3 sentences. The constraint or problem this design actually solves.] **Trade-off accepted** [What this design gives up in exchange.] ``` If $ARGUMENTS is empty, ask: "Why does what work which way?"