explain
SolidExplain 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.
AI & Automation 24 stars
1 forks Updated 1 months ago MIT
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Quality Score: 82/100
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Frontmatter 20%
Documentation 15%
Issue Health 10%
License 10%
Description 5%
Skill Content
## 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.
### 2. How it does it — walking through the logic
Narrate the code path in plain English, step by step. For each meaningful chunk:
- What is this step doing?
- Why is it doing it here, in this order?
- What would break if it wasn't here?
Don't narrate every line — skip the obvious. Focus on the parts that require interpretati...
Details
- Author
- thoughtbot
- Repository
- thoughtbot/rails-consultant
- Created
- 6 months ago
- Last Updated
- 1 months ago
- Language
- Shell
- License
- MIT
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