Explains a piece of code in plain language, line by line, for someone who is still learning to program.
WHEN TO USE IT
When you have found code you need to understand before you change it.
Formats change. If a field stops working, check it against Anthropic's documentation.
One file. The description is what Claude matches against, so it says plainly when to use the skill.
---
name: explain-code
description: Explain code in plain language for a beginner. Use when the user asks what code does, how it works, or to explain it simply.
---
Explain the code the user pointed to, for a beginner.
1. Start with one sentence: what this code does, as if to a friend.
2. Walk through it in small chunks, in order. For each chunk, say what
it does and why it is there, in plain words.
3. The first time a technical term appears, explain it in one short
sentence.
4. Point out anything surprising: an edge case, a hidden assumption, a
likely bug. Label it clearly as an observation.
5. Finish with one small exercise the reader could try to check they
understood.
Do not rewrite or change the code unless the user asks.Put the folder in your skills directory. Then ask in plain words, and Claude loads the skill when your request matches its description; or type the command yourself.
# for you, in every project
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/explain-code
mv SKILL.md ~/.claude/skills/explain-code/
# then, inside Claude Code, either ask naturally:
# explain what this function does
# or run it by name:
# /explain-codeMORE SKILLS
The authority
Anthropic's documentation for Skills
This template is a starting point. Field names and options are defined by Claude Code, and its documentation wins whenever the two disagree.
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills