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Explanation Guidance

Organization
testdouble
explanation-guidance

Surfaces Han's shared standard for explaining technical work to a reader who will not implement it into the calling skill's own context, so the caller writes its escalations, confirmation turns, and stops as a concrete outcome the reader could observe rather than as a mechanism. Use when a skill is about to ask a person a question, stop for an input, or explain a technical consequence to someone who will not open the code. Governs what a run says to a person in a turn, where readability-guidance governs the shape of a written deliverable. Runs in the caller's context and hands control straight back; it does not produce a deliverable of its own, rewrite anything, or judge the caller's work. Carries guidance only and adds no self-check step.

Overview

Publishertestdouble
Repositoryhan
Skill nameexplanation-guidance
Stars
320
Forks
26
Bundled files
Instructions only
LicenseMIT
Links
  • Markdown instructions

    A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.

  • Works with any LLM

    AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.

  • Self-contained

    Everything the model needs lives in the instructions — no extra files to sync.

  • Open source

    Published by testdouble on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Explanation Guidance AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

1

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

  1. Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
  2. Choose "Install from GitHub".
  3. Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
    https://github.com/testdouble/han/tree/main/han-communication/skills/explanation-guidance
  4. Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.
Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.
2

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/testdouble/han.git /tmp/han
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/han/han-communication/skills/explanation-guidance .claude/skills/explanation-guidance
Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Explanation Guidance in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Explanation Guidance on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Explanation Guidance is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

  • Loaded only when it is needed

    The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.

  • Switch models mid-chat

    Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Project Context

  • personal config directory: !bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/han-config-dir.sh" 2>/dev/null || echo "$HOME/.claude"
  • project .han/config.md: !cat .han/config.md 2>/dev/null || echo ""

As your first action, use the Read tool on .han/config.md inside the personal config directory path above. A read that returns no file is no personal configuration: continue silently. When that file or the project .han/config.md probe supplies content, apply it per config-rule.md, which governs precedence between the two files, relative-path resolution, and what to do with a file that reads but cannot be used.

Explanation Guidance

You have invoked explanation-guidance to source the shared explanation standard before you talk to a person. This skill surfaces the standard into your own context and hands control back. It is a means to writing your turn, not the turn itself: apply what it surfaces, then RETURN to the workflow that called you and finish it.

This skill is inline — it runs in your context, not an isolated one, so the standard it surfaces stays available to you after it returns. Do not treat anything here as a stopping point or a final answer.

When this standard applies

It applies to what you say to a person in a turn: an escalation, an opening confirmation turn, a stop for a missing input, or any explanation of a technical consequence to someone who will not implement the work.

It does not apply to the written deliverable you are producing. That is governed by the readability standard, which you source through han-communication:readability-guidance. A run often needs both, at different moments.

Step 1: Read the standard

Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/explanation-rule.md so its full content enters your context. It carries the concrete-outcome requirement, the four-part form for a question shaped like data entry, the unintroduced-term test, and the rule that the consequence comes before the technical detail.

Do not paraphrase or summarize the file in place of reading it. The surfaced content is the point.

Step 2: Hold the reader while you write the turn

Write for a reader who knows the product and will not open the code. Name something they could observe. Put paths, identifiers, and line numbers below the question, or leave them out.

Before you use a term, check whether it appears in the work item or in this conversation. If it appears in neither, it is unintroduced: replace it with a concrete outcome rather than defining it mid-turn.

Step 3: Write the turn, then continue

The standard carries guidance only. There is no self-check to run and no verification step to add, so apply it as you write rather than as a pass afterward.

The standard is now in your context. Proceed to the next step of the skill that invoked you and finish its workflow.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Explanation Guidance AI skill do?

Surfaces Han's shared standard for explaining technical work to a reader who will not implement it into the calling skill's own context, so the caller writes its escalations, confirmation turns, and stops as a concrete outcome the reader could observe rather than as a mechanism. Use when a skill is about to ask a person a question, stop for an input, or explain a technical consequence to someone who will not open the code. Governs what a run says to a person in a turn, where readability-guidance governs the shape of a written deliverable. Runs in the caller's context and hands control strai...

Why use Explanation Guidance on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Explanation Guidance is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Explanation Guidance in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/testdouble/han/tree/main/han-communication/skills/explanation-guidance. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Explanation Guidance?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Explanation Guidance?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Explanation Guidance with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Explanation Guidance AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by testdouble under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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