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Plain-English Breakdown

Explains technical topics as who, what, where, why and when, in plain English

Source Download skill
Repository
thedotmack/claude-mem
Stars
110,174
Licence
Apache-2.0
Files
1 file

What it does

When you ask the agent to explain something technical, this skill tells it to break the topic down into five simple questions: who is involved, what it is, where it happens, why it matters, and when it applies. The result is a plain-English explanation aimed at someone who is not an expert. The skill contains no extra tools or data; it only changes how the agent frames its answer.

Great for

  • Non-experts who receive jargon-heavy material and want a quick summary
  • Students trying to grasp an unfamiliar technical concept
  • Managers or colleagues who need the gist of a technical discussion

Skip it if

  • Detailed technical work such as writing code or debugging, since it only shapes explanations (the skill adds no specialist knowledge)
  • Situations needing exact, verified facts, because the skill itself does not check accuracy against any source

Try asking

  • “What the? Explain to me the who, what, where, why, and when of this error message”
  • “That sounds mad technical. Break down how OAuth login works in plain English”
  • “Explain the who, what, where, why, and when of this database migration plan”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Plain-English BreakdownInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 1 original files, the Apache-2.0 licence and an attribution note.

    what-the.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip what-the.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip what-the.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Paste the technical text or name the topic directly in your request so the agent has something concrete to explain.
  • Follow up with 'go deeper on the how' if the five-question summary leaves out detail you need.

What's inside

  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from thedotmack/claude-mem under the Apache-2.0 licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.