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Agent skill

Explain Flow

by meain in meain/dotfiles

Explain how code flows with concrete input/output examples, ASCII diagrams, and before/after tables.

MITAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Explain Flow

skills CLI
$ npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill explain-flow -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install meain/dotfiles explain-flow --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/meain/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/agents/.agents/skills/explain-flow .claude/skills/explain-flow && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
explain-flow
GitHub stars
285
Token cost
~857 tokens
SKILL.md length
377 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
36
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Explain how code flows with concrete input/output examples, ASCII diagrams, and before/after tables.

  • Works in 2 steps: Gather the source material → Write the explanation
  • Tasks that involve Diagrams
  • SKILL.md covers Step 1 — Gather the source…, Step 2 — Write the explanation and Guidelines
  • Calls gh

What it does

Explain Flow is an agent skill from meain/dotfiles. Explain how code flows with concrete input/output examples, ASCII diagrams, and before/after tables. Works on PRs, functions, modules, or any code path. Triggers: /explain-flow, "explain this PR", "explain this function", "explain this module", "how does this flow", "walk me through", "explain the change in"

Its SKILL.md is about 860 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Development, covering Diagrams. The repository describes itself as: If there is a shell, there is a way! The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Diagrams

Example prompts

  • “explain this PR”
  • “explain this function”
  • “explain this module”
  • “/explain-flow”

Workflow steps

2 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Gather the source material
  2. Write the explanation

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit f469fb6. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • gh

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use gh, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Explain Flow loads about 857 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 81 tokens; SKILL.md has 377 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~81
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~857

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from meain/dotfiles at commit f469fb6, republished under its MIT licence (© meain). 377 words, ~857 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/explain-flow/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
explain-flow
description
Explain how code flows with concrete input/output examples, ASCII diagrams, and before/after tables. Works on PRs, functions, modules, or any code path. Triggers: /explain-flow, "explain this PR", "explain this function", "explain this module", "how does this flow", "walk me through", "explain the change in"

/explain-flow — Explain Code with Concrete Examples

Produce a clear explanation of how data flows through a PR, function, or module. The goal is to build the reader's mental model first, then confirm it with code — not to narrate the diff line by line.

Step 1 — Gather the source material

  • PR: gh pr view and gh pr diff. Read all changed files.
  • Function: Read the function and its callers/callees one level in each direction.
  • Module/package: Read the public API surface and key internal wiring.

For PRs and refactors, understand what the code did before the change and what it does after before writing anything.

Step 2 — Write the explanation

Work through these sections in order. Each one builds on the last.

Background

Orient the reader before touching the code. Assume no prior knowledge of the surrounding system. Cover:

  • What the surrounding system does (one short paragraph)
  • What was missing, broken, or constrained that prompted this change
  • Any architectural rules or design decisions that shaped the approach
Intuition

Explain the 2–4 core ideas in the change before showing any real code. Use toy examples and analogies. For each concept:

  • Name it
  • Make it concrete with a minimal before/after or a simple example
  • State why it matters

This section should make the Code section feel like confirmation rather than discovery. Don't front-load implementation detail here — that belongs in the next section.

Show full SKILL.md (149 more words)Show less
Code walkthrough

One-paragraph summary of what the change does and why, then a step-by-step trace through the key code path using realistic example data. Show actual values at each step:

Input: GET /api/items?filter=active
  1. Parse filters      → { status: "active" }
  2. Check permissions  → { orgIDs: ["org-1"], tenantIDs: ["t-1"] }
  3. Query DB           → SELECT ... WHERE status='active' AND org_id IN ('org-1')
  4. Return             → [{ id: "item-1", status: "active" }]

When a transformation spans multiple steps, show the data in both old and new form at each step — not just the endpoints. The reader should see the value mutating stage by stage.

When there are meaningful branches, add a decision matrix:

| Input condition       | Path taken     | Result          |
|----------------------|----------------|-----------------|
| flag ON + authorized | new + old path | union of both   |
| flag OFF             | old path only  | legacy behavior |
| neither authorized   | early return   | empty response  |
Other changes (PRs only)

Briefly list mechanical or supporting changes — test updates, config, helpers — that don't affect the core flow.

Guidelines

  • Use realistic field names and values from the actual code, not generic placeholders.
  • Keep examples short but complete: enough to see the transformation, not every field.
  • Prefer ASCII flow notation over prose for multi-step pipelines.
  • Pick the 2-3 most important code paths; don't trace every branch.
  • For modules, lead with the happy path, then note error/edge cases.

© meain, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in agents/.agents/skills/explain-flow of meain/dotfiles.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit f469fb6

Compare with similar skills

Explain Flow next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Explain Flow compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Explain Flow this skillmeain/dotfiles285—~857Automated safety check: PassMIT
JSON Canvasheyitsnoah/claudesidian2.6k18 repos~3.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Archify Diagramstt-a1i/archify79k—~2.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Diagram Designcathrynlavery/diagram-design44k1 repos~7.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Fireworks Tech Graphtisfeng/Easydict15k1 repos~1.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Excalidraw Diagramcoleam00/excalidraw-diagram-skill4.9k2 repos~6.1kAutomated safety check: PassNone

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Categories

Questions about Explain Flow

What does Explain Flow do?

Explain how code flows with concrete input/output examples, ASCII diagrams, and before/after tables. Explain Flow is an agent skill from meain/dotfiles. Explain how code flows with concrete input/output examples, ASCII diagrams, and before/after tables.

When should I use Explain Flow?

Explain Flow fits situations like: tasks that involve Diagrams.

How do I install Explain Flow in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill explain-flow -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (agents/.agents/skills/explain-flow in meain/dotfiles) into .claude/skills/explain-flow in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Explain Flow in Codex?

Run `npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill explain-flow -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (agents/.agents/skills/explain-flow in meain/dotfiles) into .agents/skills/explain-flow in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Explain Flow in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill explain-flow -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/explain-flow, .gemini/skills/explain-flow, .github/skills/explain-flow and .opencode/skills/explain-flow in your project.

What does Explain Flow need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Explain Flow needs the command-line tools its instructions call (gh).

Does Explain Flow access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use gh, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Explain Flow safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Explain Flow use?

Explain Flow is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Explain Flow use?

About 857 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Explain Flow?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Explain Flow: JSON Canvas (heyitsnoah/claudesidian, 2.6k stars), Archify Diagrams (tt-a1i/archify, 79k stars), Diagram Design (cathrynlavery/diagram-design, 44k stars) and Fireworks Tech Graph (tisfeng/Easydict, 15k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Explain Flow?

meain (a GitHub user) maintains it in meain/dotfiles, which has 285 GitHub stars. The repository holds 36 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 5, 2026.

Source: meain/dotfiles on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.