explain-concept

Generate interactive HTML explainers of academic concepts with quizzes, filed into an Obsidian vault.

5|Updated Sep 24, 2017
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/madyankin/dotfiles --skill explain-concept-madyankin
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: explain-concept
Source: https://github.com/madyankin/dotfiles/tree/main/.config/agents/skills/explain-concept
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/madyankin/dotfiles --skill explain-concept-madyankin

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Learning a new technical concept from scattered sources often ends in a forgotten browser tab. This Skill turns one concept — an algorithm, theorem, protocol, or physical mechanism — into a self-contained interactive HTML explainer with stepped visualizations and a five-question quiz, plus a Markdown stub and Anki flashcards filed into your Obsidian vault for long-term retention. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Interactive HTML explainers: Builds a single self-contained page (no CDN, works offline) with algorithm steppers, proof walkthroughs, parameter sliders, charts, and a clickable five-question quiz, validated by an automated harness (verify.js). - Obsidian integration: Resolves the destination folder from vault config or prior notes, writes a Markdown stub with frontmatter, wikilinks, a Mermaid diagram, and handles existing-note conflicts by extending rather than duplicating. - Anki flashcard handoff: Offers to convert the quiz, formal statements, and takeaways into 5–12 spaced-repetition cards via the anki-cards skill, recorded in the stub. - Use Case: Ask to explain "path compression in union-find" and receive a stepped visualization of the real algorithm running, a proof walk of the O(α(n)) bound, a misconception-driven quiz, and a vault note linked to prerequisite notes — with Anki cards pushed to your deck. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to explain a specific concept, e.g. "Explain how Dijkstra's algorithm works and file it in my vault."

Frequently Asked Questions about explain-concept

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I create an interactive explainer for an algorithm or technical concept?▼

Invoke the skill with one concept per run, such as "explain red-black tree deletion". It produces a self-contained HTML page with a stepper that runs the real algorithm, a proof walk, charts, and a five-question quiz, plus a Markdown stub filed into your Obsidian vault.

What output files does the explain-concept skill generate?▼

It generates two files: a self-contained HTML page with interactive figures and a quiz, and a Markdown stub for Obsidian containing frontmatter, a summary, key takeaways, prerequisite wikilinks, a Mermaid diagram, and a record of pushed Anki cards.

Does the HTML explainer work inside Obsidian?▼

Full interactivity requires opening the file:// URL in a browser. Inside Obsidian, HTML Reader sanitizes scripts so figures render empty and the quiz is read-only; the Markdown stub carries the summary, formulas, and a Mermaid diagram for mobile viewing.

Can the explainer page use MathJax or KaTeX for formulas?▼

No. The page must be fully self-contained with no CDN loads, so math is written with HTML helpers (.math, .eq, .frac) and Unicode symbols. The Markdown stub supports real LaTeX because the vault has obsidian-latex-suite installed.

What happens if a note on the concept already exists in my vault?▼

The skill never overwrites or duplicates an existing note. It either extends the existing explainer, creates a new file with a suffix naming the added layer (such as a proof or amortized analysis) linked from the original, or narrows the filename to the specific sub-concept.

How are Anki flashcards created from the explainer?▼

Card creation is delegated to the separate anki-cards skill, which owns the Anki connection. This skill offers 5–12 cards built from the quiz, formal statements, and takeaways, tagged with a concept slug, and records them in the stub using arrow notation rather than ::: lines.