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explain

Traces source code back to original session transcripts to explain its intent.

Updated Aug 22, 2026
Search Tags:#code explanation#commit history#session transcript#git blame#code intent#entire cli
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/squidllee/skills --skill explain-squidllee
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: explain
Source: https://github.com/squidllee/skills/tree/main/explain
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/squidllee/skills --skill explain-squidllee

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? When reading unfamiliar code, developers often struggle to understand why a function, file, or line exists. This Skill recovers the original reasoning behind code by locating the commit that introduced it and reading the session transcript where it was created. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Function-level intent tracing: Identify the commit that introduced a function via git blame and retrieve the conversation that produced it. - File and line-level history: Explain the purpose of an entire file or the reason a specific line was added or modified. - Transcript retrieval: Read the original session transcript for a commit using the Entire CLI's checkpoint explain command. - Use Case: You inherit a codebase and find a puzzling utility function. Invoke this Skill with the function name to discover the original requirement and discussion that led to its creation. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to explain why a specific function, file, or line of code exists in this repository.

Frequently Asked Questions about explain

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I find out why a function exists in a codebase?▼

Invoke the explain skill with the function name. It uses git blame or git log to find the commit that introduced the function, then reads the original session transcript for that commit to reveal the reasoning behind it.

How to trace the history of a specific line of code?▼

Pass the line of code to the explain skill, which identifies the introducing commit via git blame and retrieves the session transcript using entire checkpoint explain with the commit SHA.

What is required to use the explain skill?▼

The Entire CLI must be installed, verified by running entire version. The target file must also be tracked by git, and the code must be committed so a transcript can be traced.

Why does explain fail on uncommitted code?▼

Uncommitted code has no git history to trace, so git blame returns no useful result. The skill stops and reports that the code has not been committed yet, since there is no commit to link to a transcript.

What happens if no session transcript exists for a commit?▼

The skill reports that no session transcript was found for the commit. This typically means the commit was created outside of an Entire session, such as a manual commit.

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