explainer-primer

Build and publish multi-page plain-English explainer courses to Notion with automated quality audits.

Updated Jul 28, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/christian-byrne/comfy-skills --skill explainer-primer-christian-byrne
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: explainer-primer
Source: https://github.com/christian-byrne/comfy-skills/tree/main/skills/explainer-primer
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/christian-byrne/comfy-skills --skill explainer-primer-christian-byrne

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Systems that only their builders understand leave PMs, designers, and new hires stuck asking the same questions. This Skill turns a complex system into a multi-page, plain-English primer published as a linked Notion page tree, with machine-checked quality gates instead of manual review. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Structured course authoring: Scaffolds a primer.json config, chapter templates, and a series ordered by reader dependency, with Diátaxis explanation-style guidance and pedagogy patterns (orientation callouts, misconception callouts, check-yourself quizzes, one mermaid diagram per chapter). - Notion publishing pipeline: Converts a documented markdown subset (headings, tables, callouts, toggles, columns, mermaid diagrams) into native Notion blocks via the REST API, resolving {{slug}} cross-links and generating prev/next navigation in a two-pass publish. - Automated audit: A read-only check command verifies parenting, empty pages, leaked markdown, unresolved links, nav footers, per-chapter diagrams, hub completeness, and entry-point placement, exiting non-zero on failure. - Use Case: A team ships a design doc only engineers can read; use this Skill to produce a 10-chapter ELI5 primer with a glossary and FAQ, publish it under the design doc in Notion, and add "start here" callouts on the pages readers already visit. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to use the explainer-primer skill to create a beginner-friendly explainer course for this project and publish it to Notion under the main design doc.

Frequently Asked Questions about explainer-primer

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I publish a multi-page markdown course to Notion?▼

Author chapters as markdown files listed in primer.json, then run primer.py publish. The script creates every page first so {{slug}} cross-links resolve, then renders content as native Notion blocks with generated prev/next navigation.

How do I create an ELI5 explainer for a technical system?▼

Order chapters by reader dependency rather than architecture, build the hardest concept from something familiar before mapping it onto the system, and add orientation callouts, misconception callouts, and a check-yourself quiz per chapter. The skill's pedagogy reference provides the full template.

Does Notion render mermaid diagrams from markdown?▼

Yes. Notion renders fenced code blocks with language mermaid as live diagrams natively, so no image host or re-render step is needed. The md2notion script passes mermaid code blocks through directly.

Why does the Notion API hang when publishing from Python?▼

On hosts with a broken IPv6 route, urllib blocks in connect() where timeouts do not apply, looking like a deadlock. The script shells out to curl --ipv4 with --max-time instead, which forces IPv4 and enforces a real ceiling.

What are the Notion API limits for block content?▼

Appends accept at most 100 children per call, rich_text items cap at 2000 characters, nesting is limited to two levels per create, and throughput is roughly 3 requests per second. The scripts chunk appends, split long code bodies, and back off on 429 responses.

When should I not use an explainer primer format?▼

Do not use it for API reference, runbooks, or step-by-step tutorials; it is Diátaxis explanation material read away from the keyboard. Link to those other doc types instead of letting the primer drift into them.