Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Explain Fundamentals Tutor agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Explain skill is an agent skill: a folder of instructions that an AI agent loads so it can behave in a specific way. This one makes the agent give you spoken, interactive lessons on what you are working on, deep explanations of an area's core concepts, and quizzes that track what you got wrong. This guide shows what it does, how to install it, how to trigger it with plain requests, and what it needs before you rely on it.
Explain Fundamentals Tutordanielmiessler/LifeOS · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip. Download the Explain skill ZIP from this page and unzip it on your machine.
- 2Place the folder. Move the Explain folder into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 3Run setup. Follow Setup.md to set up the voice server and Fish Audio API key, then run the read-only check.
- 4Ask for a lesson. Say "teach me" or type /tm after a session to get a spoken lesson on what you just did.
- 5Ask for an explanation. Type /ef followed by an area name, such as a project or system, to get its fundamentals read from live sources.
- 6Take a quiz. Type /qf followed by an area name to answer application questions that the skill grades and records.
What the Explain skill makes the agent do
The skill has three jobs. Teach runs an interactive lesson on the topic in your current conversation, as a spoken dialogue where you answer as it goes. ExplainFundamentals gives a deep explanation of a standing area, such as a project or a piece of infrastructure, whether or not you touched it this session. QuizFundamentals asks you application questions about an area and records your answers.
Before explaining, the skill is meant to re-read the relevant project or system sources so the information reflects the present rather than memory. Over time it keeps a record of your quiz answers so later quizzes focus on your weak spots.
- Teach: a lesson on the current conversation topic, one question per turn
- ExplainFundamentals: a current explanation of one area's core parts and how they depend on each other
- QuizFundamentals: about 5 application questions by default, weighted toward past misses
Install the Explain skill from the ZIP
Download the ZIP for the skill from this page and unzip it. Put the resulting Explain folder in one of two places: your personal skills folder at ~/.claude/skills/, or a project's own .claude/skills/ folder if you want the skill available only in that project.
If you use the Claude apps instead of a folder on disk, open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the skill there.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside the project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
Run first-time setup for voice and narration
Spoken narration needs a voice server and a Fish Audio API key. The skill's Setup.md file covers this first-time setup and includes a read-only check you can run to confirm the pieces are in place.
Spoken narration is part of the lesson design. If you skip the voice setup, expect the spoken parts of the lessons not to work, and read the setup file before relying on that feature.
- Set up the voice server and Fish key as described in Setup.md
- Run the read-only check in Setup.md before your first lesson
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. The skill responds to plain requests such as "teach me this" or "walk me through this interactively". It also responds to shortcuts: /tm or /teach-me for a lesson, /ef followed by an area for an explanation, and /qf followed by an area for a quiz.
Use the area name in your request for explanations and quizzes, for example "/ef billing service" or "/qf home network". If you name no area, the skill uses the area the conversation has been working in.
- "teach me" or "/tm" right after a session: lesson on what you just did
- "/ef billing service": explanation of that area's fundamentals
- "/qf home network": quiz on that area, using your past answers
- "quiz me" right after a lesson: quiz on that lesson's material
Know what the skill is not for
The skill is built for longer lessons and quizzes. For a quick answer to one question, a normal chat question is faster. The skill also does not handle elaborating your last answer, the LifeOS core pitch, story explanations, visual maps, or discovery interviews on an unfinished idea; each of those has its own trigger.
- Not for: quick single-question answers
- Not for: elaborating your last answer (use the elaborate shortcut)
- Not for: visual maps (Visualize) or discovery interviews on a half-formed idea (/discuss)
Safety notes: scripts and network access
The skill runs scripts and uses the network. Its spoken narration depends on the voice server and the Fish Audio API key from setup. Its explanations come from reading live project and system sources, so the skill needs access to those files.
Quiz answers are stored. The skill appends every answer to a learning record, so if you do not want your answers kept, do not use QuizFundamentals.
- Runs scripts: yes
- Uses network: yes
- Stores every quiz answer in a learning record
- Requires your LifeOS project and infrastructure files to be present
What people use it for
- Understanding a system you just built or debugged, through a lesson on that session's work
- Keeping current on a set of projects or infrastructure you manage, through periodic explanations
- Learning by being quizzed, with questions aimed at your past misses
- Checking whether your understanding of a service still matches its live source
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the Explain agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. Place the Explain folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Is the Explain skill free?
The source material provided for this page does not state pricing or licence terms beyond the item's licence, which is MIT. The spoken narration also needs a Fish Audio API key, so check that service's own terms for its use.
What do I need before the Explain skill works?
You need a LifeOS environment with the project and infrastructure files the skill reads, plus a voice server and Fish Audio API key for spoken narration, set up through Setup.md. Without those files the skill has no sources to explain from.
Can I use the Explain skill without LifeOS?
The skill depends on the LifeOS setup and the referenced project files, so it is not meant for users without that environment. For general learning without it, a normal chat question is the better fit.
Does the Explain skill store my quiz answers?
Yes. The skill appends every quiz answer to a learning record so later quizzes focus on your weak spots. If you do not want answers stored, avoid QuizFundamentals.
How is this different from asking the agent to explain something normally?
The skill re-reads the relevant project or system sources before explaining, so the answer reflects the current state rather than memory, and it quizzes you on application questions and tracks the results over time.
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Our verdict
Choose the Explain skill if you are a developer who wants to understand a system you built or debugged, or you manage projects or infrastructure and want to stay current through lessons and quizzes. Skip it if you only need quick answers, do not have the LifeOS environment and project files, or do not want your quiz answers stored.
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