Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Story Explanation Writer agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
StoryExplanation is an agent skill that turns a video, web page, file, pasted text or the current conversation into a short first-person narrative, or a numbered list of standalone points you can post to social media. This guide explains what the skill makes the agent do, how to install it, how to ask for each output format, and what it needs to run. By the end you will be able to install the skill, run a request, and check the result before you publish it.
Story Explanation Writerdanielmiessler/LifeOS · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the StoryExplanation ZIP from the directory page.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into the project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP.
- 4Install Bun and fabric. Make sure Bun and the fabric command-line tool are available, since the checker and fetching depend on them.
- 5Set up your voice. Optionally follow Setup.md to create Config.md and a voice file in your LifeOS customisation folder.
- 6Make a request. Ask for a story explanation, abridged summary or CSE list and include the source.
- 7Review the output. Compare the result with the source before you post it under your name.
What does the StoryExplanation skill make the agent do?
The skill reads a source and rewrites its main idea as a narrative in the first person. It explores several framings, picks the strongest, and writes it in the format you asked for. Each point is written to stand alone, so any single one can be lifted into a social post.
The agent can produce a 3-part story (opening, body and closing), a version with inline source links, a 5-line abridged summary with 5-12 words per line, or a numbered CSE list. A bundled checker script then verifies that the output matches the requested format and length. The checker does not judge voice or accuracy.
- 3-part narrative: the default Create format
- Inline links: CreateWithLinks, adds citations after sentences
- Abridged: five lines of 5-12 words each
- CSE: numbered points, default 8, range 3-50
- CSE5: a condensed five-point version
Install the StoryExplanation skill
You can install the skill in one of two ways. Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into your user skills folder at ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want it only for that project. Alternatively, in the Claude apps, go to Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP there.
After installing, start a new session so the agent can see the skill.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Set up your voice (optional but recommended)
The skill writes in the voice set in a config file at LIFEOS/USER/CUSTOMIZATIONS/SKILLS/StoryExplanation/Config.md. That file names a voice file and voice notes. The setup steps are in Setup.md inside the skill.
If the config is missing, the agent says so once and uses generic defaults: first person, plain and conversational, with nothing saved. It will not borrow another person's voice.
Requirements and what to install first
The skill needs the Bun runtime to run its checker script, Tools/CheckFormat.ts. It also needs the fabric command-line tool to fetch content: fabric -y for YouTube transcripts and fabric -u for web pages. Plain text and files do not need fabric.
An opinion-lookup command and an explainer MCP tool are optional and only used if you configure them in Config.md.
- Bun runtime (runs the format checker)
- fabric command-line tool (fabric -y for YouTube, fabric -u for web pages)
- Optional: Config.md and a voice file
- Optional: an opinion-lookup command or MCP explainer tool
How to trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need special syntax. Describe what you want and include the source. The skill routes on phrases such as 'story explanation', 'narrative summary', 'abridged', 'with links' and 'CSE'. A YouTube URL is fetched with fabric -y, any other http or https link with fabric -u, and a file path is read directly.
- "Create a story explanation for this video" plus a YouTube URL
- "Story explanation with links for this article" plus a URL
- "Give me an abridged 5-line summary of this" plus a URL
- "/cse 12 leaky abstraction" for a 12-point CSE list
- "CSE5" or "5 lines" for the five-point condensed version
Safety notes: scripts and network access
This skill runs scripts and uses the network. The checker runs locally with Bun, and fabric fetches the content you point it at. Only give it sources you are happy to have fetched.
The skill's own guidance says the user reviews and owns the output, and it can drift from the source. Read every explanation against the original before you post it under your name.
- Runs scripts: Tools/CheckFormat.ts via Bun
- Uses the network: fabric fetches YouTube transcripts and web pages
- Check every output against the source before publishing
Tips for better results
Name the format and length you want. For CSE, say the line count, and add a word count if you need one. Use CSE5 when you want the fixed five-point form. Use the Research skill, not this one, for broad investigation across several sources.
- Say the length explicitly, for example "CSE 12"
- Use Research for multi-source investigation
- Use a Config.md voice file so the output sounds like you
What people use it for
- Turning a long YouTube video into a short narrative post in your own voice
- Repurposing an article into a numbered CSE list where each point stands alone on social media
- Producing a five-line abridged summary of a web page for a newsletter teaser
- Summarising pasted notes or the current conversation as a story
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the StoryExplanation skill?
Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.
What does the StoryExplanation skill require?
It requires the Bun runtime to run its checker script and the fabric command-line tool to fetch YouTube transcripts and web pages. A Config.md file and voice file are optional.
Is StoryExplanation free?
The source does not state pricing or licence terms for this skill, so check the directory page. The repository it comes from is listed under the MIT licence.
Why does the skill need fabric?
Fabric fetches the source. The skill uses fabric -y for YouTube transcripts and fabric -u for web pages, because the skill's guidance says WebFetch returns a summary rather than the page text.
How is this different from the Research skill?
StoryExplanation is built around summarising one source. The skill says broad, multi-source research belongs to the separate Research skill.
What if the output drifts from the source?
The skill can drift from the source, so review each explanation yourself. The bundled checker only checks format, counts and structure, not voice or accuracy.
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Our verdict
StoryExplanation suits creators and marketers who regularly turn one video or article into short posts and want them to sound like them. Skip it for multi-source research, original posts not based on a source, or anything you will publish without reading it against the original.
Download the skill