Explanation Documentation Skill

This skill provides patterns for writing effective explanation documents. Explanations are understanding-oriented content for readers who want to know why things work the way they do.

Purpose & Audience

Target readers:

• Users who want to understand concepts deeply, not just use them
• Architects and technical leads evaluating design decisions
• Team members onboarding to a codebase or system
• Anyone asking "why?" or "how does this work?"

Explanations are for reading away from the keyboard. Unlike tutorials or how-to guides, readers aren't trying to accomplish a task while reading. They're building mental models.

Explanations are NOT:

• Tutorials (which teach through hands-on doing)
• How-To guides (which accomplish specific goals)
• Reference docs (which look up precise details)