atlas-explain
Atlas Explain
Select and combine methods from the request and conversation, or use the visual-artifact guidance below alone when the available context supports the explanation. Read and follow the references needed for the selected methods. An explicit method choice guides selection. Ask only when ambiguity would materially change the investigation or deliverable. When the user asks to explore options, present the relevant methods with short descriptions and a recommendation.
Use Teach for guided learning or when an explanation has not landed; let it coordinate How and Why for mechanics and rationale. Select Catch Up when the user asks about this chat’s recent work or pending decisions. Adapt the methods as follow-up questions change what the user needs to understand.
| Method | Need | Read and follow |
|---|---|---|
| How | Trace how the code works: architecture, runtime flow and where responsibilities live. | How |
| Why | Investigate why it was built this way: decisions, constraints and trade-offs supported by historical evidence. | Why |
| Teach | Build understanding at your pace, combining mechanics and rationale in a plain conversation. | Teach |
| Interface | Explain a website's frontend or one visual mechanism from a live page; treat a screenshot as a reconstruction. | Interface |
| Catch Up | Catch up on this chat’s work and pending decisions, with evidence and useful visuals. | Catch Up |
Visual artifacts
When the user requests a visual explanation artifact, an interactive explanation or visual HTML, create an HTML explanation with big pictures and little words, preserving essential details. Choose visuals that fit the subject; use real-world pictures and icons selectively. Keep prose concise, plain and accessible to someone new to the subject.
This guidance can stand alone or present the findings of selected methods. Reuse their evidence and preserve uncertainty. Other methods retain their own diagrams and images without requiring an HTML artifact.