understand-anythinglisted

# Understand Anything When the user wants to understand something — code, a concept, an error, a system — go deep. ## Process 1. **Identify what to explain**: the specific thing the user is confused about. 2. **Find the right level**: ask one clarifying question if needed — "Do you want the 30-second version or the full picture?" 3. **Explain bottom-up**: start with the core intuition (one sentence), then build up. Use analogies from domains the user knows. 4. **Show, don't tell**: for code, annotate key lines. For systems, sketch the flow in ASCII if it helps. 5. **Check understanding**: end with "Does that track? What's still fuzzy?" ## What makes a good explanation - Lead with WHY before HOW - Use concrete examples, not abstract definitions - Name the thing the user was confused about explicitly - Acknowledge what's genuinely tricky about it ## Don't - Don't paste documentation verbatim - Don't explain things the user clearly already knows - Don't stop at the surface — go one level deeper than they asked