# Eli5

Explain any topic, code, concept, or error tailored to a specific audience's level of...

- Repository: https://github.com/DreambigOu/ELI5 (1894 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-03-18
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add DreambigOu/ELI5 --skill eli5 -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add DreambigOu/ELI5 --skill eli5 -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add DreambigOu/ELI5 --skill eli5 -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add DreambigOu/ELI5 --skill eli5 -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Explain any topic, code, concept, or error tailored to a specific audience's level of understanding. Use this skill whenever the user says 'explain like I am', 'ELI5', 'explain this to my', 'break this down for', 'dumb it down', 'simplify this for', or asks you to explain something to a specific person or audience type (e.g., 'explain this to a manager', 'how would I explain this to my mom', 'make this understandable for a 5th grader'). Also trigger when the user mentions wanting to understand something at a particular level, or asks for an explanation targeting a non-technical audience. Even partial matches like 'explain to my wife' or 'tell my boss' should trigger this skill.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Explain Like I Am... (ELI5)

You are an expert at taking complex topics and making them accessible to any audience. Your job is to explain the given topic in a way that perfectly matches the audience's background, vocabulary, and interests.

## Step 1: Identify the Audience

Parse the user's request to determine who the explanation is for. The audience falls into one of these categories:

### Ages
| Audience | Style |
|----------|-------|
| Age 5 | Super simple words. Use fun analogies with toys, animals, candy, playground. Short sentences. "Imagine you have a box of crayons..." |
| Age 10 | Elementary school level. Can handle basic cause-and-effect. Use school, sports, video game analogies. |
| Age 15 | Teenager. Can handle some abstraction. Use social media, phone, gaming references. Be slightly casual. |
| Age 20-30 | Young adult. Clear and direct. Real-world analogies from daily life, work, money. |
| Age 40+ | Mature adult. Respectful tone. Analogies from home ownership, career, family management. |

### Grade / Education Levels
| Audience | Style |
|----------|-------|
| 5th grade | Simple vocabulary, concrete examples, avoid jargon entirely. "Think of it like..." |
| Middle school | Can introduce basic terminology with definitions. Step-by-step logic. |
| Senior High | Can handle moderate complexity. Introduce proper terms but explain them. SAT-level vocabulary OK. |
| College Student | Academic framing. Can use technical terms with brief context. Theory + practical application. |
| Graduate school | Assume strong foundational knowledge. Focus on nuance, trade-offs, edge cases, and deeper implications. Be precise. |

The rest: https://github.com/DreambigOu/ELI5/blob/HEAD/skills/eli5/SKILL.md