Explain It Like I'm Five

Explain It Like I'm Five is a skill for AI agents. It rewrites one answer into five levels, from simple to precise, so you get the plain version first and the fuller version after that.

Add it to Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, and similar agents when one answer is correct but still harder to follow than it should be.

This repo gives you the landing page and the Markdown skill file you install.

Start Here

• Live site: explainitlikeim.com
• Download the skill file: public/downloads/explain-it-like-im-5.md
• Raw download: raw.githubusercontent.com/.../explain-it-like-im-5.md
• Read why the five-level structure works: public/downloads/references/learning-principles.md
• Local development notes: docs/development.md

If you are here for the skill, start with public/downloads/explain-it-like-im-5.md.

What It Does

• Gives you five versions of one answer: 🧸, ✏️, 🎒, 📚, and 🎓
• Starts simple, then adds detail without changing the core truth
• Works well for code, docs, papers, bugs, plans, APIs, and the usual weird questions
• Saves you from asking for a simpler rewrite right after the first answer

How It Works

1. Download the Markdown skill file.
2. Add it to Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, or a similar AI agent setup.
3. Ask your question. You get five clearer versions back, starting with the simplest one.

Example Output

Try it with:

why do we have a surplus?

You get:

🧸: A surplus means you have money left after paying for the things you needed.

---

✏️: In a budget, a surplus means you planned some money for spending, but part of it did not get used.

---

🎒: A budget surplus happens when income is higher than spending, or when spending ends up lower than expected. The leftover amount is the surplus.

---

📚: A budget surplus is the amount left when revenue or available funds are greater than spending over the same period. In a company or office budget, that usually means some planned money was not spent.

---

🎓: A budget surplus is the positive balance that remains when revenue or allocated funds exceed expenditures for a defined period. It can come from higher-than-expected income, lower costs, delayed purchases, or deliberate underspending. The next question is usually whether to save it, reallocate it, or return it.

Why This Works

People understand more when explanations arrive in smaller, clearer steps.

The skill gives you one simple version first, then adds detail step by step. That makes the answer easier to follow without asking for another rewrite right away.

If you want the longer research notes, read public/downloads/references/learning-principles.md.

Where The Skill File Lives

The skill file lives here:

public/downloads/explain-it-like-im-5.md

If you only need the install file, stop there. The rest of the repo is the landing page and the supporting material around it.

Repo Structure

Short version:

.
├── public/
│   └── downloads/
│       ├── explain-it-like-im-5.md
│       └── references/
│           └── learning-principles.md
├── src/
│   └── App.jsx
├── docs/
│   └── development.md
└── README.md

• public/downloads/explain-it-like-im-5.md is the skill file you install
• public/downloads/references/learning-principles.md explains the learning principles behind the five-level structure
• src/App.jsx contains the main landing-page structure and copy
• docs/development.md covers local debug notes

Development

This repo uses Node 22.

Install dependencies and run the site locally:

nvm use
npm install
npm run dev

Build the production version:

npm run build

Preview the built site locally:

npm run preview

Live site deploys from main only.

Licensed under the MIT License.