ELI5: visual explanations anyone can follow
Install the open ELI5 Agent Skill and turn a topic into a simple, self-contained visual HTML explainer with big pictures and few words.
ELI5 stands for “explain like I’m five,” but this skill does not use a childish voice. It helps an AI select the one idea a beginner needs first and explain it with a familiar analogy, large diagrams, short labels, and a clear sequence.
The result is one self-contained HTML file that opens locally without required external assets. The skill also asks the AI to check the mobile layout, accessibility, reduced-motion behavior, and the accuracy of explanations that are current, disputed, or high-stakes.
What ELI5 installs
ELI5 is an Agent Skill: a small folder with reusable instructions that tells a supported AI app how to create a visual explanation. It is not a separate app, model, or image generator. The public GitHub repository contains the skill instructions, metadata, README, and MIT license.
- one essential idea at a time;
- three to six visual beats in a clear reading order;
- large diagrams, short labels, and a familiar analogy;
- one responsive HTML file with inline CSS, JavaScript, and graphics;
- a final check for accuracy, missing assets, mobile use, contrast, and reduced motion.
How the skill works
- You give the AI a topic and explicitly invoke ELI5 when needed.
- The AI identifies the first idea a complete beginner must understand.
- It chooses a familiar mental model and labels it as an analogy when it is not literal.
- It turns the explanation into three to six connected visual beats with very little text.
- It opens or renders the HTML and checks that the complete explanation works on desktop and mobile.
| You provide | ELI5 decides | You receive |
|---|---|---|
| A topic and, if relevant, the audience or facts to use | The core idea, analogy, visual sequence, and necessary caveat | One portable HTML file you can open and share |
For a current, controversial, medical, legal, financial, or otherwise high-stakes topic, the skill instructs the AI to verify the necessary facts and add a concise limitation or safety note. Simplicity should never erase a material risk or uncertainty.
Install it automatically
Paste the instruction below into ChatGPT Desktop, Claude Cowork, or a one-to-one Grok Bot. The machine-readable installation instructions tell the AI which verified package to use, how to detect its host, and how to confirm that the skill is enabled.
Install this: https://thefuture.im/guide/eli5
For a manual upload, download the complete ELI5 skill package as a ZIP. The package includes the required eli5/SKILL.md file, README, metadata, and license.
Install it in your AI app
| AI app | Manual route | Verify and invoke |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Desktop | Download eli5.zip. Open Plugins → Skills → Create → Upload from your computer, select the ZIP, and wait for the scan. | Confirm that eli5 is installed. Use “$eli5” with your topic. |
| Claude Cowork | Open Customize → Skills → + → Create skill → Upload a skill. Upload eli5.zip and toggle the skill on. | Confirm that eli5 is enabled. Use “/eli5” or name the skill in your request. |
| Grok Bot | Paste the installer prompt into a one-to-one Bot. Then open Settings → Plugins → Yours and enable the private skill for that Bot. | Confirm that eli5 appears in the / menu or enabled skills. Use “/eli5” with your topic. |
See the official instructions for Skills in ChatGPT.
Claude documents the current upload path under Add and use custom skills.
Grok explains private-skill activation under Skills and routines.
Give it a useful topic
Use $eli5 to explain how DNS works. Use a familiar analogy, but clearly show which part is only an analogy.
Use /eli5 to explain retrieval-augmented generation to colleagues who use AI but do not program. Deliver one self-contained Dutch HTML file.
Use the ELI5 skill to explain this policy from the attached document. Keep the legal terms accurate, distinguish the analogy from the actual rule, and cite the relevant sections.
Add the audience, language, source material, and any facts that must remain exact. You can also ask for a particular visual metaphor or brand style, but keep the reading order and accessibility more important than decoration.
Review the explanation
- Open the HTML and follow the visual sequence without extra explanation.
- Check that the analogy helps without contradicting the real mechanism.
- Test the mobile layout and make sure labels remain readable.
- Check important claims against the supplied or linked sources.
- Keep confidential information out of examples and screenshots.
Review the open instructions, attribution, and MIT license in the ELI5 source repository. Installing an external skill should always begin with checking and trusting its source.