mthds-explain

name	mthds-explain
description	Explain and document MTHDS bundles. Use when user says "what does this pipeline do?", "explain this workflow", "explain this method", "walk me through this .mthds file", "describe the flow", "document this pipeline", "how does this work?", or wants to understand an existing MTHDS method bundle.
min_mthds_version	0.17.0
allowed-tools	["Bash","Read","Write","Edit","Grep","Glob"]

Explain MTHDS bundles

Analyze and explain existing MTHDS method bundles in plain language.

Process

Do not write .mthds files manually, do not do any other work. The CLI is required for validation, formatting, and execution — without it the output will be broken.

No backend setup needed: This skill works without configuring inference backends or API keys. You can start building/validating methods right away.

Step 1: Read the .mthds File

Read the entire bundle file to understand its structure.

Step 2: Identify Components

List all components found in the bundle:

• Domain: the top-level domain key (bundle header, not a [domain] section)
• Concepts: all [concept.*] blocks — note which are custom vs references to native concepts
• Pipes: all [pipe.*] blocks — identify the main pipe and sub-pipes
• Main pipe: the top-level main_pipe key (bundle header, not a [bundle] section)

Step 3: Trace Execution Flow

Starting from the main pipe, trace the execution path:

1. For PipeSequence: follow the steps array in order
2. For PipeBatch: identify batch_over and batch_as, then the inner pipe
3. For PipeParallel: list all branches
4. For PipeCondition: map condition → pipe for each branch
5. For PipeLLM / PipeExtract / PipeImgGen / PipeSearch / PipeFunc: these are leaf operations

Step 4: Present Explanation

Structure the explanation as:

1. Purpose: one-sentence summary of what the method does
2. Inputs: list each input with its concept type and expected content
3. Output: the final output concept and what it contains
4. Step-by-step flow: walk through execution in order, explaining what each pipe does
5. Key concepts: explain any custom concepts defined in the bundle

Step 5: Generate Flow Diagram

Create a text diagram showing the execution flow. Example:

main_sequence
  1. step_one (PipeLLM) -> intermediate_result
  2. step_two (PipeExtract) -> final_output

Inputs: input_a, input_b
Output: final_output

Adapt the format to the method structure (linear, branching, batched).

Step 6: Optional — Validate

If the user wants to confirm the method is valid:

mthds-agent validate bundle <file>.mthds -L <bundle-dir>/

Step 7: Optional — Visual Graph

For an interactive flowchart without running the method, use validate with --graph:

mthds-agent validate bundle <file>.mthds -L <bundle-dir>/ --graph

This generates dry_run.html next to the bundle — a static flowchart of the method structure.

Reference

• Error Handling — read when CLI returns an error to determine recovery
• MTHDS Agent Guide — read for CLI command syntax or output format details
• MTHDS Language Reference — read for concept definitions and syntax
• Native Content Types — read when explaining what data flows through pipes (e.g., what attributes Page or Image content carries)