navalexplain

name	NavalExplain
description	Visual learning through multi-model explanation, ASCII diagrams, and interactive drill-down. USE WHEN naval-explain, naval explain, explain visually, visual learning, help me understand, break this down visually, diagram this concept, I don't get this, explain like Naval.

Customization

Before executing, check for user customizations at: ~/.claude/skills/PAI/USER/SKILLCUSTOMIZATIONS/NavalExplain/

If this directory exists, load and apply any PREFERENCES.md, configurations, or resources found there. These override default behavior. If the directory does not exist, proceed with skill defaults.

🚨 MANDATORY: Voice Notification (REQUIRED BEFORE ANY ACTION)

You MUST send this notification BEFORE doing anything else when this skill is invoked.

1. Send voice notification:

   curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8888/notify \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"message": "Running the NavalExplain skill to break down a concept visually"}' \
     > /dev/null 2>&1 &
   

2. Output text notification:

   Running the **NavalExplain** skill to break down a concept visually...
   

This is not optional. Execute this curl command immediately upon skill invocation.

NavalExplain

Interactive visual learning inspired by Naval Ravikant's approach: query multiple AI models in parallel, identify the clearest explanation, then drill down with diagrams, analogies, and visuals until the "aha moment."

Core Principles

1. Simplest level first — No jargon. Foundational understanding before complexity.
2. User drives the depth — Always ask what doesn't click. Never dump information.
3. Visuals are the medium — Mermaid diagrams, ASCII art, analogies. Text walls are failure.
4. Multi-model diversity — Different models see different angles. Use that.

Workflow Routing

Workflow	Trigger	File
Explain	User pastes text, asks to understand something, or invokes /naval-explain	Workflows/Explain.md
DrillDown	User says what doesn't click, asks for more visuals, wants deeper on a concept	Workflows/DrillDown.md
Save	User explicitly asks to save, /save, "save this session"	Workflows/Save.md

Mode Detection

User Input	Route
Pastes a paragraph + "/naval-explain"	→ Explain workflow (full multi-model)
Pastes text + "help me understand"	→ Explain workflow
"I don't get the X part" / "what about Y"	→ DrillDown workflow
"diagram this" / "show me visually"	→ DrillDown workflow
"draw me an image of this" / "illustrate"	→ DrillDown workflow (with Art skill flag)
"save this" / "/save"	→ Save workflow

Visual Output Defaults

CRITICAL: NEVER output raw ```mermaid code blocks. They render as unreadable text in the terminal.

Type	When	Format
ASCII diagrams	Relationships, flows, processes, hierarchies, comparisons	Monospace box-drawing (primary visual format)
Analogies	Abstract concepts that need grounding	Plain text with concrete comparisons
Rendered PNG	ONLY when user asks for "render diagram" or "show as image"	Mermaid → PNG via RenderMermaid.sh → display with Read tool
AI Images	ONLY when user explicitly asks for illustration/image	Art skill invocation

ASCII is the default. It renders perfectly in any terminal with zero dependencies. Use box-drawing characters (─ │ ┌ ┐ └ ┘ ├ ┤ ┬ ┴ ┼), arrows (→ ← ↑ ↓ ──▶ ◀──), and tables for all visual explanations.

Examples

Example 1: Understanding a dense paragraph

User: [pastes paragraph about quantum entanglement] /naval-explain
→ Invokes Explain workflow
→ Spawns ClaudeResearcher + GeminiResearcher in parallel
→ Synthesizes: "Here are the 3 key concepts in this paragraph..."
→ Asks: "Which of these doesn't click for you?"
→ User: "I get superposition but not how measurement affects the other particle"
→ Invokes DrillDown workflow
→ Generates Mermaid diagram showing measurement → collapse → correlation
→ Asks: "Does this connection make sense now, or should I try a different angle?"

Example 2: Quick concept breakdown

User: "naval-explain option Greeks in finance"
→ Invokes Explain workflow
→ Multi-model query on option Greeks
→ Returns: "4 key concepts: Delta, Gamma, Theta, Vega..."
→ ASCII art showing how each Greek relates to price movement
→ "Which one feels fuzzy?"

Example 3: Save a session

User: "save this"
→ Invokes Save workflow
→ Saves diagrams + explanations to ~/.claude/MEMORY/LEARNING/{date}_{topic}/
→ Confirms what was saved

Integration

Uses

• Research — ClaudeResearcher + GeminiResearcher for multi-model parallel queries
• Art — AI image generation (ONLY on explicit request)

Feeds Into

• MEMORY/LEARNING/ — Saved sessions become persistent knowledge