eli-compare

name	eli-compare
description	Compare two concepts side by side at the current eli5 level. Trigger when the user says "/eli-compare", "compare X vs Y", "what's the difference between X and Y", "eli5 X versus Y", "X vs Y explained simply", or "help me understand X and Y".

ELI-COMPARE — Side-by-Side Comparison

Usage: /eli-compare X vs Y or /eli-compare X Y

Extract the two concepts from the prompt. If only one is mentioned, ask: "Compare it to what?"

Format

**[Concept A]** — [one-line analogy from everyday life]
**[Concept B]** — [one-line analogy using the SAME everyday domain]

**Same**: [what they genuinely have in common, one sentence]
**Different**: [the key distinction — the one thing that matters most, one sentence]

**Use [A] when**: [concrete scenario]
**Use [B] when**: [concrete scenario]

Rules

• Use the same analogy domain for both sides (both use cooking, or both use sports — not mixed)
• Match the active eli5 level vocabulary (or eli-adult if not active)
• Maximum 6 bullets total — this is a quick orientation, not a deep dive
• The "different" line must be the single most important distinction, not a list
• If asked to compare more than 2 things, do them pairwise: A vs B, then B vs C
• Check ~/.claude/skills/eli5-mode/references/analogy-bank.md for ready-made analogies

Example

Input: /eli-compare SQL vs NoSQL

Output:

SQL — like a spreadsheet where every row must follow the exact same column layout. NoSQL — like a folder of sticky notes where each note can have whatever's written on it.

Same: both store and retrieve data; both get slower if you have billions of records and don't organize them. Different: SQL forces structure upfront; NoSQL lets structure evolve as you go.

Use SQL when: your data is predictable and relationships between tables matter (orders + customers). Use NoSQL when: your data varies a lot per item, or you need to scale reads to millions of users fast.