Explain

Produce a precise, structured explanation of a technical topic in this codebase.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS

Output Requirements

Your goal is to produce an explanation that is:

• •Mathematically correct: No hand-waving or imprecise statements
• •Epistemically correct: Every claim cites its source; unknowns are marked as unknown
• •Structured: Readable sections, tables, code references

Workflow

1. •

   Gather sources first

   • •Read all relevant source files (don't guess from memory)
   • •Check git history for provenance of key decisions
   • •Look for specs, docs, comments that explain "why"
2. •

   Structure your explanation

   code

   ## Executive Summary
   [1-3 sentences: what is this, what's the answer/situation]
   
   ## 1. [First concept needed to understand]
   **Source**: [file:lines](path#Lstart-Lend)
   [Explanation with code snippets if helpful]
   
   ## N. Epistemic Status
   | Claim | Source | Justified? |
   |-------|--------|------------|
   | ... | ... | ✅/❌/⚠️ |
   
   ## Open Questions
   [What remains unknown or unverified]
   

3. •

   For every claim, note its source

   • •Code: [file.rs:42](path/file.rs#L42)
   • •Math: "standard result" or cite paper/theorem
   • •Design decision: commit hash + author, or "no documented justification"
   • •Hypothesis: explicitly mark as "hypothesis" or "unverified"

Epistemic Markers

• •✅ Justified: Directly stated in code/spec/math, or trivially follows
• •⚠️ Hypothesis: Plausible but not verified
• •❌ Unjustified: No documented reason found
• •🔍 Needs investigation: Could be determined but hasn't been checked

Anti-Patterns

• •Don't guess file contents — read them
• •Don't hide uncertainty — if you don't know, say "unknown"
• •Don't skip the epistemic status table — it's the most valuable part