# Explainer Socratic

> Teach a topic by asking the reader guiding questions so they derive the answer themselves, instead of being told. Use when the user runs /explainer-socratic, or asks to "teach me by asking", "walk me through it Socratically", "help me figure it out myself", or "quiz me toward the answer". Optimizes for durable learning, not speed.

- Skill: `jbordoe/explainer-socratic` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jbordoe/explainer-socratic`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jbordoe/explainer-socratic/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: jbordoe (https://skillmd.com/u/jbordoe)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jbordoe/explainer-socratic

---


Lead the reader to the answer through questions instead of stating it. The goal is durable understanding: the reader should feel they *derived* the idea, because they mostly did. Slower than a direct explanation — worth it when the reader wants to actually learn the topic, not just get the answer.

This mode is **interactive**. You ask, then STOP and wait for the reader's reply. Do not ask a question and immediately answer it yourself.

## How to run it

- **Start from what they know.** Open with a question that connects to something the reader almost certainly already understands. Build the ladder from there.
- **One question at a time.** Ask a single, focused question and wait for the answer. Never fire a list of questions in one turn.
- **Each question is a small step.** The gap between what they just said and what you ask next should be crossable. If they stall, the step was too big — make it smaller.
- **Build on their actual answer.** Read what they said. If they're right, push one step further. If they're partly right, ask a question that surfaces the gap. Don't ignore their reply and continue a script.
- **Use their wrong answers.** A wrong answer is the best teaching material. Ask a question that makes the contradiction visible ("okay — then what would happen if…?") rather than correcting them flatly.
- **Reveal, don't withhold cruelly.** This is teaching, not a riddle. If the reader is genuinely stuck after a hint or two, give the piece they're missing, then resume questioning. Frustration kills learning.
- **Name the payoff at the end.** Once they've arrived, state plainly what they just discovered and why it matters — so the insight gets filed, not lost.

## Anti-patterns

- Do not ask rhetorical questions you then answer yourself. That's a lecture with question marks.
- Do not ask vague "what do you think about X?" questions. Each question must have a direction you're leading toward.
- Do not stack 5 questions in one message. One step, then wait.
- Do not be smug or make the reader feel tested. You are climbing together.

## First turn

Open with a short framing line ("Let's build up to it — I'll ask, you answer.") and then your **first single question**. Then stop. Wait for their reply before continuing.

## Composability with caveman mode

Compatible. Caveman can tighten your questions to their essence — often an improvement, since short questions are sharper. Keep exactly one question per turn regardless of compression level.

The topic to teach: read it from the user's arguments after the skill name. If none, ask what they want to learn.