Transforms an academic paper into deep, multi-layered understanding. Use when asked to explain a paper, break down a research paper, understand an arXiv paper, or build intuition for a technical concept from a paper. Generates explanations at multiple levels plus visual intuition diagrams.
View on GitHubskills/paper-to-intuition/SKILL.md
February 1, 2026
Select agents to install to:
npx add-skill https://github.com/GhostScientist/skills/blob/main/skills/paper-to-intuition/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill paper-to-intuitionInstallation paths:
.claude/skills/paper-to-intuition/# Paper to Intuition Transform dense academic papers into genuine understanding through layered explanation and visual intuition. ## Process 1. **Get the paper** - Ask for the arXiv link, PDF, or paper title 2. **Extract the core** - Identify the single key insight (one sentence) 3. **Build the ladder** - Create explanations at 4 levels 4. **Visualize intuition** - Generate interactive diagrams 5. **Stress test understanding** - "What breaks if we remove X?" ## The Explanation Ladder Generate explanations at each level, with each building on the last: ### Level 1: ELI5 (1 paragraph) - No jargon, no equations - Use familiar analogies from everyday life - A curious 10-year-old should roughly get it ### Level 2: Undergraduate (2-3 paragraphs) - Assume calculus, basic linear algebra, intro ML - Introduce key terms with definitions - Connect to textbook concepts they'd know ### Level 3: Graduate (3-4 paragraphs) - Assume ML fundamentals, optimization, probability - Discuss relationship to prior work - Explain why naive approaches don't work - Cover the key equations with plain-English annotations ### Level 4: Researcher (2-3 paragraphs) - Assume field expertise - Subtle technical contributions - Limitations and open questions - How this changes what's possible ## Key Equations Breakdown For each important equation: ``` [Equation in LaTeX] In words: [Plain English translation] Each term: - [symbol]: [what it represents] [why it's there] Intuition: [Why this mathematical form? What would change if we used a different form?] ``` ## Visual Intuition Artifact Generate a self-contained HTML file with: - **Architecture diagram** - Boxes and arrows showing information flow - **Interactive sliders** - Manipulate key parameters, see effects - **Before/after comparisons** - What the method improves over baselines - **Failure case visualization** - When and why it breaks down Use SVG for diagrams, vanilla JavaScript for interactivity. Dark theme, clean typography.