> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/derHaken/SuperAntigravity/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# /explain

> Clear explanations of code, concepts, and system behavior at your level.

## What it does

`/explain` provides structured explanations of code, technical concepts, system behavior, and errors. It calibrates depth to the level you specify — or infers the appropriate level from context if you don't.

## When to use

Use `/explain` when you want to understand what a piece of code does, why it's written a certain way, how a concept works, how system components interact, or what an error means and how to fix it.

## Prerequisites

* No specific prerequisites. Point `/explain` at any code, error message, or concept.

## Conversation mode

Either mode works.

## What happens

<Steps>
  <Step title="Calibrate explanation level">
    If you specify a level (`--level basic|intermediate|advanced`), that level is used. Otherwise, Antigravity infers the appropriate level from context — your question phrasing, the complexity of what you're asking about, and any visible code.
  </Step>

  <Step title="State the core idea">
    The explanation starts with the core idea in one sentence before building up.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build with examples">
    Examples are used to make the concept concrete, connected to things you already know.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Conclude with usage guidance">
    The explanation ends with when to use the pattern or concept — and when not to.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Skills invoked

No skills are invoked. `/explain` is a direct workflow.

## Explanation levels

| Level        | What you get                                      |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Basic        | Core concept only, plain language, minimal jargon |
| Intermediate | Mechanics and patterns, some technical depth      |
| Advanced     | Implementation details, trade-offs, edge cases    |

## What you can explain

* **Code** — what it does, why it's written this way, how to use it
* **Concepts** — technical ideas, patterns, algorithms
* **Systems** — how components interact, data flow, architecture
* **Errors** — what went wrong, why, and how to fix it

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
/explain [what to explain]
/explain [what to explain] --level basic
/explain [what to explain] --level intermediate
/explain [what to explain] --level advanced
```

## Example

```bash theme={null}
/explain the difference between optimistic and pessimistic locking --level intermediate
```

Antigravity starts with the core idea: "Both strategies prevent conflicting writes, but they differ in *when* they check for conflicts." It then explains optimistic locking (check at commit time, retry on conflict) vs pessimistic locking (lock immediately, block others), with a concrete database example for each, and closes with: "Use optimistic locking for low-contention reads; use pessimistic locking when conflicts are frequent and retries are expensive."

## Related commands

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="/analyze" href="/commands/analyze">
    For a structured quality review of code rather than a conceptual explanation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="/research" href="/commands/research">
    When you need sourced, current information rather than a conceptual explanation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="/troubleshoot" href="/commands/troubleshoot">
    When an error needs systematic debugging rather than just explanation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="/document" href="/commands/document">
    Turn an explanation into persistent documentation.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>