tldr

Boil a Claude Code plan down to a short, beginner-friendly bullet list. Use when the user types /tldr, or asks for a TL;DR, summary, or plain-English version of a plan Claude just made (in plan mode o

SKILL.md

GitHub

/tldr

Turn a plan into a short bullet version that a beginner developer can read in under a minute.

The user's hint

Whatever the user typed after /tldr is a hint for this run:

$ARGUMENTS

If the hint above is empty, ignore this section and use the defaults.

Treat the hint as guidance on how to write the TL;DR, not as part of the plan. Examples of what it might ask for:

  • A focus: "just the risks", "only the steps", "files that change".
  • An audience or tone: "explain it like I'm new to React", "for a non-technical manager".
  • A specific concern: "will this touch the database?", "anything that could break login?". Make sure the TL;DR answers it using only what the plan says. If the plan does not say, state that plainly.
  • Length or language: "3 bullets total", "in Spanish".
  • A path to a plan file: use that file as the plan (see step 1).

Apply the hint by changing emphasis, depth, wording, and which sections you include. A hint never overrides the Rules below: stay read-only, stay faithful to the plan, and never use em dashes. If a hint asks for something the rules forbid (for example "add a step for tests"), do the rest of the TL;DR and say in one line why you left that part out.

1. Find the plan

Use the first of these that applies:

  1. A path to an existing file in the hint: read that file.
  2. The most recent plan in this conversation (a plan-mode proposal, a "Plan:" section, or a numbered implementation outline).
  3. The newest file in ~/.claude/plans/ (check with ls -t ~/.claude/plans | head -1), but only if the conversation has no plan. Say which file you used.

If none exist, say so in one line and stop. Do not invent a plan.

2. Write the TL;DR

Unless the hint says otherwise, output exactly this structure, nothing before or after it except an optional one-line question at the end (see rules):

Goal

  • One bullet: what we are trying to achieve, in plain words.

What will change

  • 3 to 6 bullets. Each names a thing that will be added, edited, or removed, and why in a few words.

Steps, in order

  1. Short imperative step.
  2. Keep it to 3 to 7 steps. Merge small steps; drop obvious ones.

Watch out for

  • 1 to 3 bullets: risks, things that could break, or decisions still open. Omit this section if there are none.

Rules

  • Concise: each bullet is one line, ideally under 15 words. The whole thing should fit on one screen.
  • Beginner-friendly: no unexplained jargon. When a technical term is unavoidable, add a few words in parentheses, e.g. "migration (a script that updates the database shape)".
  • Name real files, functions, and commands from the plan, but wrap them in backticks and say what they do.
  • Faithful: only summarize what the plan says. Do not add steps, change scope, or editorialize. If the plan is ambiguous, say so under "Watch out for".
  • Never use em dashes. Use commas, colons, or parentheses instead.
  • Read-only: do not edit files, run the plan, or exit plan mode. This skill only explains.
  • If the hint asks for a single focus (e.g. "risks only", "just the steps"), return only that section.
  • If the plan has an open question the user must answer before work can start, end with one line: "Question: ..."