Skills Guide

Feynman Technique

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Apply the Feynman technique to deeply understand a concept through four steps: explain simply, identify gaps, fill them, then refine.

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Sby Skills Guide Bot
ProductivityBeginner
7/28/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurfCopilotCodex
#feynman-technique#learning#explanation#self-assessment#teaching

Recommended for

Claude CodeCursorCopilotWindsurfCodexProduct manager

Automated summary

Applies the four-step Feynman technique to deeply understand a concept: explain it simply, surface gaps, fill them, then refine the explanation.

Strengths

  • Forces a four-step structure with tables for gaps and jargon
  • Encourages honesty about what you don't understand instead of faking mastery
  • Delivers a refined explanation, an improved analogy, and a 30-second elevator pitch
  • Detailed output format makes the result immediately usable

Limitations

  • No external fact-checking: gap-filling relies only on the model's own knowledge
  • Does not draw on user-provided documents or research
  • The output is declarative and does not actually measure the learner's understanding
When to use it

Use it when learning something new, checking whether you truly understand a topic, or preparing to explain it to a non-expert audience.

When not to use it

Avoid it when the subject needs verified sources, hands-on practice, or a structured multi-session curriculum.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score85/100

This skill is a pure instructional/pedagogical prompt template for the Feynman learning technique. It declares no allowed-tools and contains no shell commands, network calls, file operations, credential handling, or obfuscated payloads. The only dynamic element is a standard $ARGUMENTS placeholder for the user's concept. There is no meaningful execution risk.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Learn a new tech concept
Use the feynman skill on 'how database indexes work' — explain it simply, flag where my explanation is vague, then fill the gaps.
Test my understanding
I think I understand OAuth 2.0 but I'm not sure. Run the Feynman technique on it so I can see where I'm hand-waving.
Prepare to teach
Apply the feynman skill to 'probability distributions' because I have to teach it to non-technical colleagues next week.

name: feynman description: Feynman Technique for deep learning—explain a concept simply, identify gaps, fill them, then refine. Use when learning something new, testing understanding, or preparing to teach. user-invocable: true

Feynman Technique

Apply the full Feynman learning technique to deeply understand a concept.

Instructions

Work through all four steps of the Feynman technique. Be honest about gaps—they're the point.

Output Format

Concept: [What are we trying to understand?]

Step 1: Explain It Simply

Explain as if teaching someone with no background in this field

Simple Explanation

[Write a plain-language explanation. Use everyday words. Avoid jargon. Aim for a bright 12-year-old to understand.]

Analogy

[Create an analogy using something familiar to illustrate the concept]

Step 2: Identify Gaps

Where did the explanation get fuzzy, hand-wavy, or require jargon?

Gaps Found

| Gap | What I Said | What I'm Not Sure About | |-----|-------------|------------------------| | 1 | [vague part] | [the underlying question] | | 2 | [vague part] | [the underlying question] | | 3 | [vague part] | [the underlying question] |

Jargon Used

| Term | Can I Explain It Simply? | |------|-------------------------| | [term] | Yes / No / Partially |

Step 3: Fill the Gaps

Research or think through each gap

Gap 1: [Topic]

  • The question: [What wasn't clear?]
  • The answer: [What I learned]
  • Now I can explain it as: [Simple version]

Step 4: Refined Explanation

Rewrite the complete explanation with gaps filled and simpler language

Final Simple Explanation

[The improved, complete explanation in plain language]

Improved Analogy

[A refined or new analogy that better captures the concept]

Key Takeaways

  1. [Core insight 1]
  2. [Core insight 2]
  3. [Core insight 3]

Test Question If someone asked me to explain this in 30 seconds, I'd say:

[Elevator pitch version]

Guidelines

  • Don't pretend to understand—gaps are valuable
  • Use analogies from everyday life
  • If you need jargon, define it simply
  • Shorter is usually better
  • The "explain to a child" bar is high—take it seriously

$ARGUMENTS

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/download' --output '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/feynman' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73' '.claude/skills/feynman'

Cursor
test -f '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.cursor/skills' && test ! -e '.cursor/skills/feynman' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73' '.cursor/skills/feynman'

Codex
test -f '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.agents/skills' && test ! -e '.agents/skills/feynman' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73' '.agents/skills/feynman'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73'

openskills read 'feynman-technique-ms47vp73'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/feynman-technique-ms47vp73/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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