The idea behind the plugin

Why every page opens with the answer

Reading time about 4 minutesWritten 2026-10-16For: someone deciding whether to try it

Every page opens with its one-sentence answer, so a reader who stops after the first screen has still got the point.

Keep in your head (only these)
  1. The answer is one sentence, right under the title.
  2. Three facts at most, then the page's own picture.
  3. A checker enforces both before you see the page.

Where the answer sits

Same content, two orders
Two orders of the same content. In a long page the answer is the last box, below the first screen. In this plugin's page the answer is the first box, and the three facts and the picture fit on the first screen with it. A long page, answer last This plugin's page, answer first first screen first screen Background Method Results The answerout of sight on the first screen The answer Three facts to keep The page's own picture Chapters, one idea eachread only if you want more Two orders of the same content. In a long page the answer is the last box, below the first screen. In this plugin's page the answer is the first box, and the three facts and the picture fit on the first screen with it. Answer last Answer first first screen first screen Background Method Results The answeron the last screen The answer Three factsto keep A picturethe page's own Chaptersone idea each
Take from this: the same content in two orders. With the answer first, a reader who stops after one screen still has the point.
  1. Why the answer comes firstPages are long, readers are tired, and the first screen decides.
  2. What keeps a long page readableThree facts, a restated line and a line to remember.
  3. How the plugin keeps itself honestA checker with hard limits, and a hook that runs it.
  4. Whether to try itWhat is evidence, what is taste, and what is untested.

Chapter 1 of 4, about 1 minute

Why does the answer come first?

Before this: the answer sits right under the title, so a reader who stops there still has the point.

Agents write more than anyone can read: long summaries, plans, diffs and status reports. A reader with a short working memory loses the thread as they scroll. They skim first and read second, if at all.

  1. The answerRead one sentence, under the title.
  2. Three factsCheck the yellow cards. Never a fourth.
  3. The pictureLook at the page's own, such as a status board.
  4. Stop or read onChapters are optional.

Take from this: every step is a place to stop. The answer and the three facts already carry the point.

A review of 21 real pages found that 19 types opened with the same first phone screen. Release 1.8.0 changed that, so the first screen now says what kind of page it is.

Remember: the first screen decides, so the answer and the three facts go there.

Chapter 2 of 4, about 1 minute

What keeps a long page from losing you?

Before this: the first screen holds the answer, three facts and the page's own picture.

The keep box names the three facts to carry, and the page never asks for a fourth. Each chapter after it must stand alone, so a reader who lands in the middle loses nothing.

Instead of writing
  • "As mentioned above"
  • "See section 3"
  • "In conclusion"
The page does this
  • A "Before this" line restates the one fact the chapter builds on.
  • A link to the chapter, with its one fact restated.
  • A recap box that holds the remember lines.

Take from this: a reader can land on any chapter and find the one fact it builds on.

Every chapter closes with one sentence to remember. The recap at the end is those sentences, copied. Nothing new appears there.

Show the order of a page
  1. The answer, then the keep box.
  2. At a glance, the page's own picture.
  3. The chapter map, then three to seven chapters.
  4. The recap, and the ask only when a decision is needed.

Remember: every chapter restates what it builds on and closes with one line to keep.

Chapter 3 of 4, about 1 minute

How does the plugin keep itself honest?

Before this: each page promises one short answer, three facts at most and a picture per chapter.

A checker script reads every page and fails it when a promise is broken. These are four of its limits.

40words in the answer, at most, before the page fails
3facts the keep box may hold
4.5:1text contrast needed, in light and dark
9 pxsmallest diagram label on a phone

Take from this: these limits are hard. A page that breaks one fails, and the agent fixes it before you see the page.

In Claude Code a hook runs the checker at the end of every turn that wrote a page. It sends each failure back to the agent, up to three times in a turn.

Show where each limit lives
  • skills/html-explainer/scripts/check.mjs:73 sets the answer limit of 40 words, paragraphs of 40 words and keep facts of 15 words.
  • check.mjs:126 fails a keep box with more than 3 items.
  • check.mjs:184 sets the smallest phone label at 9 px.
  • check.mjs:258 fails any text pair under 4.5 to 1.
  • hooks/explainer-check.mjs:14 lets the hook block a turn at most 3 times.

Line numbers are as of commit 6ffbbbc.

Remember: the limits are hard, and a checker and a hook enforce them before you see a page.

Chapter 4 of 4, about 1 minute

Is it worth trying on your work?

Before this: a checker and a hook enforce the shape of every page.

The design guide sorts its own choices into three bins. You can see how much of it rests on evidence.

Backed by evidence

  • Short paragraphsOne topic each, as W3C COGA advises.
  • Visible progressDone, current and pending are shown.

A design choice

  • Three factsKept because it is small and forces a choice.
  • Chapter lengthA craft default. Its claims failed checking.

Refused, for lack of evidence

  • Bionic boldingEye tracking shows no gain.
  • Dyslexia fontsNo benefit over ordinary fonts.

Take from this: the page says which of its choices are evidence and which are taste.

Not yet tested on outside readers

The roadmap says every page so far was judged by its author. If plugin pages do not help outside readers more than a default page does, the roadmap shrinks to maintenance.

Remember: part of it is evidence, part is taste, and no outside reader has tested it yet.

Recap

  1. The first screen decides, so the answer and the three facts go there.
  2. Every chapter restates what it builds on and closes with one line to keep.
  3. The limits are hard, and a checker and a hook enforce them before you see a page.
  4. Part of it is evidence, part is taste, and no outside reader has tested it yet.

What I need from you

Where would you like to start?

Open the galleryRead the install guideSee the roadmap

If you do nothing: nothing changes. Pages you already have stay as they are.