Understand any GitHub repo instantly
A CLI tool that generates plain-English explanations of public GitHub repositories by analyzing structure, README content, and high-signal files.
pip install explainthisrepoFeatures
Everything you need to understand code
ExplainThisRepo uses real repository data, not just the README, to ground every explanation in actual structure and signals.
Fetch Any Public Repo
Automatically fetches public GitHub repositories using the GitHub API. Just provide the owner/repo.
Structure Analysis
Builds a complete file tree summary to understand the project architecture at a glance.
High-Signal File Detection
Extracts repo signals from key files like package.json, pyproject.toml, configs, and entrypoints.
Language Detection
Detects programming languages via the GitHub API to provide accurate context for explanations.
Flexible Input Formats
Accepts owner/repo, GitHub URLs, issue/PR links, SSH clone links. All normalized automatically.
EXPLAIN.md Output
Generates a clear, readable EXPLAIN.md file in your current directory with the full explanation.
Modes
Multiple ways to understand a repo
Choose the right level of detail. From a one-liner to a full architectural breakdown.
Flexible Input
Paste any GitHub link
No need to reformat URLs. ExplainThisRepo accepts repositories the way you actually copy them. All inputs are normalized internally to owner/repo.
https://github.com/owner/repoowner/repogithub.com/owner/repoowner/repoowner/repoowner/repohttps://github.com/owner/repo/issues/123owner/repohttps://github.com/owner/repo?tab=readmeowner/repogit@github.com:owner/repo.gitowner/repoInstallation
Get started in seconds
Install via pip or npm and start explaining repos right away. Requires Python 3.9+ or Node.js.
API Key Required: ExplainThisRepo uses Gemini models for code analysis. Set your API key with export GEMINI_API_KEY="your_key"
Stop guessing. Start understanding.
Run a single command and get a clear explanation of any public GitHub repository.