explanatory-output-style

What it is

The Explanatory Output Style plugin recreates the deprecated "Explanatory" output style setting as a SessionStart hook. When enabled, it automatically adds instructions at the start of each session that encourage Claude to: - provide educational insights about implementation choices - explain codebase patterns and decisions - balance task completion with learning opportunities The plugin uses a SessionStart hook to inject additional context into every session. This context tells Claude to give brief educational explanations before and after writing code. These appear in a marked "★ Insight" block containing 2-3 key educational points. The insights focus on: - specific implementation choices for your codebase - patterns and conventions in your code - trade-offs and design decisions - codebase-specific details rather than general programming concepts The plugin replaces the setting "outputStyle": "Explanatory". According to the README, this SessionStart hook pattern is roughly equivalent to CLAUDE.md, but it is more flexible and can be distributed through plugins. The README also notes that output styles for tasks other than software development are better expressed as subagents. Subagents change the system prompt, while SessionStart hooks add to the default system prompt. The README carries a warning: do not install this plugin unless you are fine with the token cost of its additional instructions and output. The plugin is version 1.0.0 and was authored by Dickson Tsai.

Who it's for

• Users who previously relied on the deprecated "Explanatory" output style and want the same behavior
• Developers who want to learn about implementation choices, patterns, and trade-offs in their codebase while Claude works
• Plugin authors interested in the SessionStart hook pattern as a distributable alternative to CLAUDE.md

Requirements

Examples

`★ Insight ─────────────────────────────────────`
[2-3 key educational points]
`─────────────────────────────────────────────────`

{
  "outputStyle": "Explanatory"
}