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Explain any highlighted text in plain words

Highlight a confusing sentence, right-click, and read a simple explanation next to the page. A model on your computer writes it.

Beginner 4 min On-device AI Research & reading

workflow · explain-eli5.awf 4 steps

Explain Like I'm 5: a workflow with 4 steps, starting with Right-click a selection and ending with Show the explanation.

  1. Right-click a selection(Context Menu — open its doc page)
  2. Get selected text(In-page action — open its doc page)
  3. Explain simply(Basic LLM Chain — open its doc page) + Local AI model
  4. Show the explanation(Display Markdown — open its doc page)
Open in AWFlow
Right-click a selection → read it → explain it with a local model → show the answer on the page.

How it works

Section titled “How it works”

  1. Start from the right-click menu

    Context Menunode reference

    With Menu Contexts set to Selection, the workflow shows up when you right-click selected text, under Agentic Workflow.

    Make it yours — add Document URL Patterns such as https://*.wikipedia.org/* to offer it only on the sites you read.

    Step 1, close-up of the app: The Document URL Patterns field, outlined.Step 1, close-up of the app: The Document URL Patterns field, outlined.Full screen: the whole screenshot for step 1
    The Document URL Patterns field
    The settings of the Right-click a selection trigger (Context Menu): Menu Contexts set to Selection, and empty Document URL Patterns and Target URL Patterns lists with Add buttons.The settings of the Right-click a selection trigger (Context Menu): Menu Contexts set to Selection, and empty Document URL Patterns and Target URL Patterns lists with Add buttons.

  2. Read the selected text

    Get Selected Textnode reference

    Puts the highlighted text in the selection field.

    Make it yours — nothing to change here; the Context Menu trigger also passes selectionText if you prefer to skip this step.

    Step 2, close-up of the app: Get selected text, outlined.Step 2, close-up of the app: Get selected text, outlined.Full screen: the whole screenshot for step 2
    Get selected text
    The workflow editor with the Explain Like I'm 5 recipe: sticky notes and the steps Right-click a selection, Get selected text, Explain simply, Local AI model, Show the explanation, linked left to right. The top bar shows the Workflow active switch and Save; Test Workflow is above the canvas.The workflow editor with the Explain Like I'm 5 recipe: sticky notes and the steps Right-click a selection, Get selected text, Explain simply, Local AI model, Show the explanation, linked left to right. The top bar shows the Workflow active switch and Save; Test Workflow is above the canvas.

  3. Explain it simply

    Basic LLM Chainnode reference Web LLMnode reference

    Basic LLM Chain sends the prompt Explain this simply, like I'm five: followed by your selection to the Web LLM model.

    Make it yours — rewrite Prompt, for example Explain this for a new team member, with one example, or answer in another language.

    Step 3, close-up of the app: The Prompt field, outlined.Step 3, close-up of the app: The Prompt field, outlined.Full screen: the whole screenshot for step 3
    The Prompt field
    The settings of the Explain simply step (Basic LLM Chain): the Prompt field, as an expression, and Options.The settings of the Explain simply step (Basic LLM Chain): the Prompt field, as an expression, and Options.

  4. Show the explanation

    Display Markdownnode reference

    Display Markdown opens an Explanation panel in the corner of the page.

    Make it yours — use Browser Notification instead for a short answer.

    Step 4, close-up of the app: Show the explanation, outlined.Step 4, close-up of the app: Show the explanation, outlined.Full screen: the whole screenshot for step 4
    Show the explanation
    The workflow editor with the Explain Like I'm 5 recipe: sticky notes and the steps Right-click a selection, Get selected text, Explain simply, Local AI model, Show the explanation, linked left to right. The top bar shows the Workflow active switch and Save; Test Workflow is above the canvas.The workflow editor with the Explain Like I'm 5 recipe: sticky notes and the steps Right-click a selection, Get selected text, Explain simply, Local AI model, Show the explanation, linked left to right. The top bar shows the Workflow active switch and Save; Test Workflow is above the canvas.

Test it

Section titled “Test it”

  1. Install the recipe and pick a model in Local AI model (it downloads once; see Local models). To import the file yourself, use Add Workflow › Import, choose the .awf and click Create & open. Then click Make it mine at the bottom of the canvas, tick the box and confirm, so you can edit it.

    Step 1, close-up of the app: Create & open, outlined.Step 1, close-up of the app: Create & open, outlined.Full screen: the whole screenshot for step 1
    Create & open
    The Create a workflow dialog at step 3, Name & save, after importing explain-eli5.awf: Source Imported .awf, Name “Explain Like I'm 5”, an optional Description, Where to save “Saved locally in this browser”, and the Back and Create & open buttons.The Create a workflow dialog at step 3, Name & save, after importing explain-eli5.awf: Source Imported .awf, Name “Explain Like I'm 5”, an optional Description, Where to save “Saved locally in this browser”, and the Back and Create & open buttons.
    Step 1, close-up of the app: Make it mine, outlined.Step 1, close-up of the app: Make it mine, outlined.Full screen: the whole screenshot for step 1
    Make it mine
    The Make this workflow yours? dialog over the Explain Like I'm 5 workflow: it came from the Marketplace, It can currently lists what the workflow may access, two notes on what changes, the “I'm responsible for what this workflow does from now on.” checkbox, and Cancel and Make it mine.The Make this workflow yours? dialog over the Explain Like I'm 5 workflow: it came from the Marketplace, It can currently lists what the workflow may access, two notes on what changes, the “I'm responsible for what this workflow does from now on.” checkbox, and Cancel and Make it mine.
    Step 1, close-up of the app: The Model menu, outlined.Step 1, close-up of the app: The Model menu, outlined.Full screen: the whole screenshot for step 1
    The Model menu
    The settings of the Local AI model step (Web LLM): the Model menu still reads “Choose a model…”, with Options under it.The settings of the Local AI model step (Web LLM): the Model menu still reads “Choose a model…”, with Options under it.

  2. Save and activate the workflow.

    Step 2, close-up of the app: Workflow active switch, outlined.Step 2, close-up of the app: Workflow active switch, outlined.Full screen: the whole screenshot for step 2
    Workflow active switch
    The workflow editor with the Explain Like I'm 5 recipe: sticky notes and the steps Right-click a selection, Get selected text, Explain simply, Local AI model, Show the explanation, linked left to right. The top bar shows the Workflow active switch and Save; Test Workflow is above the canvas.The workflow editor with the Explain Like I'm 5 recipe: sticky notes and the steps Right-click a selection, Get selected text, Explain simply, Local AI model, Show the explanation, linked left to right. The top bar shows the Workflow active switch and Save; Test Workflow is above the canvas.

  3. On any page, highlight a sentence, right-click it and choose Agentic Workflow › Personal Workflows › Explain Like I’m 5.

  4. An Explanation panel opens with a plain-words version.

Variations

Section titled “Variations”
Variation What to change Level
Translate instead Replace Basic LLM Chain with Translate, which needs no chat model. Beginner
Explain code Change Prompt to Explain what this code does, step by step: and select a code block. Beginner
Keep the answers Branch Notion off Basic LLM Chain to save each term and its explanation. Intermediate

Troubleshoot

Section titled “Troubleshoot”
  • The menu entry is missing. Activate the workflow, then right-click and choose Get / Refresh Workflows. It only shows on selected text.
  • The explanation is cut short or vague. Small models struggle with long selections. Select a shorter passage or pick a larger model.
  • Nothing happens for a while. The first run downloads the model. Watch the progress in the run log on the canvas.
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