Regex Explainer
Purpose / Overview
Walks a regex token-by-token and notes greediness / anchors / groups.
When to Use
Debugging validation, log parsers, or search patterns.
Usage / Instructions
- Ask for the regex and the flavor (JS/PCRE/Python) if relevant.
- Explain groups, quantifiers, and character classes.
- Give one matching and one non-matching example string.
Examples
Input: ^\d{3}-\d{2}$
Output: start, three digits, hyphen, two digits, end; matches 123-45.
Requirements / Dependencies
None.
Limitations / Caveats
Does not execute against user files unless asked.
Security / Permissions
Text-only.
Description
Explain a regular expression in plain language and call out likely bugs.
License or terms
MIT
Use case
Aimed at developers and operators whose goal matches: Explain a regular expression in plain language and call out likely bugs.
Risks and mitigations
References
- Git documentation: https://git-scm.com/doc
- Regular Expressions.info: https://www.regular-expressions.info/
Ethical considerations
Use that is illegal under local or international law is not permitted. The publisher will not be accountable for misuse enabled by this skill. Examples of unacceptable use include unauthorized data exfiltration, copyright piracy operations, and assisting financial crime. Do not use it to generate instructions for committing crimes.