# Reading Lens > Active-reading scaffolding for nonfiction books (EPUB). Parses an EPUB, generates a structured book analysis in the user's Obsidian vault at Read/{Book Name} ({Author})/, with 0. General.md as the book-level overview and one numbered markdown file per chapter containing pre-read brief, the user's own notes section, and post-read synthesis — all through configurable role lenses (e.g. PM, CEO, Entrepreneur). Six sub-skills — `reading-lens:setup` loads an EPUB with lens selection, `reading-lens:brief` generates a pre-read brief for a chapter, `reading-lens:synthesize` generates a post-read synthesis, `reading-lens:overview-redo` regenerates 0. General.md, `reading-lens:lenses` manages global lens presets, `reading-lens:to-notion` mirrors the book to Notion via MCP. Use whenever the user wants deep, structured book analysis, says "analyze this book", "read this book", "reading lens", "book analysis", "pre-read brief", "chapter synthesis", or references an EPUB path. Prefer this skill for any book-study workflow — - Skill: `aibot88/reading-lens` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add aibot88/reading-lens` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/aibot88/reading-lens/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: aibot88 (https://skillmd.com/u/aibot88) - Updated: 2026-09-09 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/aibot88/reading-lens --- # Reading Lens Active-reading scaffolding for nonfiction books. Given an EPUB, produce a structured set of markdown files in the user's Obsidian vault: book-level overview (`0. General.md`), per-chapter pre-read briefs (what to watch for), and per-chapter post-read syntheses (what it meant + contrarian takes + actionable experiments). The user takes their own notes in each chapter file — this skill is scaffolding, never a replacement for the user's own thinking. ## Why This Exists Reading nonfiction passively leaks most of its value. This skill pre-frames each chapter so the reader knows what to watch for, then produces a synthesis with per-lens takeaways, a contrarian take (what the book overclaims), and concrete experiments worth running. Everything lands in Obsidian, wikilinked, so the vault accumulates into durable knowledge. ## Model & Thinking - **Default model: Opus 4.7** (`claude-opus-4-7`). This skill does qualitative analysis — use the strongest reasoning model available. Check with `/model`, switch if needed. - **Use extended thinking** (`` / ultrathinking) for three steps specifically: (1) generating `0. General.md`, (2) generating a post-read synthesis, (3) generating a contrarian take. The quality bar is high — platitudes are a failure mode. ## Sub-commands | Command | Purpose | |---------|---------| | `/reading-lens:setup ` | Parse EPUB, resolve lenses, create book folder, generate `0. General.md`, AND generate pre-read briefs + post-read syntheses for every chapter | | `/reading-lens:brief ` | Generate pre-read brief for chapter N (before reading) | | `/reading-lens:synthesize ` | Generate post-read synthesis for chapter N (after reading) | | `/reading-lens:overview-redo` | Regenerate `0. General.md` for the current book (lenses preserved) | | `/reading-lens:lenses [action]` | Manage global lens presets: list / add / edit / remove | | `/reading-lens:to-notion` | Mirror the current book to Notion via Notion MCP | | `/reading-lens:help` | Show usage | If the user's intent clearly matches a sub-command but they didn't type the exact syntax, run the matching sub-command. Don't stall on syntax pedantry. ## Configuration Global settings live in `{SKILL_DIR}/config.yaml`. On first use, verify `vault_path` is set to a real directory — if it still says `/path/to/your/obsidian/vault`, abort and tell the user to edit it. Config fields: - `vault_path` — absolute path to the Obsidian vault (required) - `books_folder` — subfolder name (default `Reads`) - `global_lenses` — list of `{role, interests}` objects - `notion_parent_url` — optional, for `:to-notion` ## Vault Structure ``` {vault_path}/{books_folder}/{Book Name} ({Author})/ ├── 0. General.md # Book-level overview (the "orientation" file) ├── 1. {chapter 1 title}.md # Chapter notes: brief | my notes | synthesis ├── 2. {chapter 2 title}.md └── n. {chapter n title}.md ``` **Filename rules.** For both the book folder and chapter filenames, sanitize thus: - Replace `:` with ` - ` (space-hyphen-space) — preserves readability in titles like `Start: A Parable` → `Start - A Parable` - Remove `/ \ * ? " < > |` - Collapse multiple spaces to one, trim leading/trailing whitespace - Do NOT slugify — preserve capitalization and spaces (this is Obsidian, not URLs) **Examples.** - Book `The Lean Startup` by `Eric Ries` → folder `The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)` - Chapter `Start: A Parable` → file `1. Start - A Parable.md` - Chapter `What/When/How` → file `3. WhatWhenHow.md` (slashes removed) ## Lens Selection Flow Executed at the start of every `/reading-lens:setup` after EPUB parsing. 1. Read `global_lenses` from `config.yaml`. 2. If the list is empty: tell the user "No global lenses configured yet. What lenses should I use for this book?" Ask for `role + interests` pairs. Offer to save them globally after the user defines them. 3. If the list is non-empty: present the globals and ask: > You have {N} global lenses: > 1. {Role 1} — {interests} > 2. {Role 2} — {interests} > ... > > For **{Book Title}**, do you want to: > (a) Use all global lenses > (b) Choose a subset of globals > (c) Define new lenses just for this book (ignoring globals) > (d) Combine a subset of globals + new book-specific lenses 4. Based on the answer, resolve the final lens set. Confirm back to the user before proceeding: "Using these lenses for this book: [list]. Continue?" 5. Store chosen lenses in the book's `0. General.md` frontmatter under `lenses:`. These become the book's frozen lens set — they override globals for this book going forward. Changing globals later does not rewrite this book. ## Update-Don't-Delete Safety Before writing any file, check if it already exists. Never overwrite silently. Specific rules: **On `:setup` when the book folder already exists:** 1. List what's there: `0. General.md`, which chapter files, and for each chapter file read the frontmatter to report `brief_generated` and `synthesis_generated` state. 2. Present status and ask: > Book already exists at `{path}`. Current state: > - 0. General.md [generated {date}] > - 1. {title} [✓ brief, ✓ synthesis] > - 2. {title} [✓ brief, — no synthesis] > - 3. {title} [— untouched] > > What would you like to do? > (a) Skip — leave everything as-is > (b) Fill missing pieces only (generate briefs/syntheses for chapters that lack them) > (c) Regenerate `0. General.md` only (keeps per-book lenses + chapter files) > (d) Add chapters that aren't in the vault yet (EPUB may have more than the folder) > (e) Review and decide file-by-file 3. Never delete files. Never overwrite `## ✍️ My notes` sections (the user's own writing). **On `:brief N` or `:synthesize N` when the section is already filled:** - Show the user the current content of `## Pre-read brief` (or `## Post-read synthesis`), say when it was generated, and ask: "Overwrite, keep, or append?" Default to "keep" on any ambiguous response. - If the user chooses "append", add the new version under a `### Re-generated {ISO-date}` subheader so both versions are preserved. **On `:overview-redo`:** - Show current `0. General.md` summary (first paragraph + lens list). Ask: "Regenerate `0. General.md`? Per-book lenses will be preserved. Overwrite? (y/n)". Only proceed on explicit yes. ## Workflow ### `/reading-lens:setup ` 1. **Validate.** Check the path exists and ends in `.epub`. Abort with a clear error if not. 2. **Read config.** Load `config.yaml` from the skill directory. If `vault_path` is the default placeholder or not a directory, abort with: "Edit `{SKILL_DIR}/config.yaml` first — set `vault_path`." 3. **Parse EPUB.** Run `python3 {SKILL_DIR}/scripts/parse_epub.py ` and capture JSON. On error, surface stderr to the user. 4. **Build book folder path.** `{vault_path}/{books_folder}/{Book Name} ({Author})/`. Sanitize as per filename rules. 5. **Check for existing book.** If the folder exists, run the Update-Don't-Delete flow above. 6. **Resolve lenses.** Run the Lens Selection Flow above. 7. **Detect language for this book.** Check the user's setup invocation message for a language directive (e.g., "do it in Turkish", "yap bunu Türkçe", "auf Deutsch"). If detected, set `language: ` for this book (e.g., `tr`, `de`). Default: `en`. Confirm the detected language back to the user before proceeding: *"I'll generate this book's analysis in {Turkish}. Confirm?"* Wait for confirmation, then continue. 8. **Create folder + cache.** Create the book folder. Save parsed EPUB JSON to `{SKILL_DIR}/.cache/{book-folder-name}.json` for fast re-use by `:brief` and `:synthesize`. 9. **Generate `0. General.md` AND extract book-level context for subagents.** Use extended thinking. Source material: title, author, TOC (all chapter titles in order), and sample text (first 6000 chars of chapter 1 + first 6000 chars of chapter 2). Fill the **Book Overview Template** below. Before returning, hold onto three transportable artifacts for step 12 to hand to subagents: - **Book thesis** — the core argument in one sentence - **Author-voice register** — 2–3 sentences characterizing the author's voice (see close-reading extraction step 4) - **Frozen lens list** — as already resolved in step 6 10. **Create chapter stubs.** For each chapter, write a file with frontmatter + the three empty section headers (Pre-read brief, My notes, Post-read synthesis). Include `synthesis_has_notes: false` in the frontmatter. 11. **Warn the user about duration.** Print: "Generating pre-read briefs + post-read syntheses for all {N} chapters in parallel via subagents. This typically takes 5–15 minutes — longer for books with very long chapters or many chapters. Syntheses are generated WITHOUT your reading notes (you haven't read yet) — after you read a chapter and take notes in `## ✍️ My notes`, re-run `/reading-lens:synthesize ` to upgrade that chapter's synthesis with your framing." Do not block on a confirmation — proceed. 12. **Generate pre-read briefs AND post-read syntheses for all chapters — in parallel via subagents.** Use Claude Code's `Task` tool to dispatch multiple subagents concurrently. **Batching rule:** aim for each subagent to receive no more than ~100,000 characters of chapter text total (to stay well under subagent context limits). A reasonable default: 4–8 subagents for a 32-chapter book (e.g., 32 chapters → 8 subagents handling 4 chapters each; 16 chapters → 4 subagents handling 4 chapters each; <8 chapters → one subagent). If the book has unusually long chapters (>6k words), drop to 2–3 chapters per subagent. Each subagent receives, in its prompt: - Its assigned chapters' titles, numbers, and full text (inline, pulled from the cached EPUB JSON) - The book's **author-voice register** extracted in step 9 - The book's **thesis** extracted in step 9 - The **frozen lens list** from step 6 - The book's `language` (from step 7) — subagent generates output in this language - The full **Pre-read Brief** and **Post-read Synthesis** templates from the Templates section above - The **Close-Reading Extraction Discipline** instructions - A direct write mandate — each subagent writes the completed brief and synthesis straight into the corresponding chapter file using the Edit tool The orchestrator (main agent) issues all subagent `Task` calls in a **single message** to trigger concurrent execution. See `superpowers:dispatching-parallel-agents` for the fan-out pattern. Each subagent, for each assigned chapter: 1. Runs the close-reading extraction pass (thesis, anchor phrases, defined terms, voice register refinement, structural role) 2. Fills the Pre-read Brief template 3. Fills the Post-read Synthesis template, prepending the `> [!info] Generated at setup — no reader notes yet` callout 4. Updates the chapter file's frontmatter: `brief_generated: `, `synthesis_generated: `, `synthesis_has_notes: false`, `status: synthesized` 5. Returns a short status line: chapter number, success/failure, any warnings After all subagents return, the orchestrator verifies every chapter file has both sections filled and reports aggregate completion. 13. **Report.** Tell the user: book title, author, N chapters parsed, briefs generated, syntheses generated (all flagged `synthesis_has_notes: false`), full folder path. Recommend: "Start with chapter 1. After each chapter, fill `## ✍️ My notes` then re-run `/reading-lens:synthesize N` to upgrade that chapter's synthesis." ### `/reading-lens:brief ` 1. **Resolve current book.** Find the most recently modified `0. General.md` under `{vault_path}/{books_folder}/`. If multiple books have been touched recently, ask which one. 2. **Read language from `0. General.md` frontmatter.** Generate output in that language. Preserve author-voice register across translation. **Fallback:** if the `language:` field is missing (pre-change book), default to `en` and proceed — don't prompt the user unless they asked for a language switch in their invocation. 3. **Load chapter N.** Read cached EPUB JSON from `{SKILL_DIR}/.cache/`. If missing, tell the user to run `:setup` again. 4. **Check for existing brief.** If `## Pre-read brief` in the chapter file already has content, run the overwrite flow. 5. **Generate brief.** Using the chapter text (truncate to 40000 chars if longer) and the book's per-book lenses (from `0. General.md` frontmatter), produce the **Pre-read Brief** matching the template below. 6. **Write.** Replace the content under `## Pre-read brief` (or append per user choice). Update frontmatter: `brief_generated: `, `status: briefed`. 7. **Report.** Print a 3-line summary and the path to the chapter file. ### `/reading-lens:synthesize ` 1. **Resolve current book.** Same as `:brief`. 2. **Read language from `0. General.md` frontmatter.** Generate output in that language. Preserve author-voice register across translation. **Fallback:** if the `language:` field is missing (pre-change book), default to `en` and proceed. 3. **Load chapter N text** and read the user's content from `## ✍️ My notes` section if present. 4. **Check for existing synthesis.** If `## Post-read synthesis` is filled: - If frontmatter says `synthesis_has_notes: false` AND the user has written real content under `## ✍️ My notes` (more than just the placeholder `*(take your notes...)*`), offer a notes-aware upgrade: "Current synthesis was generated at setup from chapter text only. You've since written notes — upgrade the synthesis to weave them in? (y/n)". On yes: overwrite the synthesis, remove the setup `> [!info]` callout, set `synthesis_has_notes: true`, regenerate using notes. - Otherwise, run the standard overwrite flow (keep/overwrite/append). 5. **Generate synthesis.** USE EXTENDED THINKING. If `## ✍️ My notes` has real content, reference it ("you noted X — this connects to..."). Produce the **Post-read Synthesis** matching the template below. 6. **Write.** Replace the content under `## Post-read synthesis`. Update frontmatter: `synthesis_generated: `, `synthesis_has_notes: `, `status: synthesized`. 7. **Report.** Print a 3-line summary + flashcard count + path + whether this was a notes-aware generation. ### `/reading-lens:overview-redo` 1. Resolve current book. 2. **Detect language override.** If the user's invocation includes a new language directive, update the `language:` field in frontmatter. Otherwise preserve the existing value. **If the field is missing entirely** (pre-change book), insert `language: en` as part of the regenerated frontmatter unless a new directive says otherwise. 3. Run overwrite flow for `0. General.md`. 4. Preserve existing per-book lenses (from current frontmatter). 5. Use extended thinking. Regenerate the overview with the same source material as setup (TOC + sample from first two chapters). 6. Write, report. ### `/reading-lens:lenses [action]` Manage `global_lenses` in `config.yaml`. - `/reading-lens:lenses` or `/reading-lens:lenses list` → print current globals - `/reading-lens:lenses add` → prompt for `role` + `interests`, append to config - `/reading-lens:lenses edit ` → show current values, prompt for new - `/reading-lens:lenses remove ` → confirm, then remove - `/reading-lens:lenses reset` → confirm, replace with built-in defaults (PM / CEO / Entrepreneur) Edit `config.yaml` in place. Preserve comments and formatting. ### `/reading-lens:to-notion` 1. Confirm Notion MCP is connected. If not, tell the user to enable it in settings. 2. Resolve current book. 3. Use `notion_parent_url` from config, or ask the user for the parent page. 4. Create a parent page from `0. General.md` (strip Obsidian wikilinks, convert to plain references). 5. Create one subpage per chapter file. 6. Report Notion URLs. ### `/reading-lens:help` Print the sub-commands table, vault structure, where to edit config, how to manage lenses, and model recommendation (Opus 4.7). ## Writing Voice Every section of every brief and synthesis is written as the author speaking directly to the reader. First person throughout. Warm. Flowing. Complexity where earned, not performative. - **Pre-read framing** — the author is about to walk the reader into the chapter: *"Before you dive in, here's what I'm doing in this chapter…"* - **Post-read framing** — the author is reflecting with the reader: *"Now that you've made it through, here's what I hoped landed, and here's where I'd give ground to a sharp critic."* First-person pronouns. Contractions are fine. No em-dash pileups (max one per paragraph; prefer sentence breaks). Plain English when plain English lands harder. Complexity only when the idea earns it. ### Author-character channeling Each book has a distinct voice register. Fitzpatrick reads different from Kahneman reads different from Taleb. The generator identifies the register during the close-reading pass (see next section) and channels it through every section. Examples of what the register looks like in practice: | Author | Register to channel | |---|---| | Rob Fitzpatrick (*The Mom Test*) | Self-effacing, colloquial ("cool", "awesome", "doomed", "gold dust"), anecdote-driven | | Daniel Kahneman (*Thinking, Fast and Slow*) | Precise, measured, academic, "my colleague Amos and I" | | Nassim Taleb (*Antifragile*) | Polemical, erudite, multilingual vocabulary, sardonic asides | | Atul Gawande (*The Checklist Manifesto*) | Warm, physician-reflective, patient case studies | The generator must not impose a single house style. Each book should feel genuinely different. ### One explicit voice break In the post-read synthesis, the **Contrarian Take** section briefly leaves author voice for a critic, then returns. Frame it as: > *"A sharp reader will push back here, and they'd be right about X —"* then the specific pushback, concrete and biting. Then back to the author, graciously: > *"I'd give ground on that. This is where my argument stretches further than my evidence can carry…"* Every other section stays in author voice. ## Close-Reading Extraction Discipline **Required workflow step.** Before filling any pre-read or post-read template, the generator runs an internal extraction pass against the chapter text. The extraction output stays internal — it is the scratchpad the generator reasons over, and it does not appear in the chapter file. Each bullet, term, and per-lens paragraph in the final output must be traceable to extracted material. ### The extraction pass (per chapter) 1. **Thesis** — the one sentence from the chapter that, reduced to ~25 words, survives. Verbatim or close paraphrase. 2. **Anchor phrases** — 8–12 verbatim phrases, metaphors, vivid images, canonical examples. The specific words the author uses ("bulldozer", "toothbrush", "fragile", "gold dust", "earlyvangelist", etc.). Every Watch-For bullet must attach to one. 3. **Defined terms** — 4–8 terms the author actively defines in the chapter, along with the author's own working definition (not a paraphrase). Pulled from the text, not invented. 4. **Author-voice register** — 2–3 sentences characterizing the author's voice in this chapter. Colloquial / academic / polemical / warm / etc. Specific turns of phrase. This register drives every section's voice. 5. **Structural role** — 1–2 sentences on what this chapter does in the book's argument. Example: *"It's the 'why rigor matters' beat before the rules in Ch 4."* ### Enforcement rule **Do not proceed to template filling until extraction is complete.** Each bullet, term, and per-lens paragraph in the output must be traceable to an extracted item. If a Watch-For bullet has no anchor, if a Key Term has no source in the text, or if a per-lens paragraph has no extracted insight to ground on, return to the extraction pass before writing. ### Where extraction runs - **`/reading-lens:brief N`** — the main agent runs extraction + generation for the single chapter. - **`/reading-lens:synthesize N`** — same. - **`/reading-lens:setup`** — each subagent runs extraction + generation for its assigned chapter batch. The book-level author-voice register (identified during `0. General.md` generation) is passed in as seed context; subagents refine it per chapter. ## Templates ### Book Overview — content for `0. General.md` ```markdown --- type: book title: "{title}" author: "{author}" source_epub: "{absolute-epub-path}" status: reading started: {YYYY-MM-DD} chapters: {N} language: {ISO 639-1 code, default: en} lenses: - role: "{Role 1}" interests: "{interests}" - role: "{Role 2}" interests: "{interests}" tags: [book, reading-lens] --- # {title} *by {author}* > **{one-liner — 1 sentence on what this book is really about, not the marketing blurb}** ## Thesis {2–3 sentences: the core argument the book is making} ## Why it matters to a builder {2–3 sentences: why a reader with the configured lenses should read this specifically} ## Key terms this book teaches - **{term}** — {working definition under 20 words} - ... (6–10 items) ## Focus prompts — hold these while reading - [ ] {active-reading question to hold across the whole book} - ... (4–6 items, checkboxes) ## Per-lens learning ### {Role 1} {1–2 sentences: what this reader, in this role, stands to gain from this book specifically — not generic "will learn about strategy"} ### {Role 2} ... (one H3 per lens) ## Converses with - {other book, framework, or resource} — {1 sentence on the link} - ... (3–5 items) ## Chapters - [[1. {chapter 1 title}|1. {chapter 1 title}]] - [[2. {chapter 2 title}|2. {chapter 2 title}]] - ... ``` ### Chapter Stub (written at setup, sections filled later) ```markdown --- type: chapter book: "[[0. General|{book-title}]]" chapter_number: {N} chapter_title: "{title}" word_count: {wc} status: unread brief_generated: null synthesis_generated: null synthesis_has_notes: false tags: [chapter, reading-lens] --- # {N}. {chapter_title} ## Pre-read brief *(run `/reading-lens:brief {N}` before reading)* --- ## ✍️ My notes *(take your notes here while reading — this section is never overwritten by the skill)* --- ## Post-read synthesis *(run `/reading-lens:synthesize {N}` after reading)* ``` ### Pre-read Brief — fills `## Pre-read brief` **Voice:** First person. The author is about to walk the reader into the chapter. See the *Writing Voice* section above. Channel the author-voice register extracted in close-reading step 4. **Notation:** `[...]` marks a placeholder filled during generation. Placeholder descriptions are plain text — rendered output is plain prose, *not* italic, unless `*…*` is shown literally. ```markdown > **[Author-voice one-line thesis — their own framing, not a > summary of what the chapter covers]** [Paragraph 1: 2–3 sentences. Author's voice. A personal opener — "here's where I'm about to take you." Introduces the chapter's concerns in the author's register.] [Paragraph 2: 2–4 sentences. More explanatory. Gives the reader enough context to understand what they're about to encounter. Places the chapter in the book's arc — e.g., "I made the asymmetric-risk argument back in Chapter 3 — this chapter builds on that by showing you the three species of bad data I keep seeing…"] **Watch for** - [Phrase-anchored bullet, 1–3 sentences, author voice. Cites a specific word, metaphor, anecdote, or moment from the chapter. Example: "When I drop the bulldozer metaphor in a bit, I mean something very specific — the founder who asks 'do you think this is a good idea?' and treats the nod they get as data."] - [3–5 bullets total. Each grounded in an extracted anchor phrase from close-reading step 2.] **Key terms** - **Term** — Author-voice definition, 1–2 sentences. The author's own working vocabulary. No academic paraphrase. Sourced from close-reading step 3. - [3–6 term→definition pairs total.] **Questions to hold** - [ ] [Open philosophical question the chapter raises, framed as the author asking the reader to wrestle with it. Not a personal- action question — the chapter's unresolved tensions.] - [ ] [3–5 questions total.] **Per-lens angles** *{Role 1}.* [3–5 sentences of flowing author prose, directly addressed to this lens. Names what the chapter asks of this role specifically. Depth enough that the reader recognizes themselves in it. Not a bullet disguised as a paragraph.] *{Role 2}.* [Same depth, for this lens.] *{Role N}.* [Same depth, for this lens. Always include every configured lens as a separate paragraph — never collapse two lenses into one entry.] ``` **Flexibility rules:** - If the chapter is structurally a **comparison** (two patterns, two failure modes, before/after dialogue), render Watch For or Key Terms as a 2-column markdown table instead of a bulleted list. - If the chapter describes a **sequential process**, Watch For may become a numbered list. - **Per-lens angles never collapse** — always one paragraph per configured lens in the declared order, even if lenses share overlap. - **Inline wikilinks allowed** when the chapter references an earlier chapter explicitly: `[[3. Talking to customers is hard|Chapter 3]]`. ### Post-read Synthesis — fills `## Post-read synthesis` **Voice:** First person. The author is reflecting with the reader after the chapter. Channel the author-voice register. The Contrarian Take section is the one explicit voice-break — see *Writing Voice* above. ```markdown > **[Author-voice one-line core idea — the sentence they'd want > to survive this chapter]** [Paragraph 1: 2–3 sentences in author voice. Reflecting on what was just read together. Example: "Now that you've made it through, here's what I most hoped landed, and here's why I built the chapter the way I did."] [Paragraph 2 (optional, chapter-dependent): 2–3 sentences. Where the chapter fits in the book's running argument now that it has done its work.] **Key takeaways** - [Substantial bullet, 1–2 sentences per bullet, author voice. 4–6 total. No clipped labels — each bullet reads as a complete thought.] - [Final bullet names the mental model the chapter builds, as a takeaway sentence. Example: "The model I hope you walk away with: false positives are asymmetric bets against your own runway."] **Per-lens takeaways** *{Role 1}.* [3–5 sentences of flowing author prose, directly addressed to this lens. Monday-morning specific — what changes in their week because of this chapter. Never a single sentence.] *{Role 2}.* [Same depth.] *{Role N}.* [Same depth, one paragraph per configured lens.] **Contrarian take** [2–3 paragraphs. Voice break: the critic speaks first. "A sharp reader will push back here, and they'd be right about X —" then the specific pushback, concrete and biting. Name the actual claim that overreaches, not a vague "some might disagree." Then back to author voice, graciously: "I'd give ground on that. This is where my argument stretches further than my evidence can carry…" and a short concession of where the critique lands.] **Actionable experiments** - [Concrete experiment a builder could run this quarter, 1–2 sentences, author voice. 2–3 total. Scaled to a small team's reality.] **Connections** - **[Other book / framework]** — [1-sentence link in author voice. Example: "*Lean Startup* (Ries) — he wrote the learning-loop theory; I'm writing the script for what to say inside the loop."] - [3–5 connections total.] **Flashcards** - **Q:** [Sharp question that tests the chapter's core move] **A:** [Under 30 words.] - [3–5 pairs total.] ``` ## Quality Rules These rules are not optional. They convert the reading-lens output from a competent book summarizer into a genuinely useful reading companion. Enforce them on every generation. ### Voice and flow - **Author voice throughout.** First person. Channel the author-voice register identified in close-reading step 4. See the *Writing Voice* section. - **Flow over friction.** Sentences must read aloud smoothly. No em-dash pileups (max one per paragraph). No noun-stacked Latinate phrases when plain English does the job. Contractions are fine. Complexity only when the idea earns it. - **No generic MBA platitudes.** Every takeaway must be specific enough that a reader who skipped the chapter could still lose an argument with one who read it. Bad: "focus on customers." Good: "Ries argues the unit of progress is the validated learning cycle — not revenue, users, or ship velocity." ### Grounding - **Every Watch-For bullet must cite a specific phrase, metaphor, anecdote, or moment from the chapter text.** No unanchored observations. If there's no anchor, cut the bullet. - **Every Key Term must come from the author's own vocabulary.** Pulled from the chapter text (close-reading step 3), not invented. - **The close-reading extraction pass is mandatory.** Do not proceed to template filling without it. ### Per-lens rigor - **Per-lens angles never collapse.** Every configured lens gets its own paragraph (3–5 sentences) in the declared lens order. Never combine two lenses into one line. - **Lens paragraphs must be role-specific.** If a PM paragraph would read identically as a CEO paragraph, both are wrong. Rewrite until they diverge. - **Monday-morning specificity in post-read takeaways.** A PM should be able to name one thing that changes in their week because of the chapter. Same for CEO and Entrepreneur. ### Contrarian rigor - **Contrarian takes must bite.** "Some readers might disagree" is not a contrarian take. Name the specific claim and say why it overreaches, ignores something, or is wrong. - **The voice-break pattern is required.** The critic speaks first, then the author graciously concedes. See *Writing Voice → One explicit voice break*. ### Other - **Actionable experiments must fit a small startup.** Not "hire a data science team" — "add an event to track X in the existing analytics for Y feature, run for 2 weeks, compare to the Z cohort." - **Never fabricate.** If the chapter text is thin or the topic is outside your confidence, say so in-line rather than inventing. - **Respect the user's notes.** Never modify `## ✍️ My notes`. When generating a notes-aware synthesis upgrade, read the user's content and weave it in — their framing is data. - **Never delete files. Ever. When in doubt, ask.** - **Ask before overwriting.** Every regeneration is a deliberate choice, confirmed by the user. ## What This Skill Is NOT - Not a reading app — reading happens in your EPUB reader of choice. - Not a summary generator — it's scaffolding around the user's own active reading. - Not a research agent — it works on one EPUB at a time. Don't web-search unless verifying a specific proper noun. - Not a general note-taker — other skills (e.g., `no-brainer`) handle general summarization. ## Help Output (`/reading-lens:help`) When this sub-command is invoked, present: --- ### Reading Lens Active-reading scaffolding for nonfiction books. Parses an EPUB → generates a structured book analysis in your Obsidian vault. #### Where things go `{vault_path}/{books_folder}/{Book Name} ({Author})/` - `0. General.md` — book overview - `1. {chapter title}.md` ... `n. {chapter title}.md` — chapter files (brief | your notes | synthesis) #### Commands | Command | What it does | |---------|-------------| | `/reading-lens:setup ` | Start a new book: parse EPUB, choose lenses, generate overview, plus pre-read briefs + post-read syntheses for every chapter | | `/reading-lens:brief ` | Generate pre-read brief for chapter N | | `/reading-lens:synthesize ` | Generate post-read synthesis for chapter N | | `/reading-lens:overview-redo` | Regenerate `0. General.md` for the current book | | `/reading-lens:lenses [action]` | Manage global lens presets (list / add / edit / remove / reset) | | `/reading-lens:to-notion` | Mirror the current book to Notion | #### Recommended Use Opus 4.7. Check with `/model`. #### Setup Edit `config.yaml` in the skill folder — set `vault_path` and (optionally) edit `global_lenses`.