Extract Wisdom

ExtractWisdom — Dynamic Content Extraction

Instead of static sections (IDEAS, QUOTES, HABITS...), this skill detects what wisdom domains actually exist in the content and builds custom sections around them.

A programming interview gets "Programming Philosophy" and "Developer Workflow Tips." A business podcast gets "Contrarian Business Takes" and "Money Philosophy." The sections adapt because the content dictates them.

Input Sources

Depth Levels

Default is Full if no level is specified.

Invoke: "extract wisdom (fast)" or "extract wisdom at comprehensive level" or just "extract wisdom" for Full.

Tone Rules

The output should feel like your smartest friend watched/read the thing and is telling you about it over coffee. Not a book report. Not documentation.

THREE LEVELS — we aim for Level 3:

Level 1 (BAD — documentation):

• The speaker discussed the importance of self-modifying software in the context of agentic AI development
• It was noted that financial success has diminishing returns beyond a certain threshold

Level 2 (BETTER — but still "smart bullet points"):

• He built self-modifying software basically by accident — just made the agent aware of its own source code
• Money has diminishing returns. A cheeseburger is a cheeseburger no matter how rich you are.

Level 3 (YES — conversational, opinionated):

• He wasn't trying to build self-modifying software. He just let the agent see its own source code and it started fixing itself.
• Past a certain point, money stops mattering. A cheeseburger is a cheeseburger no matter how rich you are.

The difference: Level 2 is compressed info with em-dashes. Level 3 is how you'd actually SAY it. Varied sentence lengths. Letting a thought breathe. Not trying to be clever — just clear, direct, and a little personal.

Key signals of Level 3:

• Reads naturally when spoken aloud
• Varied sentence lengths — some short, some longer
• Understated — lets the content carry the weight
• Uses periods, not em-dashes, to let ideas land
• Feels opinionated, not just informational

Rules for Extracted Points

1. Write like you'd say it. Read each bullet aloud. If it sounds like a press release, rewrite it.
2. 8-16 words per sentence. Mix short with medium and longer. Don't make them all the same length.
3. Let ideas breathe. Use periods between thoughts, not em-dashes. Short sentences. Then a slightly longer one to explain.
4. Include the actual detail. Not "he talked about money" but "a cheeseburger is a cheeseburger no matter how rich you are."
5. Use the speaker's words when they're good. If they said something perfectly, use it.
6. No hedging language. Not "it was suggested that" or "the speaker noted." Just say the thing.
7. Capture what made you stop. Every bullet should be something worth telling someone about.
8. Vary your openers. Don't start three bullets the same way.
9. Capture the human moments. Burnout stories, moments of doubt, something that moved them.
10. Insight over inventory. "He uses Go for CLIs" is inventory. "He picked a language he doesn't even like because the ecosystem fits agents perfectly" is insight.
11. Specificity is everything. Details make wisdom memorable.
12. Tension and surprise. The best bullets have a contradiction or reversal.
13. Understated, not clever. Let the content carry the weight.

Process

Phase 1: Content Scan

Read the full content. Notice what DOMAINS of wisdom are present. These aren't the topics discussed — they're the TYPES of insight being delivered.

Examples of wisdom domains (illustrative, not exhaustive):

• Programming Philosophy
• Developer Workflow
• Business/Money Philosophy
• Human Psychology
• Technology Predictions
• Life Philosophy
• Contrarian Takes
• First-Time Revelations
• Technical Architecture
• Leadership & Team Dynamics
• Creative Process

Phase 2: Section Selection

Pick sections based on depth level. Requirements:

• Each section must have at least 3 STRONG bullets to justify existing
• Always include "Quotes That Hit Different" if the content has good ones
• Section names should be conversational, not academic
• Sections should be SPECIFIC to this content

Phase 3: Extraction

For each section, extract 3-15 bullets depending on density. Apply all tone rules.

The "Would I Tweet This?" Test: If fewer than half your bullets would make a good standalone post, they're too generic.

Phase 4: Closing Sections

Output Format

# EXTRACT WISDOM: {Content Title}
> {One-line description of what this is and who's talking}

---

## {Dynamic Section 1 Name}

- {bullet}
- {bullet}

## {Dynamic Section 2 Name}

- {bullet}
- {bullet}

[... more dynamic sections ...]

---

## One-Sentence Takeaway

{15-20 word sentence}

## If You Only Have 2 Minutes

- {essential point 1}
- {essential point 2}
- {essential point 3}
- {essential point 4}
- {essential point 5}

## References & Rabbit Holes

- **{Name/Project}** — {one-line context of why it's worth looking into}

Quality Check

Before delivering output, verify:

• Sections are specific to THIS content, not generic
• No bullet sounds like it was written by a committee
• Every bullet has a specific detail, quote, or insight
• Section names are conversational and headline-worthy
• No bullet starts with "The speaker" or "It was noted that"
• Reading the output makes you want to consume the original content

Attribution

Adapted from Daniel Miessler's ExtractWisdom (PAI v3.0.0), itself the successor to fabric's extract_wisdom pattern.