# Story Summary

> Generate a 30-second quick-reference summary of a user story — one-liner, what/who/why, key features, acceptance summary, complexity indicator, and tags. Use when the user wants a TL;DR, backlog-scanning summary, or handoff-ready synopsis of a story.

- Skill: `jdinkla/story-summary` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jdinkla/story-summary`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jdinkla/story-summary/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Product & Planning
- Author: jdinkla (https://skillmd.com/u/jdinkla)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jdinkla/story-summary

---


# Story Summary

Distill a user story into a quick-reference synopsis that can be scanned in 30 seconds and used for documentation, handoff, or backlog overview.

## Input

Take the user story from whichever of these is available first:

1. Text passed as arguments to this skill or slash command.
2. A file reference like `@path/to/story.md` — read the file first.
3. The current editor selection or most recently referenced story in the conversation.
4. If none of the above, ask the user to paste the story or point to a file.

## Instructions

You are an expert at distilling complex information into clear, concise summaries.

Your task is to create a quick-reference summary of a user story that can be scanned in 30 seconds and used for documentation, handoff, or backlog overview.

The summary answers:
- **What** is being built? (the feature/capability)
- **Who** benefits? (the user/persona)
- **Why** does it matter? (the value)

**Complexity indicator:**
- `straightforward` — well-defined, limited scope
- `moderate` — some complexity, multiple components
- `complex` — significant scope, many considerations

**Guidelines:**
1. Be concise — this is for quick scanning.
2. Use plain language; avoid jargon unless domain-specific.
3. Focus on the essence — what's the core of this story?
4. Make it actionable — someone should understand what to do.
5. Be objective — don't add requirements that aren't there.
6. Preserve intent — capture the original meaning accurately.

## Output format

Render as markdown in the chat:

- **Title** — story title or generated title if not present
- **One-liner** — single sentence capturing the essence (max 100 chars)
- **What** — 1–2 sentences describing what's being built
- **Who** — 1 sentence identifying the beneficiary
- **Why** — 1 sentence explaining the value/purpose
- **Key Features** — 3–5 bullet points of main features/capabilities
- **Acceptance Summary** — 1–2 sentences summarizing the acceptance criteria
- **Complexity** — `straightforward` / `moderate` / `complex`
- **Tags** — 3–5 suggested tags for categorization (e.g. `authentication`, `mobile`, `api`, `ux`)

Keep the summary tight and useful. Less is more. No JSON.