Summarize Session

Summarize Session

Create a comprehensive summary of the Claude Code session and store it in Obsidian, using the Obsidian skill.

When to Use

• At the end of a productive coding session
• Before context gets too long and needs summarization
• When wrapping up significant work that should be documented

Workflow

digraph summarize_session {
    rankdir=TB;
    node [shape=box];

    review [label="1. Review session\nconversation & changes"];
    full [label="2. Create full summary\nin 08 AI Docs"];
    daily [label="3. Add brief summary\nto daily note"];

    review -> full -> daily;
}

Step 1: Review the Session

Analyze the conversation to identify:

• Main objective - What was the user trying to accomplish?
• Key decisions - Important choices made during the session
• Files changed - What code was modified or created?
• Problems solved - Bugs fixed, features implemented
• Open items - Anything left incomplete or for follow-up

Step 2: Create Full Summary Note

Create a detailed summary note in 08 AI Docs:

# Generate a descriptive filename based on the session topic
# Format: YYYY-MM-DD-topic-slug.md
NOTE_NAME="08 AI Docs/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)-session-topic"

obsidian-cli create "$NOTE_NAME" --content "..."

Full Summary Template

# Session Summary: [Brief Title]

**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Duration:** Approximate session length
**Repository:** [repo name if applicable]

## Objective

[What the user was trying to accomplish]

## Key Accomplishments

- [ ] Accomplishment 1
- [ ] Accomplishment 2

## Technical Decisions

| Decision | Rationale |
|----------|-----------|
| Choice made | Why it was made |

## Journey & Iterations

Document the path taken to reach the solution, including dead ends:

### Approaches Tried

| Approach | Outcome | Learning |
|----------|---------|----------|
| First attempt | Why it didn't work | What we learned |
| Second attempt | Partial success | What improved |
| Final approach | Success | Why this worked |

### Key Pivots

- **Pivot 1:** Started with X, switched to Y because [reason]
- **Pivot 2:** Abandoned approach Z when [discovery]

### Dead Ends Worth Remembering

- Attempted [approach] but failed because [reason] - avoid in future
- [Tool/library] looked promising but [limitation discovered]

## Files Changed

- `path/to/file.ts` - Description of changes
- `path/to/another.ts` - Description of changes

## Code Snippets

[Include any particularly important code that was written]

## Problems Encountered

- Problem 1 and how it was resolved
- Problem 2 and current status

## Open Items / Follow-up

- [ ] Item for future work
- [ ] Question to investigate

## Related Resources

- Links to relevant docs, PRs, issues

Step 3: Add to Daily Note

Add a brief summary to the daily note with a link to the full summary:

# Open/create today's daily note and append
obsidian-cli daily

Daily Note Entry Template

## Claude Code Session

**[[08 AI Docs/YYYY-MM-DD-session-topic|Session: Brief Title]]**

[1-2 sentence summary of what was accomplished]

Key outcomes:
- Outcome 1
- Outcome 2

Quick Reference

Summary Quality Checklist

• Title is descriptive and searchable
• Objective is clearly stated
• All significant changes are documented
• Technical decisions include rationale
• Journey captures iterations and dead ends
• Learnings are extractable for future sessions
• Open items are actionable
• Daily note entry is concise (2-3 lines max)

Common Mistakes

Integration

Works well with:

• obsidian - Uses obsidian-cli for note creation
• verification-before-completion - Summarize after verifying work is complete