Summarize Anything
A summary is only useful if you can trust it — which means it can't quietly drop the caveat that changes everything or invent a takeaway that wasn't there. This compresses hard while staying faithful: the one-line gist for the busy, the key points for the skimmer, and — for threads and meetings — the decisions and who-owes-what, so a summary becomes something you can act on, not just a shorter read.
What This Skill Produces
- TL;DR — one line, the single most important thing
- Key points — the 3–7 that carry the meaning, as scannable bullets
- Decisions & action items — for threads/meetings: what was decided, who owns what, by when
- Open questions / caveats — what's unresolved or conditional (kept, not smoothed away)
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- The source — paste the text (article, thread, doc, transcript)
- What you need from it — just the gist, or the decisions, or "should I read the whole thing?"
- Length — one-liner, a paragraph, or the fuller structured version
Framework: Compress Without Distorting
- Faithful first. Every point traces to the source; nothing is added, sharpened, or invented.
- Lead with the answer. The TL;DR is the conclusion, not "this document discusses…".
- Keep the load-bearing caveat. The "but only if…" is often the whole point — never drop it for brevity.
- Separate fact from opinion. Note when a "point" is the author's claim vs. established fact.
- Make threads actionable. Who decided what, who's on the hook, what's still open.
Output Format
TL;DR
One sentence.
Key points
Decisions & actions (threads/meetings)
| Decision / action |
Owner |
By |
Open / caveats
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- Inventing a takeaway that sounds good but isn't in the source.
- Dropping the caveat that flips the meaning, in the name of brevity.
- "This article discusses…" throat-clearing instead of the actual point.
- Presenting opinion as fact by stripping the hedges the author used.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "TL;DR this article: [paste]"
- "Summarize this email thread and tell me what I need to do."
- "Give me the key takeaways from this transcript."
- "What's the gist of this doc — is it worth reading fully?"
- "Pull the decisions and action items out of these meeting notes."
1---2name: summarize-anything3description: Turn a long article, email thread, document, or transcript into a tight summary you can act on — the gist, the key points, and what it means for you. Use when asked for a TL;DR, to summarize this, give me the gist, or the key takeaways. Produces a one-line TL;DR, the key points as scannable bullets, any decisions/action items with owners, and open questions — faithful to the source, with nothing invented and important caveats kept.4---5
6# Summarize Anything
7
8A summary is only useful if you can trust it — which means it can't quietly drop the caveat that changes everything or invent a takeaway that wasn't there. This compresses hard while staying faithful: the one-line gist for the busy, the key points for the skimmer, and — for threads and meetings — the decisions and who-owes-what, so a summary becomes something you can act on, not just a shorter read.
9
10## What This Skill Produces
11
12- **TL;DR** — one line, the single most important thing
13- **Key points** — the 3–7 that carry the meaning, as scannable bullets
14- **Decisions & action items** — for threads/meetings: what was decided, who owns what, by when
15- **Open questions / caveats** — what's unresolved or conditional (kept, not smoothed away)
16
17## Required Inputs
18
19Ask for these if not provided:
20- **The source** — paste the text (article, thread, doc, transcript)
21- **What you need from it** — just the gist, or the decisions, or "should I read the whole thing?"
22- **Length** — one-liner, a paragraph, or the fuller structured version
23
24## Framework: Compress Without Distorting
25
261. **Faithful first.** Every point traces to the source; nothing is added, sharpened, or invented.
272. **Lead with the answer.** The TL;DR is the conclusion, not "this document discusses…".
283. **Keep the load-bearing caveat.** The "but only if…" is often the whole point — never drop it for brevity.
294. **Separate fact from opinion.** Note when a "point" is the author's claim vs. established fact.
305. **Make threads actionable.** Who decided what, who's on the hook, what's still open.
31
32## Output Format
33
34### TL;DR
35> One sentence.
36
37### Key points
38- …
39
40### Decisions & actions *(threads/meetings)*
41| Decision / action | Owner | By |
42|---|---|---|
43
44### Open / caveats
45- …
46
47## Quality Checks
48- [ ] Every point is supported by the source — nothing invented or overstated
49- [ ] The TL;DR is the actual conclusion, not a topic label
50- [ ] Load-bearing caveats/conditions are preserved
51- [ ] For threads/meetings, decisions and owners are pulled out
52- [ ] The author's claims are distinguished from established facts where it matters
53
54## Anti-Patterns
55- **Inventing a takeaway** that sounds good but isn't in the source.
56- **Dropping the caveat** that flips the meaning, in the name of brevity.
57- **"This article discusses…"** throat-clearing instead of the actual point.
58- **Presenting opinion as fact** by stripping the hedges the author used.
59
60## Example Trigger Phrases
61- "TL;DR this article: [paste]"
62- "Summarize this email thread and tell me what I need to do."
63- "Give me the key takeaways from this transcript."
64- "What's the gist of this doc — is it worth reading fully?"
65- "Pull the decisions and action items out of these meeting notes."
Mohit Aggarwal