summarize-anything

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

1. Faithful first. Every point traces to the source; nothing is added, sharpened, or invented.
2. Lead with the answer. The TL;DR is the conclusion, not "this document discusses…".
3. Keep the load-bearing caveat. The "but only if…" is often the whole point — never drop it for brevity.
4. Separate fact from opinion. Note when a "point" is the author's claim vs. established fact.
5. 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

• [ ] Every point is supported by the source — nothing invented or overstated
• [ ] The TL;DR is the actual conclusion, not a topic label
• [ ] Load-bearing caveats/conditions are preserved
• [ ] For threads/meetings, decisions and owners are pulled out
• [ ] The author's claims are distinguished from established facts where it matters

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."