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
- 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."