Summarization
Turn long research, specs, or articles into the right summary format—TLDR, executive brief, or reference digest—for your audience and decision.
Overview
Summarization is a journey-wide agent skill that matches summary type to purpose, audience, and context—usable whenever a solo builder needs to condense content before sharing or deciding.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill summarizationWhat is this skill?
- 5 clarifying dimensions before writing: purpose, audience, scope, emphasis, and format
- Treats summarization as translation—not blind shortening—matched to decision-making vs reference vs quick scan
- Supports ultra-brief through extended summary lengths with methodology, findings, and implications weighting
- Triggers on summarize, TLDR, condense, executive summary, and abstract requests
- Generative utility skill (MIT) for writing-domain agent workflows
- 5 clarifying question dimensions before summarizing
- 4 scope tiers from ultra-brief to extended
Adoption & trust: 638 installs on skills.sh; 92 GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You asked the agent to summarize something, but generic shortening dropped the decisions, numbers, or audience-appropriate tone you actually need.
Who is it for?
Solo builders who repeatedly repackage the same material for different readers—exec TLDRs, technical digests, research abstracts, or support-ready briefs.
Skip if: Teams that already enforce a fixed corporate summary template with no variation, or when you need verbatim legal quotation rather than interpretive condensation.
When should I use this skill?
Asked to summarize, create TLDR, condense content, or create executive summaries (keywords: summary, TLDR, condense, executive summary, abstract).
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a purpose-fit summary (length, emphasis, and structure aligned to how it will be used) instead of an arbitrary cut-down of the source.
- Audience- and purpose-matched summary in the requested scope and format
- Explicit emphasis on methodology, findings, arguments, or implications as specified
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Useful at every journey phase - explore requirements and options before committing to a direction.
Where it fits
Condense competitor and audience research into a decision-ready brief before committing to a build.
Produce a one-page scope summary for a landing-page or prototype validation test.
Turn a long internal spec into a moderate-length digest for implementers and future-you.
Adapt launch messaging into short and long formats for different channels.
Summarize product updates or analytics narratives for email and content calendars.
How it compares
Use instead of one-shot "make it shorter" prompts that ignore audience and decision context.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is summarization for?
Solo and indie builders using Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex who need reliable TLDRs, executive summaries, or scoped digests from long chats, docs, or research—not random truncation.
When should I use summarization?
During idea research to condense competitor notes; in validate when scoping a one-pager for a landing test; in build for API or spec digests; at ship for release notes; at launch for distribution copy; in grow for newsletters and lifecycle emails; and in operate when summarizing
Is summarization safe to install?
It is a generative writing utility with no declared shell or network requirements in SKILL.md; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page before enabling it in production agent workflows.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Summarization
# Summarization ## Purpose Create effective summaries by matching summarization type to purpose, audience, and context. "Summarize" can mean many different things—this skill helps identify and execute the right approach. ## Core Principle **Summarization is translation, not just reduction.** Different purposes require different summary types. Clarify the need before condensing. --- ## Clarifying Questions Before summarizing, consider: 1. **Purpose:** What will this summary be used for? - Decision-making - Background information - Further research - Quick understanding - Reference/recall 2. **Audience:** Who will read it? - Technical experts - General audience - Decision makers - Familiar/unfamiliar with topic 3. **Scope:** How comprehensive? - Ultra-brief (single sentence) - Brief (paragraph) - Moderate (page) - Extended (multiple pages) 4. **Emphasis:** What aspects are most important? - Methodology - Findings/results - Arguments/claims - Context/background - Implications/applications 5. **Format:** What structure? - Narrative text - Bullet points - Hierarchical outline - Visual representation --- ## Summary Type Taxonomy ### Information Reduction Approaches | Type | What It Is | When to Use | |------|-----------|-------------| | **Key Point Extraction** | Isolating the most important claims | Original has discrete important points | | **Abstraction** | Higher-level statements covering multiple details | Patterns matter more than specifics | | **Gisting** | Capturing essential meaning, discarding details | Only core message matters | | **Compression** | Shortening while preserving information | Comprehensive coverage needed in less space | ### Structural Approaches | Type | What It Is | When to Use | |------|-----------|-------------| | **Executive Summary** | Business-focused: decisions, recommendations, outcomes | Documents requiring action | | **Abstract/Précis** | Academic: methodology and findings | Research papers, technical documents | | **TLDR** | Ultra-brief main takeaway | Casual communication, extreme brevity | | **Outline** | Hierarchical structure of main/supporting points | Logical structure matters | ### Purpose-Oriented Approaches | Type | What It Is | When to Use | |------|-----------|-------------| | **Synthesis** | Combining multiple sources coherently | Summarizing across documents | | **Critical Summary** | Evaluating claims while condensing | Assessment of quality needed | | **Contextual Summary** | Framing within broader knowledge | Understanding bigger picture matters | | **Actionable Summary** | Focusing on implications and next steps | Summary will drive action | --- ## Execution by Type ### Key Point Extraction 1. Scan for topic sentences and conclusions 2. Identify explicitly stated main ideas 3. List each distinct point 4. Preserve original phrasing where powerful **Example:** "The author makes three main arguments: (1)..., (2)..., (3)..." ### Abstraction 1. Group related details 2. Find common themes or patterns 3. Create higher-level statements 4. Reduce specifics to principles **Example:** "Multiple studies consistently show..." instead of listing 12 studies ### Gisting 1. Ask: "What is the one thing to remember?" 2. Distill to core insight 3. Remove all supporting detail 4. Verify essence is preserved **Example:** "Remote work increases productivity for most knowledge workers." ### Executive Summary 1. State the problem/opportunity 2. Present the solution/recommendation 3. Highlight key benefits 4. Note co