Summarization
- 669 installs
- 133 repo stars
- Updated February 24, 2026
- jwynia/agent-skills
summarization is an agent skill that turns long research, specs, or articles into audience-matched summary formats such as TLDR, executive brief, or reference digest for developers making decisions.
About
summarization is a version 1.0 MIT utility skill by jwynia that treats summarization as translation rather than mere word reduction. It matches summary type to purpose, audience, and context when users ask to summarize, create a TLDR, condense content, or produce executive summaries and abstracts. Instead of a one-size-fits-all shorten pass, the skill selects the right structure—quick TLDR, decision-oriented executive brief, or reference digest—based on how the output will be used. Developers reach for summarization when ingesting long RFCs, research papers, incident postmortems, or product specs that need a stakeholder-ready distillation without losing decision-critical nuance.
- 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
Summarization by the numbers
- 669 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- +3 installs in the week ending Aug 2, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
- Ranked #621 of 3,282 Productivity & Planning skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Security screen: MEDIUM risk (skills.sh audit)
- Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill summarizationAdd your badge
Show developers this skill is listed on Skillselion. Paste this into your README.
| Installs | 669 |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 133 |
| Security audit | 3 / 3 scanners passed |
| Last updated | February 24, 2026 |
| Repository | jwynia/agent-skills ↗ |
How do you summarize long specs for executives?
Turn long research, specs, or articles into the right summary format—TLDR, executive brief, or reference digest—for your audience and decision.
Who is it for?
Developers and tech leads who must distill long specs, RFCs, or research into the right summary format for a specific audience.
Skip if: Tasks requiring full rewrite, code generation, or interactive Q&A over source material without a summary deliverable.
When should I use this skill?
User asks to summarize, create TLDR, condense content, write an executive summary, or produce an abstract.
What you get
TLDR blocks, executive briefs, reference digests, and audience-targeted summary documents.
- TLDR summary
- Executive brief
- Reference digest
By the numbers
- Published as version 1.0 under MIT license
- Authored by jwynia with generative utility mode metadata
Files
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 costs/risks 5. Specify required actions
Synthesis
1. Read all sources 2. Identify common themes 3. Note contradictions 4. Find complementary information 5. Create unified narrative
Example: "Across the five reports, three key trends emerge..."
Critical Summary
1. Summarize the claims 2. Evaluate the evidence 3. Assess methodology 4. Note limitations 5. Conclude with assessment
Example: "While the author claims X, the evidence is limited by..."
---
Format Variations
Quotation-Based
- Use key phrases verbatim
- When precise wording is important
- Select and organize most important quotes
Bullet Points
- Break continuous text into discrete units
- When quick scanning is valued
- Make each point standalone
Progressive Summary
- Start ultra-brief
- Add layers of detail
- Let reader choose depth
Comparative Summary
- Side-by-side analysis
- Highlight similarities and differences
- When contrasting sources
---
Quality Checklist
- [ ] Purpose is clear
- [ ] Audience is considered
- [ ] Scope is appropriate
- [ ] Emphasis matches needs
- [ ] Format serves purpose
- [ ] Core message is preserved
- [ ] Reduction is proportional
- [ ] No invented information
- [ ] Attribution where needed
---
Anti-Patterns
The Information Dump
Problem: Reduces length but not complexity Fix: Focus on what matters, not just what's short
The Distortion
Problem: Changes meaning through compression Fix: Verify summary against original claims
The One-Size-Fits-All
Problem: Same approach for all requests Fix: Match type to purpose and audience
The Over-Abstraction
Problem: Loses all useful specifics Fix: Preserve concrete details that support understanding
---
Integration Points
Inbound:
- When asked to summarize any content
- When processing long documents
- When creating documentation
Outbound:
- To decision-making processes
- To knowledge management systems
- To communication outputs
Complementary:
speech-adaptation: For spoken summariesvoice-analysis: For maintaining voice in summaries
Related skills
Grill MeHave an agent relentlessly pressure-test their plan or design until every decision branch is resolved and shared understanding is reached.691k196kGrill With DocsPressure-test architecture decisions against their live codebase and living documentation before writing production code.585k196k
Lark CalendarLet their coding agents read, create, and manage events inside Lark (Feishu) Calendar directly from natural language instructions.493kLark ImLet their coding agent send instant notifications, post updates, and receive commands directly inside Lark (Feishu) workspaces.493kLark ContactLet their AI coding agents read and write contacts, send messages, and manage user data inside Lark (Feishu).493kLark AttendanceAutomatically fetch and report daily attendance data from Lark (Feishu) into their own tools or agents.493kHow it compares
Use this over generic chat summarization when the output must follow a specific brief format like TLDR versus executive summary.
FAQ
What summary types does summarization support?
summarization supports TLDR summaries, executive briefs, reference digests, and abstracts. The skill selects the format based on purpose, audience, and how the condensed output will be used.
How is summarization different from simple shortening?
summarization treats summarization as translation, not just reduction. jwynia's skill maps content to the correct structure so decision-critical nuance survives in executive or reference formats.
Is Summarization safe to install?
skills.sh reports 3 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.