Summarize

When to Use

You have a long document, article, email thread, or YouTube transcript and want the key points extracted fast without losing important nuance.

Inputs

• {{CONTENT}} — the content to summarize (paste inline or provide a URL)
• {{PURPOSE}} — why you're reading this (learning / decision / sharing with someone)
• {{OUTPUT_LENGTH}} — TL;DR (1-2 sentences) / brief (1 paragraph) / detailed (structured notes)
• {{FOCUS}} — optional: specific angle or section to focus on

Prompt

Summarize the following content.

Purpose: {{PURPOSE}}
Output length: {{OUTPUT_LENGTH}}
{{#if FOCUS}}Focus on: {{FOCUS}}{{/if}}

Content:
{{CONTENT}}

Rules:
- Lead with the main point or conclusion — not background or context
- For a decision-focused summary: highlight implications and action items
- For a learning-focused summary: highlight key concepts and how they connect
- For sharing: use plain language, no jargon
- If content has conflicting views, represent both fairly
- Do not pad the summary — if the main point fits in one paragraph, stop there

End with:
"Key takeaway: [one sentence]"

Output Length Guide

Example (filled in)

Content: [paste article URL or text]
Purpose: Deciding whether to switch from Redux to Zustand for state management
Output length: Detailed
Focus: Migration effort and edge cases

Tips

• For YouTube videos, paste the auto-generated transcript (available under "..." → "Show transcript")
• For PDF documents, paste the text content — Claude can parse it well
• For email threads, paste the full thread — Claude handles quoted replies