| name | consolidate-notes-summary |
| description | Use when knowledge on a topic is scattered across multiple project notes and someone asks to consolidate, synthesize, or summarize what has been documented - searches notes by topic and produces a single summary with key points, timeline, cross-references, and documentation gaps |
Consolidate Notes Summary Skill
Search project notes by topic or tag and produce a consolidated summary that synthesizes information across multiple sources.
Notes location: check for a notes/ or docs/notes/ directory, a vault path noted in CLAUDE.md, or ask the user; search with Grep across that directory.
When to Use
Activate when:
- Gathering scattered knowledge on a topic
- Preparing a summary from multiple note sources
- Reviewing what's been documented about a subject
- Identifying gaps in documentation
When NOT to use: single-note summarization (just read it), or consolidating code documentation rather than notes.
Workflow
- Locate the notes directory (see notes location above); confirm with the user if ambiguous.
- Search by topic or tag with Grep across the directory, including synonyms, abbreviations, and related terms (e.g. "auth" as well as "authentication", tag forms like
#auth). Case-insensitive matching catches more hits.
- Read the matching notes, capturing dates, authors, and key claims from each.
- Synthesize the findings per the Synthesis vs. Aggregation guidelines below — combine, don't concatenate.
- Emit the output template, filling every section and flagging anything you could not determine.
If the search returns nothing, widen terms once before reporting back; if it still finds nothing, say so plainly and list the terms tried rather than fabricating a summary.
Output Structure
## Consolidated: [Topic]
**Sources**: [X notes reviewed] | **Date Range**: [earliest] to [latest]
### Summary
[Synthesized overview combining insights from all related notes]
### Key Points
- [Point 1] — from [note reference]
- [Point 2] — from [note reference]
- [Point 3] — from [note reference]
### Timeline
| Date | Event/Decision |
|------|----------------|
| [Date] | [What happened] |
### Cross-References
- **[Note 1 title]**: [how it relates to the topic]
- **[Note 2 title]**: [how it relates]
### Gaps
- [Information that's missing]
- [Topics that need more documentation]
- [Outdated content that needs refresh]
Guidelines
Synthesis vs. Aggregation
- Do synthesize: Combine related points into coherent insights
- Don't just list: Avoid copy-pasting from each note sequentially
- Find patterns: Identify themes across notes
- Resolve conflicts: Note when sources disagree
Attribution
- Reference source notes for key points
- Include note titles or IDs for traceability
- Preserve original authors when known
Quality Checks
- Flag stale information (notes > 6 months old)
- Note contradictions between notes
- Identify outdated decisions that may need revisiting
- Highlight frequently referenced topics
Handling Large Sets
- Group notes by subtopic if > 10 notes
- Prioritize recent notes over old ones
- Summarize in layers (overview → details)
