synthesize-sources

name	synthesize-sources
description	Synthesize findings across multiple research sources
user-invocable	true

Synthesize Sources

Read multiple research files from the user's research corpus and generate a comprehensive synthesis document.

Workflow

1. Identify the topic. Ask the user what topic, tag, or set of sources to synthesize. Accept any of:

   • A tag name (e.g., "synthesize my #climate research")
   • A keyword or topic (e.g., "summarize what I've collected about AI safety")
   • Specific file names or paths

2. Find relevant sources. Use the search-research skill to locate matching research files:

   execute_skill_script("search-research", "scripts/search.mjs", [query, research_dir_1, research_dir_2, --tag "tagname"])
   

   Search directories should include:

   • Project research/ for each open project (e.g. <project>/research/)
   • Global ~/Notesage/research/

3. Read source files. For each matched result, read the full file content to access the complete article text and frontmatter metadata (title, author, source_url, date_published, tags).

4. Generate the synthesis. Produce a well-structured document with these sections:

   Executive Summary — 2-3 paragraphs covering the key findings across all sources. What are the main takeaways? What consensus or trends emerge?

   Per-Source Summaries — For each source, include:

   • Title and author (with source URL)
   • 3-5 key points or arguments
   • Notable quotes (with attribution)
   • Unique contributions of this source

   Theme Analysis — Identify and discuss:

   • Common threads across sources
   • Areas of agreement and disagreement
   • Gaps in coverage — what topics are underrepresented?
   • Evolving perspectives (if sources span different time periods)

   Suggested Further Research — Based on the gaps and themes identified, suggest:

   • Specific topics to research next
   • Types of sources that would strengthen the corpus
   • Questions that remain unanswered

5. Offer next actions. Use quick replies to let the user choose:

   Save synthesis as file|Insert into document|Go deeper on [first theme]|Find more sources
   • "Save as file": Save to research/synthesis-{topic}.md using save-research skill
   • "Insert into document": Insert the synthesis at the cursor position in the active document
   • "Go deeper on [theme]": Focus the synthesis on a specific theme identified in the analysis
   • "Find more sources": Suggest search terms or URLs to expand the research corpus

Guidelines

• Always attribute findings to specific sources — never present information without citing which article it came from
• Use the source's title and author for attribution, not file paths
• If fewer than 2 sources are found, tell the user and suggest collecting more research first
• Keep the executive summary accessible to someone who hasn't read any of the sources
• Prioritize insights that emerge from comparing multiple sources over restating individual articles