session-summary

name	session-summary
description	Generates comprehensive session summaries capturing key outcomes, decisions, action items, and learnings.

Session Summary

Capture and synthesize key information from your work sessions with structured summaries that preserve insights and drive action.

What This Skill Does

The Session Summary skill helps you:

• Generate comprehensive summaries of work sessions
• Extract key decisions and their rationale
• Capture action items with owners and deadlines
• Document learnings and insights
• Track session outcomes for future reference
• Build a searchable knowledge base of your work

Usage

Basic Usage (L1):

/session-summary generate --last
/session-summary capture decisions [context]
/session-summary extract action-items

Advanced Usage (L2):

/session-summary analyze patterns --last 7 sessions
/session-summary cross-reference [topic] --all-sessions
/session-summary generate --format markdown --with-attachments

Expert Usage (L3):

/session-summary auto-summarize --real-time
/session-summary link-topics --knowledge-graph
/session-summary forecast --based-on-history

Tier 1: Session Capture & Summarization

Capabilities

Manual Summary Generation:

• Review session content and generate structured summary
• Extract key outcomes and accomplishments
• Identify important decisions made
• List action items with ownership
• Note open questions and blockers
• Capture insights and learnings

Decision Tracking:

• Document decisions with context
• Capture rationale and alternatives considered
• Record decision date and participants
• Link decisions to related topics
• Tag decisions by impact level

Action Item Extraction:

• Identify concrete action items from session
• Assign owners (self, team members, external)
• Set priorities and deadlines
• Track dependencies between actions
• Link actions to decisions or outcomes

Summary Template

Session Summary - [Date/Topic]

Context:
- Date/Time: [when session occurred]
- Duration: [length of session]
- Participants: [who was involved]
- Goal: [what was the objective]

Key Outcomes:
- [Outcome 1]
- [Outcome 2]
- [Outcome 3]

Decisions Made:
1. [Decision] - [Rationale]
   - Impact: [High/Medium/Low]
   - Date: [when decided]
   - Owner: [who made it]

Action Items:
- [ ] [Action 1] - Owner: [X] - Due: [Date] - Priority: [High]
- [ ] [Action 2] - Owner: [Y] - Due: [Date] - Priority: [Medium]

Open Questions:
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

Key Learnings/Insights:
- [Learning 1]
- [Learning 2]

Blockers:
- [Blocker 1]
- Proposed solution: [how to resolve]

Next Steps:
- [Next step 1]
- [Next step 2]

Topics Covered:
- [Topic 1]
- [Topic 2]

Examples

Example 1: Generate Session Summary

User: /session-summary generate --last

PersonalOS:
Session Summary - March 27, 2026 - PersonalOS v1.1.0 Phase 6 Planning

Context:
- Date/Time: March 27, 2026, 2:00-3:30 PM
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Goal: Plan Phase 6 skills for PersonalOS v1.1.0

Key Outcomes:
✓ Identified 5 missing core skills for Phase 6
✓ Decided on skill naming and structure
✓ Planned progressive disclosure tiers
✓ Mapped integration points with existing skills

Decisions Made:
1. Phase 6 focus: Essential Core Skills (daily-agenda, session-summary, draft-email, quick-research, meeting-notes)
   - Rationale: These complete the v1.0.0 core functionality that was documented but not implemented
   - Impact: High - Foundational capabilities
   - Date: March 27, 2026
   - Owner: Alex

Action Items:
- [ ] Create daily-agenda skill (17 KB estimated) - Owner: Self - Due: March 27 - Priority: High
- [ ] Create session-summary skill (15 KB estimated) - Owner: Self - Due: March 27 - Priority: High
- [ ] Create draft-email skill (12 KB estimated) - Owner: Self - Due: March 27 - Priority: High
- [ ] Create quick-research skill (14 KB estimated) - Owner: Self - Due: March 27 - Priority: High
- [ ] Create meeting-notes skill (16 KB estimated) - Owner: Self - Due: March 27 - Priority: High

Open Questions:
- Should Phase 7 focus on industry-specific skills or more core skills?

Key Learnings/Insights:
- Core skills need 3 progressive tiers (L1: Guided, L2: Advanced, L3: Expert)
- Skill integration points should be explicit for better discovery
- Session unlocks should be staggered for progressive capability growth

Topics Covered:
- PersonalOS v1.1.0 development
- Skill design patterns
- Progressive disclosure architecture

Example 2: Capture Decisions

User: /session-summary capture decisions "Product roadmap discussion"

PersonalOS:
Captured Decisions from Product Roadmap Discussion:

Decision 1: Defer mobile app to Q4 2026
- Rationale: Web app MVP takes priority for Q2-Q3; mobile requires separate budget allocation
- Impact: High - Affects resource allocation and timeline
- Date: March 27, 2026
- Owner: Product team
- Alternatives considered: Q3 launch (rejected), Cancel mobile (rejected)

Decision 2: Add AI assistant feature to v2.0
- Rationale: User research showed high demand; competitive analysis shows AI features table stakes
- Impact: Medium - Adds complexity but increases differentiation
- Date: March 27, 2026
- Owner: Engineering team
- Alternatives considered: Add to v1.1 (rejected - too rushed), Defer to v3.0 (rejected - too late)

Decision 3: Change pricing from monthly to annual-only for enterprise
- Rationale: Reduces churn; improves predictable revenue; matches competitor pricing
- Impact: High - Affects sales and revenue model
- Date: March 27, 2026
- Owner: Sales team
- Alternatives considered: Keep monthly option (rejected - churn too high)

Decisions tagged and added to knowledge graph.

Example 3: Extract Action Items

User: /session-summary extract action-items

PersonalOS:
Action Items Extracted from Recent Sessions:

From "Q1 Performance Review" (March 25):
- [ ] Write Q1 performance report - Owner: Self - Due: March 29 - Priority: High
- [ ] Schedule Q2 planning session - Owner: Self - Due: April 5 - Priority: Medium
- [ ] Update budget forecast - Owner: Self - Due: April 8 - Priority: Medium

From "Client Call: Russell Mackey" (March 27):
- [ ] Send contract draft for review - Owner: Self - Due: March 28 - Priority: High
- [ ] Prepare proposal slides - Owner: Self - Due: April 1 - Priority: High
- [ ] Follow up on partnership terms - Owner: Self - Due: March 30 - Priority: Medium

From "Team Sync" (March 27):
- [ ] Review PR #234 - Owner: Self - Due: March 28 - Priority: High
- [ ] Update project status document - Owner: Self - Due: March 29 - Priority: Low

Total Action Items: 6
High Priority: 4 (due this week)
Medium Priority: 2

Best Practices

1. Summarize promptly - Capture while memory is fresh (within 24 hours)
2. Be specific - Include dates, owners, and details for action items
3. Document rationale - Capture why decisions were made, not just what was decided
4. Track outcomes - Link summaries to deliverables and results
5. Tag topics - Use consistent tags for cross-referencing later
6. Keep it actionable - Every summary should have clear next steps
7. Store centrally - Keep summaries in searchable location

Common Mistakes

❌ Mistake 1: Waiting days to summarize

• Fix: Summarize immediately after or within 24 hours

❌ Mistake 2: Vague action items with no owners or dates

• Fix: Always include owner, deadline, and priority

❌ Mistake 3: Not capturing decision rationale

• Fix: Document why decisions were made, not just what was decided

❌ Mistake 4: Too much detail, burying key points

• Fix: Focus on outcomes, decisions, action items - keep it concise

❌ Mistake 5: No topic tags for later search

• Fix: Add consistent topic tags to every summary

Tier 2: Advanced Analysis & Cross-Reference

Additional Capabilities

Pattern Analysis:

• Identify recurring themes across sessions
• Detect decision patterns and outcomes
• Track action item completion rates
• Analyze time distribution by topic
• Identify topics that resurface frequently

Cross-Topic Cross-Reference:

• Link related sessions by topic
• Trace topic evolution over time
• Find all decisions on a specific topic
• Identify related action items across sessions
• Build topic knowledge trees

Structured Output Formats:

• Markdown (default)
• JSON for programmatic access
• Plain text for quick reading
• PDF for sharing
• Custom templates (business, technical, academic)

Search & Retrieval:

• Full-text search across all summaries
• Filter by date range, topic, owner
• Find decisions by impact level
• Track incomplete action items
• Retrieve learnings by topic

Advanced Examples

Example 1: Pattern Analysis

User: /session-summary analyze patterns --last 7 sessions

PersonalOS:
Session Pattern Analysis (March 20-27, 7 sessions):

Topic Distribution:
- PersonalOS development: 4 sessions (57%)
- Client work: 2 sessions (29%)
- Team management: 1 session (14%)

Decision Patterns:
- Technical decisions: 8 decisions (60%)
- Business decisions: 3 decisions (23%)
- Process decisions: 2 decisions (15%)

Most Common Topics (Frequency):
1. "PersonalOS skills" - 4 sessions
2. "Client proposals" - 2 sessions
3. "Code reviews" - 2 sessions

Recurring Themes:
- Theme 1: Progressive disclosure design pattern appears in 4 sessions
  - Evolution: Basic concept (Session 1) → Implementation (Session 3) → Refinement (Session 5) → Standardization (Session 7)
- Theme 2: Client proposal quality concerns appear in 2 sessions
  - Pattern: Feedback → Implementation → Follow-up
- Theme 3: Testing discussions appear in 3 sessions
  - Status: Unresolved, needs dedicated session

Action Item Completion:
- Total items assigned: 28
- Completed: 22 (79%)
- Overdue: 4 (14%)
- In progress: 2 (7%)

Insight: PersonalOS development is dominating focus; consider balancing with client work

Example 2: Cross-Topic Reference

User: /session-summary cross-reference "pricing strategy" --all-sessions

PersonalOS:
All references to "pricing strategy" across sessions:

Session: Pricing Strategy Discussion (March 10, 2024)
- Decision: Monthly pricing at $49/mo for individual plans
- Rationale: Competitive analysis showed market rate
- Related: Session March 15 (pricing adjustments)

Session: Pricing Adjustment (March 15, 2024)
- Decision: Introduced annual discount (20% off)
- Rationale: Reduce churn, improve LTV
- Related to: Session March 10 (initial pricing)

Session: Enterprise Pricing (March 27, 2026)
- Decision: Switch to annual-only for enterprise
- Rationale: Predictable revenue, matches competitors
- Related: Session March 15 (annual discount), Session March 10 (initial pricing)

Topic Evolution Timeline:
March 10: Monthly $49 baseline established
   ↓
March 15: Annual discount (20% off) introduced
   ↓
March 27: Enterprise annual-only policy

Pattern: Pricing strategy evolving toward annual focus to reduce churn and improve predictability

Example 3: Structured Output

User: /session-summary generate --format json --with-attachments

PersonalOS:
✓ Generated session summary in JSON format with attachments

{
  "session_id": "ses-20240327-personal-os-v1.1.0",
  "date": "2026-03-27T14:00:00Z",
  "duration_minutes": 90,
  "participants": ["Self"],
  "goal": "Plan Phase 6 skills for PersonalOS v1.1.0",
  "outcomes": [
    "Identified 5 missing core skills for Phase 6",
    "Decided on skill naming and structure",
    "Planned progressive disclosure tiers",
    "Mapped integration points"
  ],
  "decisions": [
    {
      "decision": "Phase 6 focus: Essential Core Skills",
      "details": ["daily-agenda", "session-summary", "draft-email", "quick-research", "meeting-notes"],
      "rationale": "Complete v1.0.0 core functionality that was documented but not implemented",
      "impact": "High",
      "owner": "Alex",
      "alternatives_considered": []
    }
  ],
  "action_items": [
    {
      "action": "Create daily-agenda skill",
      "estimated_size": "17 KB",
      "owner": "Self",
      "due_date": "2026-03-27",
      "priority": "High",
      "status": "pending"
    },
    ...
  ],
  "learnings": [
    "Core skills need 3 progressive tiers (L1: Guided, L2: Advanced, L3: Expert)",
    "Skill integration points should be explicit for better discovery",
    "Session unlocks should be staggered for progressive capability growth"
  ],
  "topics": ["PersonalOS v1.1.0 development", "Skill design patterns"],
  "attachments": [
    {
      "name": "phase6-planning-notes.md",
      "path": "personal-os/logs/sessions/phase6-notes.md",
      "size_bytes": 4521
    }
  ]
}

JSON saved to: personal-os/logs/summaries/ses-20240327-personal-os-v1.1.0.json

Advanced Best Practices

1. Regularly analyze patterns - Run pattern analysis weekly or monthly
2. Cross-reference before big decisions - See what's been decided on the topic before
3. Use structured formats for sharing - JSON for integrations, PDF for reports
4. Search across all summaries - Full-text search is powerful for recall
5. Track incomplete action items - Review overdue items weekly
6. Build topic knowledge trees - See how topics evolve over time

Advanced Common Mistakes

❌ Mistake 1: Never analyzing patterns across sessions

• Fix: Run pattern analysis weekly to identify trends

❌ Mistake 2: Making decisions without cross-referencing past sessions

• Fix: Search topic history before major decisions

❌ Mistake 3: Not using structured formats for team sharing

• Fix: Export to PDF for reports, JSON for integrations

❌ Mistake 4: Losing track of incomplete action items

• Fix: Review overdue items weekly in your agenda

❌ Mistake 5: No system for finding old summaries

• Fix: Store in central location, use consistent file naming, enable search

Tier 3: Auto-Summarization & Knowledge Integration

Expert Capabilities

Real-Time Auto-Summarization:

• Automatically summarize sessions as they complete
• Generate draft summaries while session is ongoing
• Extract decisions and action items in real-time
• Prompt for clarification on ambiguous items
• Auto-tag topics based on content analysis

Knowledge Graph Integration:

• Link sessions to knowledge graph nodes
• Create topic relationships automatically
• Trace decision lineage and evolution
• Identify knowledge gaps needing coverage
• Suggest related sessions for context

Predictive Forecasting:

• Predict session duration based on topic and goals
• Estimate completion probability
• Identify potential blockers before they occur
• Suggest optimal session sequencing
• Forecast resource needs

Automated Action Item Tracking:

• Auto-extract action items from all sessions
• Track due dates and send reminders
• Escalate overdue items
• Link action items to deliverables
• Generate completion reports

Expert Examples

Example 1: Real-Time Auto-Summarization

User: (Completing a session on product roadmap)

PersonalOS:
⚙️ Auto-summarizing session...

Session Summary Draft - Product Roadmap Discussion (March 27, 3:00-4:30 PM)

Captured from session:
✓ Topic: Product roadmap planning for Q2-Q4 2026
✓ Participants: Self, Product Lead, Engineering Lead

Key Decisions (Auto-detected):
1. Mobile app deferred to Q4 2026
   - Detected from: "We'll push mobile to Q4, focus on web MVP first"
   - Owner: Product team
   - Impact: High

2. AI assistant feature approved for v2.0
   - Detected from: "Let's add AI to v2.0, user research shows demand"
   - Owner: Engineering team
   - Impact: Medium

Action Items (Auto-extracted):
- [ ] Update roadmap document - Owner: Self - Due: March 28
- [ ] Schedule AI feature planning session - Owner: Engineering - Due: April 5
- [ ] Communicate mobile timeline to stakeholders - Owner: Product - Due: March 29

Unclear Items (need clarification):
? "We'll figure out pricing later" - Specific timeline? Owner?
? "Need to talk to finance" - Who? When?

Please review and confirm:
1. Are all decisions accurate?
2. Are action item owners and due dates correct?
3. Any additional outcomes to add?
4. Clarification needed on unclear items?

Example 2: Knowledge Graph Integration

User: /session-summary link-topics --knowledge-graph

PersonalOS:
✓ Session summaries integrated with knowledge graph

Topics Mapped:
- "PersonalOS development" → Connected to 7 session summaries, 3 decisions
- "Pricing strategy" → Connected to 3 session summaries, 5 decisions (evolution traced)
- "Client proposals" → Connected to 2 session summaries, 4 action items

Decision Lineage Trace: Pricing Strategy
Session 1 (March 10): Monthly $49 baseline
   ↓ spawns
Session 2 (March 15): Annual discount (20% off)
   ↓ influences
Session 3 (March 27): Enterprise annual-only
   ↓ current state

Knowledge Gaps Identified:
- "Mobile app" - No recent decisions, needs strategy session
- "AI features" - New topic, first decision (v2.0), may need refinement
- "Competitive analysis" - No dedicated session, scattered across topics

Suggestions:
1. Schedule dedicated session for mobile app strategy (gap identified)
2. Create AI feature topic node and track related decisions
3. Consider cross-referencing competitive analysis in existing sessions

Example 3: Predictive Forecasting

User: /session-summary forecast --based-on-history

PersonalOS:
Session Forecast Based on Historical Patterns:

Upcoming Session: "Q2 Planning Session" (Scheduled March 30)

Predicted Outcomes:
- Expected duration: 90-120 minutes (based on 5 previous planning sessions)
- Decisions expected: 4-6 decisions (avg 5 per planning session)
- Action items expected: 6-8 items (avg 7 per planning session)
- Completion probability: 85% (historical)

Risk Factors:
⚠️ Risk 1: Scope creep likely (occurred in 40% of planning sessions)
   - Mitigation: Set clear agenda and timebox topics
⚠️ Risk 2: Action item assignments unclear (occurred in 30% of planning sessions)
   - Mitigation: Confirm owners and due dates during session
⚠️ Risk 3: Decision deferred due to missing info (occurred in 20% of planning sessions)
   - Mitigation: Prep research materials beforehand

Recommendations:
1. Create detailed agenda with timeboxes
2. Prepare research materials on budget, resources, and competitors
3. Have owner list ready for action item assignment
4. Schedule follow-up session for deferred decisions

Historical Pattern:
Last 3 planning sessions all ran 15-30 minutes over due to scope expansion
Recommendation: Start with 75-min agenda, leave 45-min buffer

Expert Best Practices

1. Enable real-time summarization - Capture immediately, review later
2. Integrate with knowledge graph - Build topic relationships over time
3. Review auto-generated drafts - Confirm accuracy and add missing items
4. Use forecasting for planning - Predict duration and risks before sessions
5. Track decision lineage - See how decisions evolve and influence each other
6. Identify knowledge gaps - Find topics that need dedicated sessions
7. Automate action item tracking - Set reminders for due dates and escalations

Expert Common Mistakes

❌ Mistake 1: Blindly accepting auto-generated summaries

• Fix: Always review and confirm, especially decisions and action items

❌ Mistake 2: Not integrating with knowledge graph

• Fix: Enable integration to build topic relationships over time

❌ Mistake 3: Ignoring predictive forecasts

• Fix: Use forecasts to identify risks and prepare accordingly

❌ Mistake 4: Not clarifying ambiguous items during auto-summarization

• Fix: Respond to clarification prompts immediately

❌ Mistake 5: Letting action items fall through cracks

• Fix: Enable automated tracking and reminders

Integration with Other Skills

• knowledge-graph: Link sessions to knowledge nodes and topic trees
• spaced-repetition: Review important decisions and learnings periodically
• message-review: Ensure messages include key session outcomes
• quick-research: Find related information during summary creation
• task-automation: Auto-generate summaries and extract action items

Troubleshooting

Issue: Can't remember details from old sessions

• Fix: Use full-text search across all summaries; cross-reference by topic

Issue: Action items keep getting forgotten

• Fix: Enable automated tracking; review overdue items weekly in agenda

Issue: Making decisions that conflict with past decisions

• Fix: Always cross-reference topic history before major decisions

Issue: Summaries are too time-consuming to create

• Fix: Enable auto-summarization; review and confirm instead of writing from scratch

Issue: Can't find relevant summaries when needed

• Fix: Use consistent file naming, tag topics, enable search

Success Metrics

• Session summaries created within 24 hours > 90%
• Action items with owners and due dates > 95%
• Action item completion rate > 80%
• Decisions documented with rationale > 90%
• Summaries searchable by topic > 100%
• Pattern analysis run weekly > 80% compliance

After This Skill

If session contained...	Suggest...
Decisions made	"I can log those to your decision log. Want me to?" → memory/decisions.md
Recurring pattern detected	"I noticed you did [X] again. Want to save it as a shortcut?"
Priority progress	Update memory/current-priorities.md silently
End of week	"Want me to generate a weekly summary?" → skills/session-summary.md with weekly mode