synthesize

name	synthesize
description	Use when the user wants output spanning multiple papers or topics — "比较一下这几篇"、"帮我写一个综述"、"这几篇的异同是什么"、"conference 趋势/观察笔记"、"更新这个 topic 的 landscape". Use even when the user does not say /synthesize.

/synthesize

When To Use

• The user asks to compare multiple papers.
• The user wants a topic summary, cross-topic connection, or survey-like page.
• The user wants a conference-level note recording emerging directions, methods, oral-session observations, or cross-paper patterns.
• The user wants to update an existing landscape.md.

Inputs Expected

• target papers, topics, or notes
• comparison angle or question
• destination type (see sub-paths below)

Workflow

1. Read the existing notes first instead of re-deriving from raw PDFs — synthesis is about connecting already-understood material.
2. Choose the output sub-path based on what the user needs:

Sub-path A — Paper Comparison / Survey → content/syntheses/<name>.md

For comparing 2+ papers or producing a reusable cross-paper summary.

## Summary
One-liner: what question does this synthesis answer?

## Comparison Axes
2–5 dimensions along which these works differ (e.g., sample efficiency, assumption strength, implementation complexity)

## Key Differences
For each axis: what each paper does and why it matters

## Open Questions
Questions raised by this comparison that remain unanswered

## Sources
- [[topic/paper-slug]] — one-line role in this synthesis
- [[topic/paper-slug]] — ...

Sub-path B — Conference-Level Note → content/conferences/<venue-year>.md or content/conferences/<venue-year>/index.md

For recording observations from a conference, workshop, or oral session.

## Overview
Theme of this conference/workshop in 1–2 sentences

## Oral / Spotlight Highlights
For each notable paper: one paragraph (contribution + why it matters)

## Emerging Trends
3–5 patterns visible across multiple papers/sessions

## Reading List
Papers worth following up with — route these through `/intake` afterward

Boundary — Conference-Local Paper Notes Belong To /read

If the user asks to read one paper from a conference list and write a finished paper note under content/conferences/<venue-year>/<paper>.md, route that work to /read, not /synthesize. The storage path is conference-local, but the workflow type is still a single-paper read. The resulting ops log entry should therefore use event=read.

/synthesize may later consume those conference-local paper notes to produce a cross-paper comparison, conference trend summary, oral-session observation, or topic landscape update.

Sub-path C — Landscape Update → existing content/topics/<topic>/landscape.md

For expanding an existing topic's landscape page. Do not create a new file.

• Read the existing landscape.md first
• Identify which sections need updating (new sub-area, new open questions, updated roadmap)
• Edit in place; follow the five-section structure from /explore (_shared/conventions.md or AGENTS.md §0)

3. Link back to all source notes using Obsidian double-bracket links ([[topic/slug]]).
4. Append ops log entry (event=synthesize).

Files It May Write

• content/syntheses/<name>.md
• content/conferences/<venue-year>.md
• content/conferences/<venue-year>/index.md when it is being used as the venue-level observation page
• content/topics/*/landscape.md
• ops/log.md

Scripts

• assets/synthesis.md — template for sub-path A
• ../maintain/scripts/query_context.py — find relevant existing notes
• ../maintain/scripts/rebuild_index.py — if a new synthesis file was added

Done Criteria

• The result is filed back into the repo (not left in chat)
• Source notes are linked
• The synthesis is reusable outside this chat session
• Conference-level notes distinguish direct conference observations from later synthesis across source notes

Hand-Offs

• After synthesis, run /maintain if multiple pages were touched