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summarize

Summarize URLs or files with the summarize CLI (web, PDFs, images, audio, YouTube).

207,212stars37,967forksUpdated 2/18/2026

Security Assessment

Safe(100/100)
Security Score100/100

About summarize

The 'summarize' skill is designed to help users quickly summarize or extract text and transcripts from various sources such as URLs, podcasts, and local files. Whether you need to summarize a webpage, transcribe a YouTube video, or extract key information from a local file, this skill offers a versatile solution. It eliminates the need for complicated tools or manual summarization, making it an excellent tool for content creators, students, and professionals who need quick insights from long-form media or text-based content.

This skill supports a wide array of functionalities, including summarizing URLs, local files (like PDFs), and even YouTube videos. With options for generating both summaries and transcripts, users can choose between concise summaries or detailed transcripts based on their needs. The skill integrates with different AI providers (such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google), offering flexibility in model selection. Additionally, it comes with several useful flags to control the output length, format, and even support for blocked sites or YouTube fallbacks. Configuring the skill via an optional config file allows users to set default models and API keys for seamless operation.

The 'summarize' skill is ideal for individuals needing quick overviews of online articles, videos, or local files without spending time reading through entire documents. It's particularly useful for those working with large volumes of text or media content, such as content analysts, educators, and researchers. Additionally, it serves as a great fallback for transcribing videos or extracting information from inaccessible websites, providing a fast and reliable solution for many use cases.

FAQ

How do I use the summarize skill?

To use the summarize skill, simply run a command like 'summarize [URL or file path] --model [model name]' in your terminal. For YouTube videos, you can use the '--youtube auto' flag for automatic extraction.

What are the available models for summarization?

The default model is 'google/gemini-3-flash-preview', but you can also use models from OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, or Google by setting the appropriate API keys and model name.

Can I extract a transcript from a YouTube video?

Yes, you can extract a transcript from a YouTube video by using the '--extract-only' flag with the YouTube URL. For large transcripts, the skill will provide a brief summary and ask which section you want to expand.

Are there any requirements for using this skill?

The skill requires the 'summarize' binary and specific API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, or Google. Additionally, you may need an 'APIFY_API_TOKEN' for YouTube extraction and a 'FIRECRAWL_API_KEY' for blocked sites.

What output formats are supported?

The skill supports several output formats, including plain text summaries, JSON machine-readable output, and the option to control output length through flags like '--length' and '--max-output-tokens'.

Install summarize

Download and extract the skill files to your .claude/skills/ directory.

Quick Setup:

  1. Copy the skill folder to .claude/skills/
  2. Claude will automatically detect and use the skill