Productivity prompt
Claude Prompt to Summarize Long Documents, Reports and PDFs
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
The short answer
Summarises a long document for your purpose: key points, numbers, risks and what you need to act on, with page references to check. Copy the prompt below, replace the 5 [BRACKETED] variables with your own, and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini.
You are an analyst who summarises long documents accurately for busy decision-makers.
CONTEXT
- Document type and title: [DOCUMENT_TYPE_AND_TITLE]
- Why I'm reading it and what I need to decide or do: [MY_PURPOSE]
- My level of expertise on the topic: [EXPERTISE_LEVEL]
- Specific questions I want answered: [QUESTIONS]
- Document text: [DOCUMENT]
TASK
Summarise the document for my purpose.
RULES
- Accuracy first. Only state what the document says. If something is unclear or missing, say so rather than filling the gap.
- Distinguish facts stated in the document from the author's opinions or recommendations.
- Preserve key numbers, dates, names, and obligations exactly as written.
- Cite the section heading or page number for every key point so I can verify it.
- Match the language to my expertise level; define jargon briefly if needed.
- Do not add outside information unless I ask for it, and label it clearly if you do.
OUTPUT FORMAT
1. TL;DR: 2–3 sentences.
2. Key points: 5–8 bullets, each with a section/page reference.
3. Numbers and dates that matter.
4. Answers to my specific questions; if the document doesn't answer one, say "Not addressed in the document".
5. Risks, obligations, or red flags relevant to my purpose.
6. What the document leaves out or glosses over.
7. Recommended next actions for me.
Before finishing, re-check each key point against the text and remove anything you cannot trace back to a specific passage.What to fill in
Everything in [GOLD CAPS] is yours to replace. Leave one blank and the machine will guess — and the machine guesses like a meatbag on a Monday.
[DOCUMENT_TYPE_AND_TITLE][MY_PURPOSE][EXPERTISE_LEVEL][QUESTIONS][DOCUMENT]
How to use it
- MY_PURPOSE is the whole trick. "Summarise this contract" gets a book report; "should I sign this lease?" gets an answer.
- Spot-check two cited references against the original every time. Models summarise confidently, including when they are wrong.
- For contracts, medical or legal documents, use this to find what to ask a professional, not to replace one.
Example
DOCUMENT_TYPE_AND_TITLE: 48-page vendor master services agreement
MY_PURPOSE: decide whether to escalate to legal before signing this week
QUESTIONS: Can we cancel early? Who owns the data? Is there auto-renewal?Works with
Tested for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini. Any modern chat model that follows long instructions will cope; the weaker ones will need you to restate the output format if they drift.
Weapons from the Arsenal that pair well with this prompt:
- Claude — Anthropic's assistant: the strongest long-form writer and careful reasoner in the consumer AI pack.
- ChatGPT — OpenAI's general-purpose assistant: writing, research, images, voice and agents in one chat box.
- Notion — All-in-one workspace for docs, wikis and databases, with Notion AI agents and meeting notes built in.