Document Summarization

Q: What is a Claude Code skill and how does the Document Summarization skill fit in?

A Claude Code skill is a SKILL.md file that lives under ~/.claude/skills/<name>/ and tells the Claude Code CLI agent how to perform a specific task (instructions, prompts, allowed tools). Skills are auto-discovered at session start. Document Summarization is one of 67,000+ skills indexed in the open ClaudSkills catalog, classified under the General category. Learn more at https://claudskills.com/learn/what-is-skill-md/.

Category: General · Sub-category: general-misc · Last updated: 2026-06-06

Summarize an uploaded document (DOCX, PDF, contract, filing, memo, opinion, etc.) by reading it structurally rather than linearly. Use whenever the user asks to summarize, recap, brief, give the gist of, pull key terms from, or "tell me what this is about" for an attached document. NOT for summarizing a chat conversation or vector-search results — only for a binary the user uploaded.

About this skill (catalog notes)

Document Summarization includes at least one code block. The SKILL.md runs to about 897 words, in the catalog's typical mid-range.

License: Apache-2.0
Original author: firelex
Indexed lastmod: 2026-06-06
Catalog position: General · general-misc
Indexed related skills: 10

How Document Summarization fits the catalog

Document Summarization sits in the General category under the general-misc sub-topic in the ClaudSkills catalog. There are 10 related skills indexed alongside it; comparing a few before installing usually reveals which fits your workflow best.

These notes are auto-generated from features detected in the SKILL.md file and from this catalog's structure — they aren't part of the source repository.

From the source SKILL.md

Lawyers don't read contracts cover-to-cover when they need a brief — they scan the table of contents, dive into the clauses that matter, and check defined terms when something looks unusual. This skill prescribes the same workflow using the document tools you already have.

What this skill does

Document Summarization is a community-contributed Claude Code skill in the general-misc sub-category. It ships as a SKILL.md file that Claude Code auto-discovers under ~/.claude/skills/document-summarization/ and loads when your prompt matches the skill's trigger.

When to invoke it: Use whenever the user asks to summarize, recap, brief, give the gist of, pull key terms from, or "tell me what this is about" for an attached document. NOT for summarizing a chat conversation or vector-search results — only for a binary the user uploaded.

Who uses this skill

The Document Summarization Claude Code skill is built for Claude Code users and developers across all disciplines looking for general-purpose AI assistance. It's part of ClaudSkills (also referred to as Claude Skills or Claude Code Skills) — the open community-curated registry of 93,000+ SKILL.md files for Anthropic's Claude Code agent and the wider Claude ecosystem (Claude API, Claude Agent SDK).

How to install

Free

Manual install (2 steps)

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/document-summarization
curl -L https://claudskills.com/skills/document-summarization/SKILL.md \
  -o ~/.claude/skills/document-summarization/SKILL.md

Or just download SKILL.md directly and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/document-summarization/. Claude Code auto-discovers it on next session.

Skills live at ~/.claude/skills/document-summarization/SKILL.md on macOS/Linux, or %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\document-summarization\SKILL.md on Windows. See the full install guide for step-by-step instructions.

📱 Install from your phone or desktop Telegram

Open @claudskills_bot on Telegram, tap Open Desktop App, and the desktop app installs this skill for you. Or share the bot link with a colleague — they get the same one-tap install. Learn more →

Pro

One-click install via the desktop app

The ClaudSkills desktop app installs any skill directly into ~/.claude/skills/ with one click — no terminal required. Pro starts at $9/mo or $149 lifetime.

Pro

For the full experience including quality scoring and one-click install features for each skill — upgrade to Pro.

See pricing → Download desktop app

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the Document Summarization Claude Code skill?

Install via the ClaudSkills desktop app (one click) or copy SKILL.md from the source repository to ~/.claude/skills/document-summarization/SKILL.md and restart Claude Code. Both flows are detailed at claudskills.com/install/.

What does the Document Summarization skill do?

Is this skill free to install?

Yes. ClaudSkills is an open registry — every skill keeps its source repository's license, and manual install via copy is free. ClaudSkills Pro ($9/mo, $79/yr, or $149 one-time) adds one-click install via the desktop app and a multi-signal Quality Score.

When should I use the Document Summarization skill?

Use Document Summarization when your Claude Code task falls under the General category — specifically in the general misc area. Claude Code auto-discovers installed skills and invokes the right one based on the task description, so you can also ask Claude directly (e.g. "use Document Summarization" or describe the task and let Claude pick). Browse related skills at /category/general/.

What is a Claude Code skill and how does the Document Summarization skill fit in?

A Claude Code skill is a SKILL.md file that lives under ~/.claude/skills/<name>/ and tells the Claude Code CLI agent how to perform a specific task (instructions, prompts, allowed tools). Skills are auto-discovered at session start. Document Summarization is one of 67,000+ skills indexed in the open ClaudSkills catalog, classified under the General category. Learn more at /learn/what-is-a-claude-skill/.

Attribution & license

Source: https://github.com/ThomasMoreAI/legal-skills-open/blob/HEAD/general/general/skills/document-summarization/SKILL.md
License: Apache-2.0
Author: firelex

Cite this skill

If you reference this skill in a blog post, paper, or documentation, you can cite it as:

APA

firelex. (2026). Document Summarization [Claude Code skill]. ClaudSkills. https://claudskills.com/skills/document-summarization/

BibTeX

@misc{document-summarization-2026,
  author    = {firelex},
  title     = {Document Summarization [Claude Code skill]},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {ClaudSkills},
  url       = {https://claudskills.com/skills/document-summarization/}
}

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