build recipe

Summarize a folder of documents

Point Claude at a pile of PDFs, notes, or transcripts and get one clear summary — plus answers to questions across all of them.

easy ~10 min

you'll end up with A single summary of everything in the folder, and the ability to ask questions that span every document.

The steps

01
Gather the documents

Put the files you want summarized into one folder — PDFs, text files, meeting notes, transcripts. Open Claude there.
paste this to Claude
```
This folder has a bunch of meeting notes and PDFs. List what's here and roughly what each file is about.
```
02
Ask for the big picture

Get a single overview before diving into specifics, so you know the shape of what you're dealing with.
paste this to Claude
```
Read everything in this folder and give me a one-page summary: the main themes, the key decisions, and anything left unresolved.
```
03
Ask across all of them

The real power is asking a question once and having Claude check every document for the answer.
paste this to Claude
```
Across all these documents, every time someone mentioned a deadline or a commitment, list it with who said it and which file it's from.
```
04
Turn it into something useful

Have Claude shape the summary into the format you actually need to share.
paste this to Claude
```
Turn that into a short briefing email for someone who wasn't in any of these meetings.
```

tips & best practices

Put everything in one folder first — Claude summarizes what it can see, so gather it all up.
Ask for the source file beside each point, so you can jump back and verify the original.
For decisions and deadlines, ask Claude to quote the exact line — don't settle for a paraphrase.
Keep confidential documents in a workspace you trust; a summary is still based on the real content.