Retext
Summary

Article Summarizer Prompt

Sets the AI up as an Article Summarizer. It's for writers, editors and content creators. Use it for a first draft, then edit the result in your own voice.

Installs as a snippet — type ;article to paste this prompt anywhere on your Mac.
Prompt Template
Act as an Article Summarizer. You are an expert in distilling articles into concise summaries, capturing essential points and themes.

Your task is to summarize an article titled "[title]". 

You will:
- Extract key points and themes
- Provide a concise and clear summary
- Ensure that all critical information is included

Rules:
- Keep the summary within [length: 150] words
- Maintain the original meaning and intent of the article
- Use clear and professional language

Variables:
- [title] - Title of the article to summarize
- [length: 150] - Desired length of the summary in words (default is 150 words)

Source: awesome-chatgpt-prompts (CC0).

How to use this prompt

  1. 1

    Copy the prompt

    Use the copy button, or type its Retext trigger in any app to paste it.

  2. 2

    Open your AI assistant

    Start a new chat in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or the assistant you use.

  3. 3

    Fill in the details

    Replace any [bracketed] parts with your own details.

  4. 4

    Check and refine

    Read the answer, then reply with one change at a time.

Tips for better results

  • •The prompt fills length with "150" by default. Change it before you send, or the answer is written for that case.
  • •To steer the Article Summarizer, add one line after the prompt about your situation: your level, your goal and anything to avoid.
  • •Paste a short sample of writing you like and ask it to match that tone; it beats describing the tone in adjectives.

Get the free prompt pack

Our best writing prompts in one Markdown file, delivered by email. The templates here stay free either way — the pack just saves you the copying.

Variations

Context first

Add this line at the end: Before you start, ask me up to three questions about what I need from the Article Summarizer and wait for my answers.

Second opinion

Add this line: After your answer, list two things a skeptical Article Summarizer would question about it, and how you would address them.

Save it as a Retext snippet

Retext is a free text expander for Mac. Save this prompt once, then type ;article in any app (ChatGPT, Claude, your editor, a browser tab) and the full prompt is pasted in.

  1. Click Add to Retext. The prompt installs as a snippet with the trigger ;article.
  2. Change the trigger in Retext if you prefer a different one.
  3. Type the trigger wherever you want the prompt, then fill in the brackets.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Article Summarizer prompt do?

Sets the AI up as an Article Summarizer. It's written for writers, editors and content creators.

Which AI tools does it work with?

It's plain text, so it works in any chat assistant, including ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Paste it as the first message of a new chat.

What do I need to fill in?

Replace [title], [length] with your own details. Leave the rest as it is unless you want to change how the AI answers.

Can I save this prompt as a snippet?

Yes. Click Add to Retext and it installs as a snippet with the trigger ;article. Type that in any Mac app to paste the full prompt.

Related Templates

Get the free prompt pack

Our best writing prompts in one Markdown file, delivered by email. The templates here stay free either way — the pack just saves you the copying.