Summarize a long PDF into a decision-ready briefing
Turn a dense report into a concise brief with traceable evidence, risks and next actions.
Best for
- Board papers, policy reports and research documents
- Readers who need decisions rather than a chapter-by-chapter summary
What you need
- The complete PDF
- The intended reader and decision
- Any page or word limit
Limitations
Not suitable for scanned or confidential documents unless you can safely extract and share the text.
Recommended tool
Claude
Claude's free web app can work with uploaded documents and follow a structured briefing format.
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Pick your stack
Do it for nothing, or move faster with a paid tool.
Claude (free plan)
$0 · Completely free
Handles long PDFs well and gives you enough daily messages for a couple of reports.
AI4E may earn a commission from partner links. This never affects which tool we recommend. Read the affiliate disclosure →
Your copy-paste prompt
Fill in the blanks on the left and the prompt updates as you type.
Fill in your details
0 of 4 fields filled — every matching placeholder updates as you type.
Act as a careful research analyst. Read only the attached [REPORT NAME] and prepare a [WORD COUNT]-word executive briefing for [AUDIENCE] who must decide [DECISION]. Include: an executive summary; five key findings with page references; evidence that supports and weakens each finding; risks and uncertainties; and three practical next actions. Separate statements found in the report from your interpretation. Do not invent facts, quotations, page numbers or external context. If the file is incomplete, unreadable or the decision is unclear, ask me questions before drafting. Return clear headings and a final table with Finding, Evidence, Page, Confidence and Action.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Upload the complete PDF and confirm that its text is readable.
- 2
Fill in the audience, decision and length, then run the prompt.
- 3
Open each cited page and compare it with the brief.
- 4
Edit recommendations so they reflect the real decision and constraints.
Check the result
- Every factual claim maps to a real page
- Uncertainty is visible rather than smoothed over
- Recommendations follow from the evidence
- Important caveats were not dropped
If the result is poor
- If citations are wrong, ask for exact quotations plus page numbers before any summary.
- If it is too broad, name the single decision the brief must support.
Privacy and accuracy
- Remove confidential information before uploading.
- Treat the brief as a reading aid, not a substitute for the source document.
Sample input
A 62-page sustainability report; audience: retail board; decision: 2027 supply-chain priorities; 700 words.
Expected output
A one-page briefing with five page-linked findings, two evidence gaps, a risk table and three board decisions.
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Part of a pathway
This recipe appears in an ordered set of recipes you can work through in sequence.