Catch up on a long email thread in one minute
Paste the thread and ask for what was decided, what's still open and what's waiting on you. Skip reading 30 replies.
Summarize this email thread.
I've just been added to the email thread below about changing our office cleaning vendor. I need to catch up before replying. Tell me: 1. What's been decided so far 2. What's still open or being argued about 3. Anything someone is waiting on me for 4. Any dates or deadlines mentioned Keep it under 150 words. Use names so I know who said what. [paste the thread]
Why it works
A plain "summarize" gives you a retelling in order, which is still slow to read. Telling the AI why you need the summary and which questions to answer turns it into a briefing you can act on. Asking what's waiting on you means the one thing you actually need doesn't get buried.
Try it now
Click a highlighted part and type your own details. Press Enter to jump to the next one, then copy.
I'm catching up on the email thread below about [topic] before I [reply / join the meeting / make a decision]. Tell me what's been decided, what's still open, anything waiting on me, and any deadlines. Keep it under [number] words. [paste the thread]
Variations
Draft the reply too
Now draft a short reply that answers anything waiting on me and asks about the open items. Keep it under 100 words.
Find the disagreement
Who disagrees with whom in this thread, and what is each side's main point? One line per person.
Based on: Anthropic, "Prompt engineering best practices for 2026". Last checked October 3, 2026.
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