research-key-ideas-prompt

A prompt that pulls the key ideas, insights, exact quotes, habits, facts, references and one-line takeaway out of a long podcast, video transcript, talk, lecture or course module. Use when the user wants the main lessons from a podcast or YouTube video, notes on a talk, or the best quotes and takeaways from a transcript.

Version 1.0 · Updated 2026-10-31

View raw SKILL.md

Install in Claude Code, Cursor or Codex (optional)

Only for AI coding tools that read skill folders. Run one line in a terminal, in your project folder. It downloads this skill's text files from TheSkillVault and nothing else; you can read them first with “View raw SKILL.md”.

Claude Code (all your projects)

curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/raw' -o ~/'.claude/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/SKILL.md' && curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/files/LICENSE.txt' -o ~/'.claude/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/LICENSE.txt'

Cursor (this project)

curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/raw' -o '.cursor/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/SKILL.md' && curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/files/LICENSE.txt' -o '.cursor/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/LICENSE.txt'

Codex and other Agent Skills tools (this project)

curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/raw' -o '.agents/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/SKILL.md' && curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/files/LICENSE.txt' -o '.agents/skills/research-key-ideas-prompt/LICENSE.txt'

Or connect the whole library over MCP

Add TheSkillVault to Cursor or add this to your app's MCP settings (read-only; help):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "theskillvault": {
      "url": "https://theskillvault.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Research key ideas (prompt)

When to use

You have a long transcript (podcast, YouTube, talk, lecture) and want the useful parts fast.
You want quotes you can trust, with the speaker named.
You are taking notes on a lecture or course module.

Steps

Get the text. Most video sites offer a transcript, or use your notes or an auto-transcript.
Paste it into the prompt below, replacing {{TRANSCRIPT}}. Split very long texts into parts.
Read the ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY first, then skim IDEAS and QUOTES.
Spot-check two or three quotes against the original before you reuse them.

Prompt

You pull the most useful and surprising information out of long content.
Work only from the text below. Do not add facts that are not in it.

Output Markdown with these sections, using bullet lists:
1. SUMMARY: 25 words on who is speaking and what it is about.
2. IDEAS: the 15-25 most surprising or useful ideas, one line each.
3. INSIGHTS: 5-10 deeper lessons that combine several ideas.
4. QUOTES: 10-15 exact quotes, copied word for word, each ending with the speaker's name.
5. HABITS: practical habits the speakers have or recommend.
6. FACTS: facts about the world that were stated (mark any you think are doubtful).
7. REFERENCES: books, tools, people and projects mentioned.
8. ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY: the single most important point in about 15 words.
9. RECOMMENDATIONS: 5-10 things a listener should do next.

Rules: no repeats, do not start bullets with the same words, skip a section if the text has nothing for it.

TEXT:
{{TRANSCRIPT}}

How to adapt

For a meeting recording, replace HABITS with DECISIONS and ACTION ITEMS (with owners).
Want it shorter? Keep only sections 1, 2, 4 and 8.

Gotchas

Models sometimes "improve" quotes. Ask for word-for-word quotes and check them.
Do not paste private or confidential recordings (client calls, medical or HR content) into a public AI tool.
Works with any chat AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or a local model). No tool lock-in.

Done when

Every section is either filled from the text or skipped, with nothing invented.
The quotes you plan to reuse match the source.

Example prompt

"Give me the key ideas and best quotes from this 2-hour podcast transcript."

---

Adapted from Daniel Miessler and Fabric contributors (extract_wisdom pattern) (Copyright (c) 2012-2024 Scott Chacon and others), MIT License. Converted by TheSkillVault into a fill-in prompt: fewer and smaller sections, plain wording, added a no-invention rule, steps, safety and done-when sections.

Licence: MIT License. Attribution when you reuse it: Based on work by Daniel Miessler and Fabric contributors (extract_wisdom pattern) (Copyright (c) 2012-2024 Scott Chacon and others, MIT License), https://github.com/danielmiessler/Fabric/blob/8ce0909d8622a61b6aaf539d467ba31bb7e0b6dd/data/patterns/extract_wisdom/system.md; adapted by TheSkillVault, https://theskillvault.ai