Summarize URLs
Purpose
Turn a batch of URLs -- typically exported from OneTab or a similar browser extension -- into a curated, Obsidian-friendly markdown summary. Each link is fetched, read, and distilled into a short description so the list becomes a useful reference note rather than a wall of raw URLs.
Instructions
1. Parse the input
The user will paste a list of URLs. Each line can be in one of these formats:
| Format | Example |
| --- | --- |
| url \| title | https://example.com \| Example Site |
| url \| title \| source | https://example.com \| Example Site \| Hacker News |
| bare URL | https://example.com |
- Split on
\|(pipe surrounded by spaces) to separate URL from title/source. - Ignore blank lines.
- If a title is present, use it as the display name; otherwise derive one from the page content.
2. Fetch and summarize each URL
For each URL:
- Fetch the page content using WebFetch.
- Ask WebFetch to extract: what the page is about in 1-2 sentences, and any key takeaways.
- If a URL is unreachable (localhost, paywalled, 404, etc.), note it as
(could not fetch)and use the title if available.
Fetch multiple URLs in parallel where possible to save time.
3. Build the markdown summary
Structure the output as:
## Link Summary
| Link | Summary |
| --- | --- |
| [Display Title](url) | 1-2 sentence summary |
| ... | ... |
If there are more than 5 links and clear thematic clusters emerge (e.g. "AI / Agents", "Web Dev", "Security"), group them under subheadings instead of a single flat table:
## Link Summary
### AI / Agents
| Link | Summary |
| --- | --- |
| ... | ... |
### Web Dev
| Link | Summary |
| --- | --- |
| ... | ... |
4. Append to the daily note
- Find the Obsidian vault path by running
obsidian vault. - Append the markdown summary to the daily note by running:
obsidian daily:append content="<the full markdown summary>" silent
- Escape any double quotes in the content so the shell command works.
5. Confirm and offer next steps
Tell the user the summary was appended to their daily note, with a brief count (e.g. "Added 8 links to your daily note"). Then ask if they'd like to:
- Expand on any particular link
- Remove or re-categorize any entries