synthesize-discussion

synthesize-discussion

Roll up a long RFC discussion into a short, structured summary that lets the user orient quickly. Output stays in chat. If the user wants the synthesis to land on the RFC, they edit it in themselves – rewriting it in their own voice, not copying yours verbatim. The chat synthesis is a thinking aid, not source prose.

When to use

The user says "synthesize the discussion", "summarize the comments", or "what are people arguing about?" on a specific RFC. Also worth offering proactively when an RFC has 20+ comments and the user is about to engage.

Process

1. Read the RFC. Call rfc123_get_rfc so you understand what was proposed.

2. Read every comment and thread. Call rfc123_get_rfc_comments and rfc123_list_review_threads in parallel. You need both: review threads carry the resolved/unresolved state; general comments don't.

3. Group by theme. Cluster comments into 3–6 themes. A theme is a concern or topic, not a person. Examples: "migration risk", "naming", "scope of the change", "perf". Two unrelated points from the same person → two themes.

4. Within each theme, distinguish:

   • Settled – the question was raised and answered, or the thread is marked resolved. Note the resolution.
   • Unresolved – still being debated, or pending a response from the author.

5. Cite people by @login. Specific attributions ("@alice flagged X, @bob countered with Y") are more useful than passive voice.

6. Show the synthesis in chat. Use this template (adapt as needed):

   ## Discussion synthesis
   
   ### Theme 1: <name>
   
   **Settled:**
   - @alice raised X. Resolved by Y. (thread <link or short quote>)
   
   **Unresolved:**
   - @bob is pushing back on Z because <reason>. No response yet.
   
   ### Theme 2: <name>
   …
   

7. Stop there. Do not post the synthesis. If the user wants this on the RFC, they incorporate it themselves on GitHub – in their own words. The chat output is for them to read and think with, not to copy verbatim.

What not to do

• Don't paraphrase comments in a way that changes their meaning. When in doubt, quote.
• Don't take sides. Surface the disagreement; let humans resolve it.
• Don't post the synthesis to GitHub – even if the user asks. Hand it to them in chat and remind them to rewrite the bits they want to share in their own voice. RFCs are human-written documents; verbatim LLM prose defeats the purpose.
• Don't include a synthesis if the discussion is short (under ~10 comments) – just point the user at it directly.