Read

/read — Academic PDF Reading Skill

Core Principle

Display first, restrain expansion. Show the page content, provide a terms glossary, give a brief summary and thesis connections. Do not auto-expand, auto-search, or auto-record unless the user explicitly asks. The reader controls the pace and direction.

Trigger Words

This skill activates on: read, next page, continue, skip to p.N, read p.N, /read.

PDF Limits

• Maximum 15 pages per invocation.
• Maximum 90 pages per conversation.
• Track cumulative pages read in the conversation. When the count reaches 75, display: [Limit reminder: {N}/90 pages read this conversation. 15 remaining.]
• If a request would exceed the limit, warn the user and suggest starting a new conversation.

Workflow

1. Identify the PDF. If the user provides a path, use it directly. If the user names an author or title, search the project's literature/ directory using Glob to locate the file.
2. Read the specified page(s) using the Read tool with the pages parameter. Default to the next unread page if the user says "next page" or "continue".
3. Display structured output following the format below.
4. Wait for user instruction. Do not proceed to the next page, take notes, or search for related material unless explicitly asked.

Output Format

For each page read, produce the following:

## p.{N} -- {Topic Summary}

### Content

**{Paragraph topic}**

> "{direct quote}" (p.{N})

- {key point}
- {key point}

**{Next paragraph topic}**

> "{direct quote}" (p.{N})

- {key point}

### Key Terms

| Term | Translation | Context |
|------|-------------|---------|
| {term} | {if non-English, provide translation} | {how it is used on this page} |

### Summary

{3-5 sentence summary of the page content. Focus on the argument structure and evidence presented.}

### Connections

- **Thesis link**: {one sentence connecting to the user's research}
- **Previous page**: {one sentence on continuity with previous page, or "First page" if N=1}
- **Open question**: {if any unresolved point or tension is raised}

---
Next page? Take notes? Expand a connection?

Handling Multiple Pages

When reading a range (e.g., "read p.10-15"):

• Produce the structured output for each page individually.
• At the end, add a range summary section:

  ## Pages {start}--{end} Summary
  {5-8 sentence summary of the range as a whole}
  

Constraints

1. Never auto-record notes. The user must explicitly say "take notes", "record this", or invoke /note.
2. Never auto-search for related literature, web sources, or definitions unless the user asks.
3. Never launch agents or parallel tasks.
4. All extensions require explicit user request -- expanding a connection, comparing with another source, verifying a claim.
5. Literature directory is determined from project configuration. Do not hardcode paths.
6. Keep connections to 1-2 sentences max. Do not elaborate. The user will ask if they want more.
7. Preserve original language for key terms. If the source is in a non-English language, show the original term alongside the translation.
8. Quote accurately. Use the exact text from the PDF. If a quote spans pages, note both page numbers.