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View AI-generated summaries for individual files or entire projects. Requires projects to be indexed with the --summarize flag.

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Syntax

adist summary [projectName] [options]

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Arguments

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projectName
string
Optional project name. If omitted, uses the current project.

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Options

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-f, --file
string
View summary for a specific file path.
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-l, --list
boolean
Display interactive list of all files with summaries.

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Behavior

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Default (No Options)

Shows the overall project summary.

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With —file

Displays the summary for a specific file.

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With —list

Opens an interactive file browser:
  • Arrow keys to navigate
  • Type to search/filter
  • Enter to view full summary
  • Esc, Ctrl+C, or ‘q’ to exit

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Examples

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View project summary

adist summary

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View summary for specific project

adist summary my-api

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View file summary

adist summary --file src/auth/login.ts

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Browse all file summaries

adist summary --list
Displays: 
File Summaries for my-project:
Navigation: Arrow keys to move, Enter to select
Search: Type to filter files
Exit: Press Esc, Ctrl+C, or q to quit

? Select a file to view its summary:
  > src/auth/login.ts - Handles user authentication with JWT tokens...
    src/api/users.ts - User management API endpoints for CRUD operations...
    src/db/schema.ts - Database schema definitions using Prisma ORM...

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View file summary in different project

adist summary api-server --file routes/index.js

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Requirements

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hasSummaries
boolean
required
Project must have summaries generated. Generate them with:
adist reindex --summarize

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Summary Types

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Project Summary

High-level overview including:
  • Project purpose and architecture
  • Main technologies used
  • Key components and their relationships
  • Notable patterns or conventions

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File Summary

For each file:
  • File purpose and responsibility
  • Key functions/classes/exports
  • Dependencies and relationships
  • Important implementation details

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Interactive List Controls

KeyAction
↑/↓Navigate files
EnterView summary
TypeFilter files
EscExit
Ctrl+CExit
qExit (after viewing)

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Output Format

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Project Summary

Project Summary: my-project

This is a REST API server built with Express.js...
[Full summary text]

Use "adist summary --list" to view summaries for all files.

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File Summary

Summary for src/auth/login.ts

This file implements user authentication logic...
[Full summary text]

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Error Messages

# No summaries available
⚠️ This project does not have summaries.
Run "adist reindex --summarize" to generate summaries.

# File not found
⚠️ No summary available for "src/missing.ts".

# No files with summaries
⚠️ No files with summaries found in this project.

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Cost Information

Summaries are generated using AI (requires API key):
  • Generated during adist reindex --summarize
  • Stored locally in config
  • No additional cost to view summaries
  • Regenerated only when reindexing

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