Summarize a thread
Open a long thread and Smart Summaries gives you a one-tap TL;DR — the key points as bullets and, when it makes sense, a couple of suggested replies. It all appears right at the top of the thread, so you can catch up without scrolling.
Smart Summaries reads a thread for you and hands back the gist: a bullet-point rundown of what matters and — when the thread looks like it needs a response — a few reply suggestions you can use as a starting point. The summary appears at the top of the thread in Gmail, so there’s nothing extra to open.
Before you start
You’ll need the Chiefy extension installed and your inbox connected. New to Chiefy? Start with Getting started first.
Smart Summaries works on the thread you’re reading. To learn what goes into a summary, see How summaries work.
Summarize a thread
-
Open the thread
In Gmail, open the email thread you want to catch up on.
-
Select Summarize A
If Chiefy hasn’t already summarized the thread, you’ll see a Summarize this email button at the top of the thread. Select it, and Chiefy generates the summary.
Booking enquiry — Bayview Cottages, 12–15 Aug
JJordan Lee <jordan.lee@example.com> 9:24 AMHi — I'd love to book the 3-bedroom cottage for 12–15 Aug for 2 adults and 1 child. A couple of quick questions before I confirm…
When no summary exists yet, Chiefy shows a Summarize this email button at the top of the thread. -
Read the summary
Chiefy replaces the button with the summary — the key points as bullets, and any reply suggestions below them. Everything stays at the top of the thread.
What the summary includes
A Smart Summary has up to two parts, shown together at the top of the thread:
- Key points — the thread’s main beats as a short bullet list (usually one to three bullets), so you can skim instead of reading every message.
- Suggested replies — when the thread looks like it needs a response, Chiefy offers a couple of reply starters alongside the summary. If a thread doesn’t call for a reply — for example an automated notification — you simply won’t see them.
Booking enquiry — Bayview Cottages, 12–15 Aug
- Two double rooms confirmed for the last weekend of August.
- Guest asked you to send an invoice to their company address.
- They'd like to know about early check-in on the Friday.
Hi — I'd love to book the 3-bedroom cottage for 12–15 Aug for 2 adults and 1 child. A couple of quick questions before I confirm…
Where the summary appears
The summary shows up at the top of the thread in Gmail, inside the thread view itself — not as a separate popup or window. Once a thread has a summary, you’ll see it the next time you open that thread, so there’s nothing to re-run.
If a thread already has a summary, the Summarize this email button won’t appear — the summary is shown in its place.
If you don’t see the Summarize button
A couple of reasons the button might not appear:
- The thread is already summarized. When a summary exists, Chiefy shows it instead of the button.
- The extension isn’t connected. Make sure Chiefy is installed and your inbox is connected — see Getting started.
If you’ve hit your summary limit
Smart Summaries has a monthly limit. When you’ve used it up, the Summarize this email button still appears, but selecting it won’t generate a summary — instead Chiefy lets you know you’ve reached your limit and points you to your plan, where you can upgrade for more. See Summary limits for the details.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for the feedback.