convert-paper

name	convert-paper
description	Converts non-Markdown papers (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, HTML, etc.) to Markdown using markitdown. Use when a paper file needs to be converted before the review pipeline can process it.
disable-model-invocation	true

Convert Paper

Convert any non-Markdown paper file into Markdown format so all downstream review steps can read and analyze it.

Prerequisites

markitdown must be installed:

pip install "markitdown[all]"

Conversion Process

Step 1: Check if conversion is needed

If the paper file ends in .md or .markdown, no conversion is needed.

Step 2: Convert the paper

markitdown <input-file> > <output-file>.md

Example:

markitdown papers/my-paper.pdf > papers/my-paper.md

Output filename: same base name as input with extension changed to .md.

Step 3: Verify conversion

Read the beginning of the output file and check:

• File is not empty
• Content looks like valid Markdown (has headings, paragraphs, etc.)
• Key sections (title, abstract, body) are present

Step 4: Report results

• Success: report the path of the Markdown file and proceed
• Failure: report the error and suggest the user provide a Markdown version manually

Quality Notes

• PDF conversion may lose some formatting (figures, complex layouts)
• DOCX conversion generally preserves structure well
• If conversion quality is poor, recommend the user provide a pre-made Markdown version

Output Convention

Converted papers are saved alongside the original in the same papers/ directory. Example: papers/my-paper.pdf → papers/my-paper.md