smaqit-utils-read-pdf

name	smaqit.utils.read-pdf
description	Extracts text from a PDF file, writes a sidecar .extracted.txt file, reads it, and continues with the caller's original goal. Use when the user references a .pdf file path and requests any content-based action: review, summarize, analyze, benchmark extraction, or similar.

Read PDF

When to use this skill

• User references a .pdf file path and requests a content-based action (review, summarize, analyze, benchmark extraction, or similar)
• Agent detects a .pdf path in the conversation and the task requires reading its content

Steps

Step 1: Run extraction script

Run scripts/extract.sh <pdf-path> via terminal:

bash .claude/skills/smaqit.utils.read-pdf/scripts/extract.sh "<pdf-path>"

• If pdftotext is not installed, the script prints sudo apt install poppler-utils and exits 1. Surface this instruction to the user and stop.
• If the PDF is not found, the script exits 1 with the attempted path. Report the error to the user and stop.
• If the extracted text is empty, the script exits 1 with the message Extracted text is empty — PDF may be image-only or protected. Report this to the user and stop.
• On success, the script prints the sidecar path to stdout (e.g., /path/to/file.extracted.txt).

Step 2: Read the sidecar path from terminal output

Read the last line of stdout from Step 1. That line is the absolute or relative path to the sidecar file.

Step 3: Read the sidecar file

Read the file at the path captured in Step 2 in full, without truncation.

Step 4: Continue with the caller's original goal

Apply the user's intent (review, summarize, analyze, etc.) to the extracted content. Do not stop after extraction — extraction is a pipeline step, not the final output.

Output

• <pdf-basename>.extracted.txt — plain text sidecar written next to the source PDF
• Continuation of the caller's original task using the extracted content

Scope

• Single file only — multi-PDF support is out of scope for v0.1.0
• Sidecar is always written next to the source PDF (no /tmp/ unless user specifies)
• The skill does not post-process or format the extracted text — it surfaces it for the caller's goal
• Does not create agents, framework files, or templates

Completion Criteria

• extract.sh ran without error
• Sidecar .extracted.txt file exists next to the source PDF
• Sidecar file content was read in full
• Caller's original goal was addressed using the extracted content

Failure Handling

Situation	Action
pdftotext not installed	Script prints sudo apt install poppler-utils and exits 1; surface install instruction to user and stop
PDF file not found	Script exits 1 with the attempted path; report error to user and stop
PDF is unreadable or corrupted	Script exits 1; report failure to user and stop
Sidecar output is empty	Script exits 1 with message "Extracted text is empty — PDF may be image-only or protected"; report to user and stop
Sidecar file already exists	Overwrite silently (idempotent re-runs)