| name | pdf-reader |
| description | WHAT: Read and extract content from PDF files — text, tables, and images. WHEN: the user asks about content in a PDF, mentions a .pdf file, or needs data extracted from technical documents, manuals, specifications, or reports. KEYWORDS: PDF, extract text, extract tables, extract images, pdf reader, document, datasheet, manual, specification, report. |
PDF Reader
Extract text, tables, and images from any PDF using pdfjs-dist scripts. All extraction is deterministic — no artificial inference.
Workflow for Large Documents
For documents over ~20 pages, follow this sequence. For short documents, skip to step 3.
1. Understand the document
node scripts/get-info.mjs <pdf>
Returns page count, metadata (title, author, dates), and table of contents.
2. Find relevant pages
node scripts/search-text.mjs <pdf> --query "search term"
Searches all pages. Returns JSON array of matches with page numbers and context.
Use --max-results 10 and --offset N for pagination.
3. Extract text from targeted pages
node scripts/extract-text.mjs <pdf> --pages 1-5,10,20
For large documents, --pages is required (unless --all is passed).
Use --output file.txt to write to a file instead of stdout.
4. Extract tables
node scripts/extract-tables.mjs <pdf> --page 20
Detects tables by analyzing text positions. Supports --format markdown (default), csv, or json.
Use --output file.json for large results.
5. Extract images
node scripts/extract-images.mjs <pdf> --pages 1-30 --list-only
node scripts/extract-images.mjs <pdf> --page 5 --output-dir ./images
Use --list-only first to scan, then extract specific pages. Saves images as PNG.
6. Raw structural analysis (advanced)
node scripts/extract-structure.mjs <pdf> --page 20
Returns every text item with exact x/y coordinates, font info, and dimensions.
Use when table extraction doesn't capture a complex layout correctly.
Quick Reference
| Task | Script | Key flags |
|---|
| Document info | get-info.mjs | |
| Search text | search-text.mjs | --query, --max-results, --offset |
| Extract text | extract-text.mjs | --pages, --all, --output |
| Extract tables | extract-tables.mjs | --page, --format, --output |
| Extract images | extract-images.mjs | --page, --output-dir, --list-only |
| Raw positions | extract-structure.mjs | --page, --output |
All scripts support --help for full usage details.
If text extraction returns empty results
The PDF may be scanned (image-only). Use extract-images.mjs to extract page images instead.
If table extraction misses a table
Use extract-structure.mjs to get raw positional data and analyze the layout from coordinates.
