camscanner-image2markdown

name	camscanner-image2markdown
description	Use CamScanner to convert images to Markdown format, powered by a high-precision document parsing engine that intelligently decomposes paragraphs, precisely recognizes tables and multiple element types, handles complex image scenarios, and outputs structured results in reading order, empowering large language models to accurately understand document content. Use when the user wants to convert images (PNG, JPG, etc.) to Markdown, or when images contain text, tables, code, or structured content that needs to be extracted. Also use when the user's input contains images - convert to Markdown first to better understand the image before responding. Triggers on "image to Markdown", "extract text from image", "OCR to Markdown", or when an image needs to be converted to text for processing.
metadata	{"author":"CamScanner","version":"1.0","openclaw":{"emoji":"📷","requires":{"bins":["curl","jq"]}},"homepage":"https://www.camscanner.com"}

CamScanner Image to Markdown

Overview

CamScanner provides a high-precision document parsing engine that converts images to Markdown format. It intelligently decomposes document paragraphs, precisely recognizes tables and multiple element types, handles complex image scenarios, and outputs structured results in reading order — empowering large language models to accurately understand document content. The workflow is a 3-step pipeline: upload the image, convert it, then download the result.

When to Use

• User wants to convert an image to Markdown
• User wants to extract text/content from an image as Markdown (OCR)
• User has a screenshot or photo with text, tables, or structured content
• User's input contains images — convert to Markdown first, then use the extracted text to better understand and respond to the user's request

Privacy & Data

Important: Privacy & Data Flow Notice

• Third-party service: This skill sends your files to CamScanner's official servers (ai-tools.camscanner.com) for processing.
• Data retention: CamScanner servers process your files in real-time. Files are not permanently stored on the server.
• Local files: Output files are saved to your local filesystem at the path you specify.

API Reference

Base URL: https://ai-tools.camscanner.com

Supported Conversions

source_type	target_type	Output
image	md	.md

Step 1: Upload Image

BASE="https://ai-tools.camscanner.com"

IN_FILE_ID=$(curl -sS -X POST "$BASE/v1/tools/upload_file/execute" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
  --data-binary "@/path/to/image.png" | jq -r '.tool_result.data.file_id')

Response:

{
  "code": 200,
  "tool": "upload_file",
  "tool_result": {
    "success": true,
    "data": {
      "file_id": "file_1741857600_ab12cd34ef56",
      "size": 24576
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Convert Image to Markdown

OUT_FILE_ID=$(curl -sS -X POST "$BASE/v1/tools/convert_image/execute" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"file_id\":\"$IN_FILE_ID\",\"source_type\":\"image\",\"target_type\":\"md\",\"output_mode\":\"file_id\"}" \
  | jq -r '.tool_result.data.file_id')

Response:

{
  "code": 200,
  "tool": "convert_image",
  "tool_result": {
    "success": true,
    "data": {
      "file_id": "file_1741857701_9988aabbccdd",
      "target_type": "md"
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Download Result

curl -sS -X POST "$BASE/v1/tools/download_file/execute?response_mode=raw" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"file_id\":\"$OUT_FILE_ID\"}" \
  -o /path/to/output.md

Critical: The response_mode=raw query parameter is required to get the binary file. Without it, the response is JSON.

Quick Reference: Complete Pipeline

BASE="https://ai-tools.camscanner.com"
INPUT_IMAGE="/path/to/image.png"
OUTPUT_FILE="/path/to/output.md"

# Upload
IN_FILE_ID=$(curl -sS -X POST "$BASE/v1/tools/upload_file/execute" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
  --data-binary "@$INPUT_IMAGE" | jq -r '.tool_result.data.file_id')

# Convert
OUT_FILE_ID=$(curl -sS -X POST "$BASE/v1/tools/convert_image/execute" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"file_id\":\"$IN_FILE_ID\",\"source_type\":\"image\",\"target_type\":\"md\",\"output_mode\":\"file_id\"}" \
  | jq -r '.tool_result.data.file_id')

# Download
curl -sS -X POST "$BASE/v1/tools/download_file/execute?response_mode=raw" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"file_id\":\"$OUT_FILE_ID\"}" \
  -o "$OUTPUT_FILE"

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Forgetting response_mode=raw on download	Always append ?response_mode=raw to the download URL
Wrong Content-Type on upload	Upload uses application/octet-stream, not multipart/form-data
Using GET instead of POST	All three endpoints use POST
Missing source_type in convert request	Always include "source_type": "image"
Missing output_mode in convert request	Always include "output_mode": "file_id" to get a downloadable file_id

Error Handling

Check each step before proceeding:

# After upload
if [ -z "$IN_FILE_ID" ] || [ "$IN_FILE_ID" = "null" ]; then
  echo "Upload failed"; exit 1
fi

# After convert
if [ -z "$OUT_FILE_ID" ] || [ "$OUT_FILE_ID" = "null" ]; then
  echo "Conversion failed"; exit 1
fi