parsing

name	parsing
description	Use this skill when Retriever needs to ingest, parse, normalize, or preview supported document types. It defines file-type support, encoding behavior, preview artifact rules, and per-file failure isolation.
metadata	{"version":"1.1.17"}

Operates under retriever:routing. If the user's intent actually fits a different tier — another retriever:* skill, a Tier 2 slash, a Tier 3 tools.py subcommand, or (last resort) direct DB access — stop and re-route against the ladder before continuing.

Retriever Parsing

Use this skill whenever a task changes or depends on document extraction behavior.

Required reference

Read parsing.md before changing ingest logic or parser dependencies. For spreadsheet parser redesign work, also read SPREADSHEET_PARSING_PLAN.md. For ingest execution-model redesign, also read parallel-ingest-plan.md.

Rules

• Keep ingest transactional per file so one bad document never blocks the rest.
• Normalize decoded text to UTF-8 before storing it.
• Prefer preserving the original file and writing previews under .retriever/previews/.
• Treat unsupported or corrupt files as structured failures, not fatal batch errors.