How to handle natural language document requests—resolve friendly names to paths, then use appropriate tools for reading, searching, summarizing, or analyzing Word documents
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How to handle natural language document requests—resolve friendly names to paths, then use appropriate tools for reading, searching, summarizing, or analyzing Word documents
domain
document-operations, natural-language-interfaces
confidence
low
source
manual
tools
[{"name":"resolve_document","description":"Resolves a friendly document name (e.g., 'foo') + optional location hint to an absolute path","when":"User mentions a document by friendly name (not absolute path). Call this FIRST before other document tools"},{"name":"read_document","description":"Reads full text content from a .docx file at a resolved path","when":"User asks to read, show, open, or view a document. Use after resolve_document"},{"name":"search_document","description":"Searches for text within a .docx file and returns matching lines with line numbers","when":"User asks to search/find/look for specific text within a document. Use after resolve_document"},{"name":"get_document_metadata","description":"Returns file metadata (size, creation date, modification date) for a .docx file","when":"User asks about document properties (size, when modified, when created). Use after resolve_document"},{"name":"list_documents","description":"Lists all .docx files in a directory","when":"User asks what documents are in a location (desktop, downloads, etc.)"}]
Context
During a session, users frequently ask about Word documents using natural language: "Read the architecture doc on my desktop", "Summarize the status report I just downloaded", "Search for 'Q1 results' in the financial spreadsheet."
These requests fall into two categories:
Explicit path given:read_document("/absolute/path/to/file.docx")
→ Skip resolve_document, go straight to the target tool
Friendly name + optional location:"read foo from my desktop"
→ Requires resolution first (via resolve_document), then composition with a target tool
This skill teaches agents how to recognize friendly-name requests, resolve them correctly, and compose the right tool sequence for each intent.
Patterns
Pattern 1: Resolve Then Act
Applies when: User mentions a document by friendly name (not absolute path)
Sequence:
Extract friendly name and optional location hint
Call resolve_document(name, location)
Handle three possible outcomes:
status: "found" → Use resolved_path with target tool
status: "ambiguous" → Present candidates to user, ask which one
Ask user to clarify which one (e.g., by filename, date, or location)
Optionally, call resolve_document again with more specific location or name hint
After user picks, proceed with target tool
Example:
Found 2 documents matching "report":
1. /Users/me/Desktop/report.docx (modified 2 days ago)
2. /Users/me/Downloads/report_final.docx (modified 1 hour ago)
Which one would you like me to read?
Pattern 5: Permission & Not-Found Errors
If resolve_document returns status: "not_found":
Agent action:
Explain what locations were searched
Suggest alternatives:
Offer to list documents in a specific location
Ask for absolute path
Ask user to check if file exists
Example: "I couldn't find 'budget.docx' in Desktop, Downloads, or Documents. Would you like me to list files in Downloads, or can you provide the full path?"
Examples
Example 1: Simple Read (No Ambiguity)
User: "Read the meeting notes on my desktop"
Agent workflow:
1. resolve_document(name="meeting notes", location="desktop")
→ { status: "found", resolved_path: "/Users/me/Desktop/meeting notes.docx" }
2. read_document(path="/Users/me/Desktop/meeting notes.docx")
→ Returns full text
3. Present text to user with formatting
Example 2: Search Request
User: "Search for 'Q1 budget' in the finance report I downloaded"
Agent workflow:
1. Recognize intent: search + location hint (downloads)
2. resolve_document(name="finance report", location="downloads")
→ { status: "found", resolved_path: "/Users/me/Downloads/finance_report.docx" }
3. search_document(path="/Users/me/Downloads/finance_report.docx", query="Q1 budget")
→ Returns matching lines with line numbers
4. Present results: "Found 3 matches..."
Example 3: Ambiguous Match Resolution
User: "Summarize the status report"
Agent workflow:
1. resolve_document(name="status report", location=undefined)
→ { status: "ambiguous", candidates: [
"/Users/me/Desktop/status_report_2024.docx",
"/Users/me/Downloads/status_report_draft.docx"
]}
2. Ask user: "I found 2 documents. Which one?"
- Option A: /Desktop/status_report_2024.docx
- Option B: /Downloads/status_report_draft.docx
3. User picks A
4. read_document(path="/Users/me/Desktop/status_report_2024.docx")
→ Returns text
5. Agent summarizes
Example 4: Metadata Query
User: "When was the architecture document last modified?"
Agent workflow:
1. resolve_document(name="architecture document", location=undefined)
→ { status: "found", resolved_path: "/Users/me/Documents/architecture.docx" }
2. get_document_metadata(path="/Users/me/Documents/architecture.docx")
→ { modifiedAt: "2026-03-10T14:22:00Z", ... }
3. Present: "Last modified on March 10, 2026 at 2:22 PM"
// DON'T DO THIS
read_document(path="foo") // Will fail — "foo" is not a valid path
// DO THIS INSTEAD
resolve_document(name="foo") → read_document(path=resolved_path)
❌ Ignoring ambiguous matches
// DON'T DO THIS — silently pick first candidate
if (ambiguous) { use candidates[0] }
// DO THIS INSTEAD
if (ambiguous) { ask user to clarify }
❌ Not extracting location hints from user language
// DON'T DO THIS
resolve_document(name="budget report") // omits location hint even though user said "on my desktop"
// DO THIS INSTEAD
resolve_document(name="budget report", location="desktop")
❌ Calling list_documents without a clear purpose
// DON'T DO THIS — user didn't ask for a listing
resolve_document(name="X") fails → list all files on system
// DO THIS INSTEAD
If user wants to see available files, call list_documents with a specific location.
If resolve fails, offer to list that location.
❌ Chaining tools without waiting for resolution
// DON'T DO THIS — spawning all tools at once
resolve_document(...)
read_document(...) // May use wrong path if resolve is still pending
search_document(...)
// DO THIS INSTEAD
Wait for resolve_document result.
Then call the appropriate tool (read OR search OR metadata).
Checklist for Agents
When handling a document request:
Identify the intent: Read? Summarize? Search? Metadata?
Extract friendly name: What is the user calling the document?
Extract location hint: Desktop? Downloads? No hint?
Choose resolution strategy:
Absolute path given? Skip resolve_document
Friendly name? Use resolve_document
Handle resolution outcome:
Found? Proceed with target tool
Ambiguous? Present candidates, ask user
Not found? Explain search locations, offer alternatives
Call appropriate tool: read / search / metadata based on intent
Present results clearly: Full text, search results, or metadata summary
