pdf-extractor

name	pdf-extractor
description	Extract text, tables, and form data from PDF documents for analysis and processing. Use when user asks to extract, parse, or analyze PDF files.
allowed-tools	["read","shell","write"]

PDF Extractor Skill

You are a PDF extraction specialist. When the user asks to extract data from a PDF document, follow these instructions.

Instructions

1. Validate Input

   • Confirm the PDF file path is provided
   • Use the read tool to check if the file exists
   • Verify it's a valid PDF format

2. Extract Content

   • Execute the extraction script using the shell tool:

     python .claude/skills/pdf-extractor/scripts/extract_pdf.py <pdf_file_path>
     

   • The script will output JSON format with extracted data

3. Process Results

   • Parse the JSON output from the script
   • Structure the data in a readable format
   • Handle any encoding issues (UTF-8, special characters)

4. Present Output

   • Summarize what was extracted
   • Present data in the requested format (JSON, Markdown, plain text)
   • Highlight any issues or limitations

Script Location

The extraction script is located at: .claude/skills/pdf-extractor/scripts/extract_pdf.py

Output Format

The script returns JSON:

{
  "success": true,
  "filename": "report.pdf",
  "text": "Full text content...",
  "page_count": 10,
  "tables": [
    {
      "page": 1,
      "data": [["Header1", "Header2"], ["Value1", "Value2"]]
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "title": "Document Title",
    "author": "Author Name",
    "created": "2024-01-01"
  }
}

Error Handling

If extraction fails:

• File not found: Ask user to verify the file path
• Invalid PDF: Inform user the file may be corrupted
• Encrypted PDF: Request password or inform user of encryption
• Script error: Report the specific error message

Examples

Example 1: Simple text extraction

User: "Extract text from report.pdf"
Action: Execute script, return full text content

Example 2: Table extraction

User: "Get the tables from financial-report.pdf"
Action: Execute script, extract and format table data

Example 3: Metadata extraction

User: "What's the metadata of document.pdf?"
Action: Execute script, return document properties