| name | smaqit.utils.read-pdf |
| description | Extracts text from a PDF file, writes a sidecar .extracted.txt file, reads it, and continues with the caller's original goal. Use when the user references a .pdf file path and requests any content-based action: review, summarize, analyze, benchmark extraction, or similar. |
Read PDF
When to use this skill
- User references a
.pdf file path and requests a content-based action (review, summarize, analyze, benchmark extraction, or similar)
- Agent detects a
.pdf path in the conversation and the task requires reading its content
Steps
Step 1: Run extraction script
Run scripts/extract.sh <pdf-path> via terminal:
bash [SMAQIT_SKILLS_DIR]/smaqit.utils.read-pdf/scripts/extract.sh "<pdf-path>"
- If
pdftotext is not installed, the script prints sudo apt install poppler-utils and exits 1. Surface this instruction to the user and stop.
- If the PDF is not found, the script exits 1 with the attempted path. Report the error to the user and stop.
- If the extracted text is empty, the script exits 1 with the message
Extracted text is empty — PDF may be image-only or protected. Report this to the user and stop.
- On success, the script prints the sidecar path to stdout (e.g.,
/path/to/file.extracted.txt).
Step 2: Read the sidecar path from terminal output
Read the last line of stdout from Step 1. That line is the absolute or relative path to the sidecar file.
Step 3: Read the sidecar file
Read the file at the path captured in Step 2 in full, without truncation.
Step 4: Continue with the caller's original goal
Apply the user's intent (review, summarize, analyze, etc.) to the extracted content. Do not stop after extraction — extraction is a pipeline step, not the final output.
Output
<pdf-basename>.extracted.txt — plain text sidecar written next to the source PDF- Continuation of the caller's original task using the extracted content
Scope
- Single file only — multi-PDF support is out of scope for v0.1.0
- Sidecar is always written next to the source PDF (no
/tmp/ unless user specifies)
- The skill does not post-process or format the extracted text — it surfaces it for the caller's goal
- Does not create agents, framework files, or templates
Completion Criteria
Failure Handling
| Situation | Action |
|---|
pdftotext not installed | Script prints sudo apt install poppler-utils and exits 1; surface install instruction to user and stop |
| PDF file not found | Script exits 1 with the attempted path; report error to user and stop |
| PDF is unreadable or corrupted | Script exits 1; report failure to user and stop |
| Sidecar output is empty | Script exits 1 with message "Extracted text is empty — PDF may be image-only or protected"; report to user and stop |
| Sidecar file already exists | Overwrite silently (idempotent re-runs) |
