| name | pdf-extraction |
| description | Extract text from PDF documents efficiently using poppler's pdftotext. Use when reading academic papers, extracting metadata, or searching PDF content. |
| allowed-tools | Bash, Read |
| user-invocable | false |
PDF Extraction Skill
Extract text from PDF documents efficiently using poppler's pdftotext utility.
Available Script
Use the extraction script at .claude/skills/pdf-extraction/scripts/pdf_extract.sh
Commands
Extract First N Pages (Default Strategy)
For metadata extraction (title, authors, abstract, venue info):
.claude/skills/pdf-extraction/scripts/pdf_extract.sh first "{pdf_path}" 3
Extract Specific Page
.claude/skills/pdf-extraction/scripts/pdf_extract.sh page "{pdf_path}" {page_num}
Extract Page Range
.claude/skills/pdf-extraction/scripts/pdf_extract.sh range "{pdf_path}" {start} {end}
Search for Text
Returns matching lines with line numbers:
.claude/skills/pdf-extraction/scripts/pdf_extract.sh search "{pdf_path}" "query"
Find Pages Containing Query
Identifies which pages contain specific content:
.claude/skills/pdf-extraction/scripts/pdf_extract.sh search-pages "{pdf_path}" "Method"
Extract Entire PDF (Use Sparingly)
Only for short papers (<8 pages):
.claude/skills/pdf-extraction/scripts/pdf_extract.sh all "{pdf_path}"
Strategic Extraction Patterns
For BibTeX Metadata
- Extract first 2-3 pages (contains title, authors, abstract, venue)
- If DOI/venue not found, search for specific terms
- Only extract additional pages if critical info missing
For Paper Summaries
- Extract first 3 pages for abstract + introduction
- Use
search-pages to locate key sections (Methods, Results, Limitations, Discussion, Conclusion)
- Extract only the pages containing those sections
- Target ~4-6 pages of content maximum
Token Efficiency Guidelines
- Never read entire PDFs for papers >8 pages
- Start with minimal extraction, expand only if needed
- Use search commands to locate specific content before extracting pages
- For batch processing: compact context after every 5 papers
