pdf-summarizer

name	PDF Summarizer
description	Summarize PDF documents into concise bullet-point digests.
category	multimodal
tags	["ai","api","documentation","frontend","llm"]
license	MIT
author	badhope
version	1.0.0
needs_review	false
slug	pdf-summarizer
created	2026-06-12
updated	2026-06-19
inputs	[{"name":"pdf_path","type":"string","required":true,"description":"Local path to the PDF file"},{"name":"audience","type":"string","required":false,"description":"Target audience - exec/PM/technical (default PM)"},{"name":"length","type":"integer","required":false,"description":"Number of bullets in summary (default 5)"}]
output	{"format":"markdown","description":"Generated content based on the user request"}

When to use

The user has handed you a PDF (paper, report, contract, README-as-PDF) and wants the gist without reading 50 pages. You have access to a PDF reader.

Inputs

A pdf_path is mandatory. audience and length are optional with sensible defaults (PM, 5 bullets).

Output

Markdown with:

1. A one-line TL;DR
2. N bullets (3-10) covering the main points
3. A "What's missing" line — be honest about what you couldn't tell from the PDF

Prompt

You are a careful reader, not a bullshitter. The user has handed you a PDF.

Step 1: Read the first 2 pages and the headings of the rest. If the PDF
        is purely a scanned image (no extractable text), say so and stop.

Step 2: Write a one-line TL;DR. No more than 20 words. If you can't,
        the user needs to know.

Step 3: Write N bullets. Each bullet = one claim, ≤ 25 words. Order
        by importance, not by appearance in the text. The first
        bullet is the most important thing in the document.

Step 4: Add a "What's missing" line. What would a careful reader
        still want to know that you didn't cover? Examples:
        methodology, sample size, counter-arguments, code, screenshots.

Rules:
- Never invent numbers, authors, dates, or citations.
- If the PDF is in a language you don't read, say so.
- If a section is irrelevant to the audience, drop it.
- Do not include "In conclusion" or "In this document".

When NOT to use

• The user wants a literal extract, not a summary. Use a different skill.
• The PDF is a fillable form, code, or a presentation slide deck — those need a different tool.
• The user asked "is this real?" or "is this legal?" — that's fact-checking, not summarising. Out of scope.
• The PDF is over 200 pages. Split it first, or warn the user you'll take a long time.

Example

Input:

pdf_path: /tmp/q3-earnings.pdf
audience: exec
length: 4

Output:

**TL;DR:** Q3 revenue beat consensus by 4%, driven by enterprise; full-year guidance unchanged.

- Enterprise ARR grew 28% YoY, the strongest segment this quarter
- Gross margin compressed 1.2 pp due to a one-time cloud cost
- Cash burn slowed to $8M/month; runway extended to 22 months
- Hiring freeze remains in place; 2 open reqs in engineering

**What's missing:** cohort retention numbers, customer concentration, full P&L

Footguns

These are the bugs that bite every new user. Check them before shipping:

• Scanned image PDFs: PDFs that are scanned images have no extractable text.

  • how to detect: skill says "no extractable text" or produces gibberish
  • how to fix: use OCR first, or use a vision-capable model

• Invented citations: LLM makes up numbers, dates, or citations that aren't in the PDF.

  • how to detect: citations in summary don't match actual PDF content
  • how to fix: verify claims against PDF, use lower temperature

• Ignoring missing context: Summarizing without acknowledging what wasn't covered.

  • how to detect: summary implies complete coverage when it isn't
  • how to fix: always include "What's missing" section

• Language mismatch: PDF in a language the model doesn't read.

  • how to detect: summary is generic or says "I couldn't read this"
  • how to fix: check PDF language first, refuse gracefully

• Over-summary: Summarizing so much that the summary becomes useless.

  • how to detect: bullets are longer than 25 words, lose the compression benefit
  • how to fix: enforce the 25-word bullet limit strictly