pdf-processing
Extract text and tables from PDF files, fill forms, merge documents. Use when working with PDF files or when the user mentions PDFs, forms, or document extraction.
Best use case
pdf-processing is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Extract text and tables from PDF files, fill forms, merge documents. Use when working with PDF files or when the user mentions PDFs, forms, or document extraction.
Teams using pdf-processing should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/pdf-processing/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How pdf-processing Compares
| Feature / Agent | pdf-processing | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Extract text and tables from PDF files, fill forms, merge documents. Use when working with PDF files or when the user mentions PDFs, forms, or document extraction.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
# PDF Processing
## Quick start
Use pdfplumber to extract text from PDFs:
```python
import pdfplumber
with pdfplumber.open("document.pdf") as pdf:
text = pdf.pages[0].extract_text()
print(text)
```
## Extracting tables
Extract tables from PDFs with automatic detection:
```python
import pdfplumber
with pdfplumber.open("report.pdf") as pdf:
page = pdf.pages[0]
tables = page.extract_tables()
for table in tables:
for row in table:
print(row)
```
## Extracting all pages
Process multi-page documents efficiently:
```python
import pdfplumber
with pdfplumber.open("document.pdf") as pdf:
full_text = ""
for page in pdf.pages:
full_text += page.extract_text() + "\n\n"
print(full_text)
```
## Form filling
For PDF form filling, see [FORMS.md](FORMS.md) for the complete guide including field analysis and validation.
## Merging PDFs
Combine multiple PDF files:
```python
from pypdf import PdfMerger
merger = PdfMerger()
for pdf in ["file1.pdf", "file2.pdf", "file3.pdf"]:
merger.append(pdf)
merger.write("merged.pdf")
merger.close()
```
## Splitting PDFs
Extract specific pages or ranges:
```python
from pypdf import PdfReader, PdfWriter
reader = PdfReader("input.pdf")
writer = PdfWriter()
# Extract pages 2-5
for page_num in range(1, 5):
writer.add_page(reader.pages[page_num])
with open("output.pdf", "wb") as output:
writer.write(output)
```
## Available packages
- **pdfplumber** - Text and table extraction (recommended)
- **pypdf** - PDF manipulation, merging, splitting
- **pdf2image** - Convert PDFs to images (requires poppler)
- **pytesseract** - OCR for scanned PDFs (requires tesseract)
## Common patterns
**Extract and save text:**
```python
import pdfplumber
with pdfplumber.open("input.pdf") as pdf:
text = "\n\n".join(page.extract_text() for page in pdf.pages)
with open("output.txt", "w") as f:
f.write(text)
```
**Extract tables to CSV:**
```python
import pdfplumber
import csv
with pdfplumber.open("tables.pdf") as pdf:
tables = pdf.pages[0].extract_tables()
with open("output.csv", "w", newline="") as f:
writer = csv.writer(f)
for table in tables:
writer.writerows(table)
```
## Error handling
Handle common PDF issues:
```python
import pdfplumber
try:
with pdfplumber.open("document.pdf") as pdf:
if len(pdf.pages) == 0:
print("PDF has no pages")
else:
text = pdf.pages[0].extract_text()
if text is None or text.strip() == "":
print("Page contains no extractable text (might be scanned)")
else:
print(text)
except Exception as e:
print(f"Error processing PDF: {e}")
```
## Performance tips
- Process pages in batches for large PDFs
- Use multiprocessing for multiple files
- Extract only needed pages rather than entire document
- Close PDF objects after useRelated Skills
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