Agent skill

DOCX Read Fallback

by HKUDS in HKUDS/OpenSpace

Use runshell with python-docx as reliable fallback when readfile fails on .docx files

MITAuto-check passedDocuments & Office

Install DOCX Read Fallback

skills CLI
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill docx-read-fallback -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace docx-read-fallback --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/docx-read-fallback .claude/skills/docx-read-fallback && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
docx-read-fallback
GitHub stars
7.7k
Token cost
~555 tokens
SKILL.md length
170 words
Files
2
Skills in repo
199
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Use runshell with python-docx as reliable fallback when readfile fails on .docx files

  • Works in 5 steps: Try read_file on the .docx file → If it fails, verify python-docx… → Use run_shell with the python-docx… → …
  • Tasks that involve Word documents
  • SKILL.md covers When to Use, How to Use, Prerequisites and Tips, plus 1 more section
  • Calls python and pip

What it does

DOCX Read Fallback is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace. Use runshell with python-docx as reliable fallback when readfile fails on .docx files

Its SKILL.md is about 560 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 1 other file.

It sits in Documents & Office, covering Word documents. It works with Microsoft Word and python-docx. The repository describes itself as: "OpenSpace: The Skill Management Layer for AI Agents" -- https://open-space.cloud/. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Word documents

Example prompts

  • “/docx-read-fallback”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Try read_file on the .docx file
  2. If it fails, verify python-docx availability
  3. Use run_shell with the python-docx extraction command
  4. Parse the stdout to get document content
  5. Proceed with your analysis using the extracted text

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 3827781. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • python
    • pip

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use pip, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

DOCX Read Fallback loads about 555 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 27 tokens; SKILL.md has 170 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~27
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~555

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from HKUDS/OpenSpace at commit 3827781, republished under its MIT licence (© HKUDS). 170 words, ~555 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/docx-read-fallback/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
docx-read-fallback
description
Use run_shell with python-docx as reliable fallback when read_file fails on .docx files

DOCX Read Fallback

When read_file or execute_code_sandbox fails to read .docx files, use run_shell with python-docx as a reliable workaround.

When to Use

  • read_file fails, times out, or returns errors on .docx files
  • execute_code_sandbox attempts to read the docx fail
  • You need to extract text content from a Word document
  • Multiple standard approaches have been exhausted

How to Use

Basic Text Extraction
bash
python -c "import docx; doc = docx.Document('path/to/file.docx'); print('\n'.join([p.text for p in doc.paragraphs]))"
Using run_shell Tool
run_shell command="python -c \"import docx; doc = docx.Document('path/to/file.docx'); print('\n'.join([p.text for p in doc.paragraphs]))\"" timeout=60
Extract Paragraphs with Indices
bash
python -c "import docx; doc = docx.Document('file.docx'); [print(f'P{i}: {p.text}') for i, p in enumerate(doc.paragraphs) if p.text.strip()]"
Extract Tables
bash
python -c "import docx; doc = docx.Document('file.docx'); [[print([[cell.text for cell in row.cells] for row in table.rows]) for table in doc.tables]]"
Extract Headings (by style)
bash
python -c "import docx; doc = docx.Document('file.docx'); [print(p.text) for p in doc.paragraphs if p.style.name.startswith('Heading')]"

Prerequisites

Ensure python-docx is available:

bash
python -c "import docx; print('docx available')"

If not installed:

bash
pip install python-docx

Tips

  • Use absolute paths to avoid working directory issues
  • Set appropriate timeout (30-60 seconds for large documents)
  • Escape quotes properly when embedding in shell commands
  • For large documents, extract content in chunks or filter by paragraph index
  • This approach bypasses file type detection issues in read_file

Example Workflow

  1. Try read_file on the .docx file
  2. If it fails, verify python-docx availability
  3. Use run_shell with the python-docx extraction command
  4. Parse the stdout to get document content
  5. Proceed with your analysis using the extracted text

© HKUDS, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file in benchmarks/gdpval/skills/docx-read-fallback of HKUDS/OpenSpace.

  • SKILL.md
  • .skill_id

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3827781

Compare with similar skills

DOCX Read Fallback next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

DOCX Read Fallback compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
DOCX Read Fallback this skillHKUDS/OpenSpace7.7k—~555Automated safety check: PassMIT
Word Document Reader and WriterHKUDS/DeepTutor41k—~2.5kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
BiSheng DOCX Builderdataelement/bisheng12k—~2.6kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
DOCX ToolkitXiaomiMiMo/MiMo-Code14k—~2.4kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Word DOCX ToolkitTokenRhythm/opensquilla7.1k—~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Markdown to Word Convertercat-xierluo/SuitAgent206—~559Automated safety check: PassMIT

Similar skills

  • Reads, creates and edits Word .docx files with python-docx, and drops to raw OOXML for tracked changes, comments and byte-exact edits.

    41k GitHub stars~2.5k tokensUpdated today
    Documents & OfficeAuto-check passed
  • BiSheng DOCX Builder

    dataelement/bisheng

    Builds or edits Word .docx documents inside BiSheng's code executor with python-docx, handling Chinese fonts, tables of contents, page numbers and official-document layout.

    12k GitHub stars~2.6k tokensUpdated today
    Documents & OfficeAuto-check passed
  • DOCX Toolkit

    XiaomiMiMo/MiMo-Code

    Produces, edits and reads Microsoft Word files through python-docx and lxml, with a decision table for picking the lightest workflow for a given task.

    14k GitHub stars~2.4k tokensUpdated 5 days ago
    Documents & OfficeAuto-check passed
  • Word DOCX Toolkit

    TokenRhythm/opensquilla

    Inspects, edits in place or creates Word .docx files with bundled Python scripts, keeping existing styles intact when content changes.

    7.1k GitHub stars~1.7k tokensUpdated 3 days ago
    Documents & OfficeAuto-check passed
  • Markdown to Word Converter

    cat-xierluo/SuitAgent

    Converts Markdown files into Word documents formatted to Chinese typesetting conventions, with presets for academic, legal, report and book layouts.

    206 GitHub stars~559 tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Documents & OfficeAuto-check passed
  • DOCX

    einverne/dotfiles

    Comprehensive document creation, editing, and analysis with support for tracked changes, comments, formatting preservation, and text extraction.

    121 GitHub starsUsed in 35 repos~2.5k tokens
    Documents & OfficeAuto-check: notes

More from HKUDS/OpenSpace

All 199 skills in this repo
  • Walks through producing a master audio track plus stems in Python, from checking a reference file and timing sections by BPM to effects, a zip archive and final verification.

    7.7k GitHub stars~2.9k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Handle cascading data retrieval tool failures by falling back to embedded knowledge generation

    7.7k GitHub stars~765 tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Gives an agent a workaround when its code-execution sandbox keeps failing: save the Python script to a file and run it through the shell instead.

    7.7k GitHub stars~588 tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • A recovery routine for agents whose sandboxed code runner keeps failing: save the Python script to disk, then run it through the shell and read the output.

    7.7k GitHub stars~652 tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Fallback ladder for failed sandboxed code runs, plus the habit of fixing the working directory first so generated files land in the right place.

    7.7k GitHub stars~1.1k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Fallback workflow for executing Python code when executecodesandbox fails repeatedly

    7.7k GitHub stars~1.1k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed

Questions about DOCX Read Fallback

What does DOCX Read Fallback do?

Use runshell with python-docx as reliable fallback when readfile fails on .docx files. DOCX Read Fallback is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace.

When should I use DOCX Read Fallback?

DOCX Read Fallback fits situations like: tasks that involve Word documents.

How do I install DOCX Read Fallback in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill docx-read-fallback -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (benchmarks/gdpval/skills/docx-read-fallback in HKUDS/OpenSpace) into .claude/skills/docx-read-fallback in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install DOCX Read Fallback in Codex?

Run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill docx-read-fallback -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (benchmarks/gdpval/skills/docx-read-fallback in HKUDS/OpenSpace) into .agents/skills/docx-read-fallback in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use DOCX Read Fallback in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill docx-read-fallback -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/docx-read-fallback, .gemini/skills/docx-read-fallback, .github/skills/docx-read-fallback and .opencode/skills/docx-read-fallback in your project.

What does DOCX Read Fallback need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, DOCX Read Fallback needs the command-line tools its instructions call (python and pip). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does DOCX Read Fallback access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use pip, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is DOCX Read Fallback safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does DOCX Read Fallback use?

DOCX Read Fallback is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does DOCX Read Fallback use?

About 555 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to DOCX Read Fallback?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with DOCX Read Fallback: Word Document Reader and Writer (HKUDS/DeepTutor, 41k stars), BiSheng DOCX Builder (dataelement/bisheng, 12k stars), DOCX Toolkit (XiaomiMiMo/MiMo-Code, 14k stars) and Word DOCX Toolkit (TokenRhythm/opensquilla, 7.1k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains DOCX Read Fallback?

HKUDS (a GitHub organization) maintains it in HKUDS/OpenSpace, which has 7,749 GitHub stars. The repository holds 199 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 12, 2026.

Source: HKUDS/OpenSpace on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.