Agent skill

DOCX Shell Workaround

by HKUDS in HKUDS/OpenSpace

Handle docx files using shell-based XML extraction and python-docx via runshell when standard tools fail

MITAuto-check passedDocuments & Office

Install DOCX Shell Workaround

skills CLI
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill docx-shell-workaround -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace docx-shell-workaround --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-shell-workaround .claude/skills/docx-shell-workaround && 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-shell-workaround
GitHub stars
7.8k
Token cost
~1.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
229 words
Files
2
Skills in repo
199
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Handle docx files using shell-based XML extraction and python-docx via runshell when standard tools fail

  • Works in 3 steps: Extract document.xml using unzip → Parse XML with ElementTree via run_shell → Optional - More robust XML parsing
  • Tasks that involve Word documents
  • SKILL.md covers When to Use, Reading DOCX Files, Creating DOCX Files and Full Workflow Example, plus 2 more sections
  • Calls python3 and pip; reaches schemas.openxmlformats.org

What it does

DOCX Shell Workaround is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace. Handle docx files using shell-based XML extraction and python-docx via runshell when standard tools fail

Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k 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-shell-workaround”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Extract document.xml using unzip
  2. Parse XML with ElementTree via run_shell
  3. Optional - More robust XML parsing

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:

    • python3
    • pip

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

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • schemas.openxmlformats.org

    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 Shell Workaround loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 32 tokens; SKILL.md has 229 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~32
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.3k

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). 229 words, ~1,293 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/docx-shell-workaround/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
docx-shell-workaround
description
Handle docx files using shell-based XML extraction and python-docx via run_shell when standard tools fail

DOCX Shell Workaround

When to Use

Use this skill when:

  • read_file cannot extract content from .docx files
  • execute_code_sandbox encounters failures when creating or modifying docx files
  • You need a reliable fallback for docx file manipulation

Reading DOCX Files

Step 1: Extract document.xml using unzip

Use run_shell to unzip the .docx file (which is a ZIP archive) and extract the main document XML:

bash
unzip -p input.docx word/document.xml > document.xml
Step 2: Parse XML with ElementTree via run_shell

Extract text content by parsing the XML. Use run_shell to execute Python code:

bash
python3 << 'EOF'
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET

tree = ET.parse('document.xml')
root = tree.getroot()
namespace = {'w': 'http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main'}

text_content = []
for elem in root.iter():
    if elem.tag.endswith('t'):
        if elem.text:
            text_content.append(elem.text)

text = ''.join(text_content)
print(text)
EOF
Step 3: Optional - More robust XML parsing

For better text extraction that handles paragraphs:

bash
python3 << 'EOF'
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET

tree = ET.parse('document.xml')
root = tree.getroot()
ns = {'w': 'http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main'}

paragraphs = []
for p in root.findall('.//w:p', ns):
    para_text = []
    for t in p.findall('.//w:t', ns):
        if t.text:
            para_text.append(t.text)
    if para_text:
        paragraphs.append(''.join(para_text))

for para in paragraphs:
    print(para)
EOF

Creating DOCX Files

Use python-docx via run_shell (NOT execute_code_sandbox)

When execute_code_sandbox fails for docx operations, use run_shell instead:

bash
python3 << 'EOF'
from docx import Document
from docx.shared import Inches, Pt
from docx.enum.text import WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH

doc = Document()

# Add heading
doc.add_heading('Document Title', 0)

# Add paragraph
doc.add_paragraph('Your content here.')

# Add section with heading
doc.add_heading('Section Title', level=1)
doc.add_paragraph('Section content with multiple paragraphs.')

# Add table if needed
table = doc.add_table(rows=3, cols=3)
table.style = 'Table Grid'

# Save document
doc.save('output.docx')
print("Document created successfully")
EOF
Example: Creating a structured business document
bash
python3 << 'EOF'
from docx import Document
from docx.shared import Pt

doc = Document()

# Title
title = doc.add_heading('Business Strategy Memo', 0)
title.alignment = 1  # Center

# Executive Summary
doc.add_heading('Executive Summary', level=1)
doc.add_paragraph('Brief overview of key points and recommendations.')

# Market Overview
doc.add_heading('Market Overview', level=1)
doc.add_paragraph('Analysis of current market conditions and trends.')

# Recommendations
doc.add_heading('Recommendations', level=1)
doc.add_paragraph('Actionable recommendations based on analysis.')

doc.save('Strategy_Memo.docx')
EOF

Full Workflow Example

Complete example showing extraction and creation:

bash
# Step 1: Extract content from existing docx
unzip -p existing.docx word/document.xml > doc.xml

# Step 2: Parse and transform content
python3 << 'EOF'
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET

tree = ET.parse('doc.xml')
root = tree.getroot()
ns = {'w': 'http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main'}

content = []
for p in root.findall('.//w:p', ns):
    para_text = []
    for t in p.findall('.//w:t', ns):
        if t.text:
            para_text.append(t.text)
    if para_text:
        content.append(''.join(para_text))

# Write extracted content to file for reference
with open('extracted.txt', 'w') as f:
    for line in content:
        f.write(line + '\n')
EOF

# Step 3: Create new docx with modified content
python3 << 'EOF'
from docx import Document

doc = Document()
doc.add_heading('Updated Document', 0)

with open('extracted.txt', 'r') as f:
    for line in f:
        if line.strip():
            doc.add_paragraph(line.strip())

doc.save('updated.docx')
EOF

Key Points

  1. Always use run_shell - Not execute_code_sandbox for docx operations
  2. DOCX is a ZIP archive - Contains XML files including word/document.xml
  3. Use unzip -p - The -p flag outputs to stdout, useful for piping
  4. Handle XML namespaces - Word XML uses the w: namespace prefix
  5. Install python-docx if needed - Run pip install python-docx in the shell if not available

Troubleshooting

If python-docx is not installed:

bash
pip install python-docx

If unzip is not available:

bash
# Use Python's zipfile module instead
python3 -c "import zipfile; z=zipfile.ZipFile('file.docx'); print(z.read('word/document.xml').decode('utf-8', errors='ignore'))"

If XML parsing fails:

  • Check the namespace URI matches your document version
  • Use .endswith('t') instead of full namespace matching for flexibility
  • Handle encoding issues with errors='ignore' parameter

© 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-shell-workaround of HKUDS/OpenSpace.

  • SKILL.md
  • .skill_id

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3827781

Compare with similar skills

DOCX Shell Workaround 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 Shell Workaround compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
DOCX Shell Workaround this skillHKUDS/OpenSpace7.8k—~1.3kAutomated 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
Word DOCX ToolkitNousResearch/hermes-agent252k—~2.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about DOCX Shell Workaround

What does DOCX Shell Workaround do?

Handle docx files using shell-based XML extraction and python-docx via runshell when standard tools fail. DOCX Shell Workaround is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace.

When should I use DOCX Shell Workaround?

DOCX Shell Workaround fits situations like: tasks that involve Word documents.

How do I install DOCX Shell Workaround in Claude Code?

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

How do I install DOCX Shell Workaround in Codex?

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

Can I use DOCX Shell Workaround 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-shell-workaround -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-shell-workaround, .gemini/skills/docx-shell-workaround, .github/skills/docx-shell-workaround and .opencode/skills/docx-shell-workaround in your project.

What does DOCX Shell Workaround need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, DOCX Shell Workaround needs the command-line tools its instructions call (python3 and pip). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does DOCX Shell Workaround access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. In commands or code: schemas.openxmlformats.org; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is DOCX Shell Workaround 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 Shell Workaround use?

DOCX Shell Workaround 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 Shell Workaround use?

About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.2k 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 Shell Workaround?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with DOCX Shell Workaround: 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 Shell Workaround?

HKUDS (a GitHub organization) maintains it in HKUDS/OpenSpace, which has 7,750 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.