Markitdown
ImCa0/just-laws
Convert files and office documents to Markdown. An agent skill from ImCa0/just-laws.
Extract text from local PDFs using pdftotext or PyMuPDF via runshell
Install Local PDF Extraction
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill local-pdf-extraction -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace local-pdf-extraction --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction .claude/skills/local-pdf-extraction && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.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/
Install the "local-pdf-extraction" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction into .claude/skills/local-pdf-extraction/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "local-pdf-extraction", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extractionType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill local-pdf-extraction -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace local-pdf-extraction --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction .agents/skills/local-pdf-extraction && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "local-pdf-extraction" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction into .agents/skills/local-pdf-extraction/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "local-pdf-extraction", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill local-pdf-extraction -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace local-pdf-extraction --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction .cursor/skills/local-pdf-extraction && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "local-pdf-extraction" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction into .cursor/skills/local-pdf-extraction/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "local-pdf-extraction", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git --path benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill local-pdf-extraction -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace local-pdf-extraction --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction .gemini/skills/local-pdf-extraction && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "local-pdf-extraction" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction into .gemini/skills/local-pdf-extraction/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "local-pdf-extraction", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace local-pdf-extractionInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill local-pdf-extraction -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction .github/skills/local-pdf-extraction && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "local-pdf-extraction" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction into .github/skills/local-pdf-extraction/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "local-pdf-extraction", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill local-pdf-extraction -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace local-pdf-extraction --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction .opencode/skills/local-pdf-extraction && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "local-pdf-extraction" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction into .opencode/skills/local-pdf-extraction/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "local-pdf-extraction", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
local-pdf-extraction- GitHub stars
- 7.8k
- Token cost
- ~730 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 230 words
- Files
- 2
- Skills in repo
- 199
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Extract text from local PDFs using pdftotext or PyMuPDF via runshell
- Works in 4 steps: Locate PDF Files → Extract PDFs to Text → Read Extracted Text Files → …
- Tasks that involve PDF
- SKILL.md covers When to Use, Step-by-Step Instructions, Complete Workflow Example and Troubleshooting, plus 1 more section
- Calls pdftotext, python3 and apt-get
What it does
Local PDF Extraction is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace. Extract text from local PDFs using pdftotext or PyMuPDF via runshell
Its SKILL.md is about 730 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 1 other file.
It sits in Documents & Office, covering PDF. 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 PDF
Example prompts
- “/local-pdf-extraction”
Requirements
- Python 3
Workflow steps
4 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
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:
pdftotextpython3apt-get
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
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
Local PDF Extraction loads about 730 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 23 tokens; SKILL.md has 230 words of instructions outside code blocks.
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). 230 words, ~730 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/local-pdf-extraction/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- local-pdf-extraction
- description
- Extract text from local PDFs using pdftotext or PyMuPDF via run_shell
Local PDF Extraction Workflow
Use this skill when you need to extract text from PDF files that exist locally on the filesystem, and read_file returns binary data instead of readable text.
When to Use
- PDF files exist in the local workspace or known directories
read_fileon PDFs returns binary/garbled data instead of text- You need to process PDF content for analysis, summarization, or data extraction
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Locate PDF Files
First, list directory contents to find all PDF files:
ls -la *.pdf
# or for recursive search
find . -name "*.pdf" -type fStep 2: Extract PDFs to Text
Choose one of these methods based on available tools:
Method A: Using pdftotext (poppler-utils)
# Extract single PDF
pdftotext input.pdf output.txt
# Batch extract all PDFs in directory
for pdf in *.pdf; do
pdftotext "$pdf" "${pdf%.pdf}.txt"
doneMethod B: Using PyMuPDF (fitz) via Python
python3 << 'EOF'
import fitz # PyMuPDF
import glob
import os
for pdf_path in glob.glob("*.pdf"):
doc = fitz.open(pdf_path)
text = ""
for page in doc:
text += page.get_text()
txt_path = pdf_path.replace(".pdf", ".txt")
with open(txt_path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
f.write(text)
print(f"Extracted: {pdf_path} -> {txt_path}")
EOFStep 3: Read Extracted Text Files
Once extracted, use read_file to read the .txt files:
# Now you can read the text files normally
content = read_file(filetype="txt", file_path="document.txt")Step 4: Process Content
Proceed with your analysis, summarization, or data extraction on the text content.
Complete Workflow Example
# Step 1: Find PDFs
ls -la *.pdf
# Step 2: Extract all PDFs to text
for pdf in *.pdf; do
pdftotext "$pdf" "${pdf%.pdf}.txt"
done
# Step 3: Verify extraction
ls -la *.txtOr as a Python script via run_shell:
python3 << 'SCRIPT'
import fitz, glob
for pdf in glob.glob("*.pdf"):
doc = fitz.open(pdf)
text = "".join(page.get_text() for page in doc)
with open(pdf.replace(".pdf", ".txt"), "w") as f:
f.write(text)
print(f"Done: {pdf}")
SCRIPTTroubleshooting
- pdftotext not found: Install with
apt-get install poppler-utilsor use PyMuPDF method - Empty text output: PDF may be image-based; consider OCR tools like
pdftoppm+tesseract - Encoding issues: Ensure output files use UTF-8 encoding
Key Takeaways
- Never use
read_filedirectly on PDFs for text extraction - Always list directory first to confirm PDF locations
- Use
run_shellwith pdftotext or PyMuPDF for reliable extraction - Batch process when multiple PDFs exist
- Read the resulting
.txtfiles for further processing
© 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/local-pdf-extraction of HKUDS/OpenSpace.
- SKILL.md
- .skill_id
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3827781
Compare with similar skills
Local PDF Extraction 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.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local PDF Extraction this skillHKUDS/OpenSpace | 7.8k | — | ~730 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| MarkitdownImCa0/just-laws | 782 | 14 repos | ~3.2k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Gzh Designisjiamu/gzh-design-skill | 3.9k | 1 repos | ~2.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | AGPL-3.0 | |
| GenOffice Document CLIgenspark-ai/genoffice | 9k | — | ~19k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Harness Book Best Practicewquguru/harness-books | 3.2k | — | ~4.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Bookforge Korean Ebook PDF Makergongnyang/bookforge | 315 | 1 repos | ~1.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Related
Categories
Questions about Local PDF Extraction
What does Local PDF Extraction do?
Extract text from local PDFs using pdftotext or PyMuPDF via runshell. Local PDF Extraction is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace.
When should I use Local PDF Extraction?
Local PDF Extraction fits situations like: tasks that involve PDF.
How do I install Local PDF Extraction in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill local-pdf-extraction -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction in HKUDS/OpenSpace) into .claude/skills/local-pdf-extraction in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Local PDF Extraction in Codex?
Run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill local-pdf-extraction -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (benchmarks/gdpval/skills/local-pdf-extraction in HKUDS/OpenSpace) into .agents/skills/local-pdf-extraction in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Local PDF Extraction 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 local-pdf-extraction -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/local-pdf-extraction, .gemini/skills/local-pdf-extraction, .github/skills/local-pdf-extraction and .opencode/skills/local-pdf-extraction in your project.
What does Local PDF Extraction need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Local PDF Extraction needs the command-line tools its instructions call (pdftotext, python3 and apt-get). Our summary lists: Python 3.
Does Local PDF Extraction access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Local PDF Extraction 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 Local PDF Extraction use?
Local PDF Extraction 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 Local PDF Extraction use?
About 730 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.9k 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 Local PDF Extraction?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Local PDF Extraction: Markitdown (ImCa0/just-laws, 782 stars), Gzh Design (isjiamu/gzh-design-skill, 3.9k stars), GenOffice Document CLI (genspark-ai/genoffice, 9k stars) and Harness Book Best Practice (wquguru/harness-books, 3.2k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Local PDF Extraction?
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.