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Agent skill

Reliable PDF Extraction

by HKUDS in HKUDS/OpenSpace

Use shell commands or Python libraries to extract PDF text when readfile PDF handler fails

MITAuto-check passedDocuments & Office

Install Reliable PDF Extraction

skills CLI
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill reliable-pdf-extraction -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace reliable-pdf-extraction --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/reliable-pdf-extraction .claude/skills/reliable-pdf-extraction && 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
reliable-pdf-extraction
GitHub stars
7.8k
Token cost
~660 tokens
SKILL.md length
212 words
Files
2
Skills in repo
199
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Use shell commands or Python libraries to extract PDF text when readfile PDF handler fails

  • Works in 4 steps: Attempt read_file with filetype='pdf'… → Check output - If you receive → Fall back to one of the extraction… → …
  • Tasks that involve PDF
  • SKILL.md covers Problem, Solution, Methods and Workflow, plus 2 more sections
  • Calls pdftotext

What it does

Reliable PDF Extraction is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace. Use shell commands or Python libraries to extract PDF text when readfile PDF handler fails

Its SKILL.md is about 660 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. It works with Python and pypdf. 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

  • “/reliable-pdf-extraction”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

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

  1. Attempt read_file with filetype='pdf' first (in case it works)
  2. Check output - If you receive
  3. Fall back to one of the extraction methods above
  4. Process the extracted text for your task

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:

    • pdftotext

    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

Reliable PDF Extraction loads about 660 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 29 tokens; SKILL.md has 212 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~29
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~660

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). 212 words, ~660 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/reliable-pdf-extraction/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
reliable-pdf-extraction
description
Use shell commands or Python libraries to extract PDF text when read_file PDF handler fails

Reliable PDF Text Extraction

Problem

The read_file tool with filetype='pdf' often returns binary image data, errors, or unusable output when attempting to extract text from PDF documents. This makes it unreliable for structured data extraction tasks.

Solution

Use run_shell with command-line tools (pdftotext, pdfinfo) or execute_code_sandbox with Python libraries (PyMuPDF, pdfplumber) to extract PDF text content reliably.

Methods

bash
# Extract all text to stdout
pdftotext input.pdf -

# Or extract to file
pdftotext input.pdf output.txt
cat output.txt
Method 2: pdfinfo (For metadata)
bash
pdfinfo input.pdf
Method 3: Python with PyMuPDF (fitz)
python
import fitz  # PyMuPDF

doc = fitz.open("input.pdf")
text = ""
for page in doc:
    text += page.get_text()
print(text)
doc.close()
Method 4: Python with pdfplumber (Better for tables/structured data)
python
import pdfplumber

with pdfplumber.open("input.pdf") as pdf:
    for page in pdf.pages:
        text = page.extract_text()
        print(text)
        # For tables:
        # tables = page.extract_tables()

Workflow

  1. Attempt read_file with filetype='pdf' first (in case it works)

  2. Check output - If you receive:

    • Binary/garbage data
    • Error messages
    • Empty or truncated content
    • Image data instead of text

  3. Fall back to one of the extraction methods above:

    • Use pdftotext via run_shell for quick text extraction
    • Use pdfplumber via execute_code_sandbox for structured data/tables
    • Use PyMuPDF for complex layouts or when you need more control

  4. Process the extracted text for your task

Example Usage

python
# Via run_shell
result = run_shell(command="pdftotext document.pdf -")
pdf_text = result.stdout

# Via execute_code_sandbox
code = """
import pdfplumber
with pdfplumber.open("/path/to/document.pdf") as pdf:
    for page in pdf.pages:
        print(page.extract_text())
"""
result = execute_code_sandbox(code=code)
pdf_text = result.stdout

Tips

  • pdftotext is fastest and most reliable for plain text extraction
  • pdfplumber excels at extracting tables and preserving layout
  • PyMuPDF offers the most control for complex PDF structures
  • Always check if the PDF is scanned/image-based (may need OCR tools like tesseract)
  • Some PDFs have copy protection that may prevent text extraction

© 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/reliable-pdf-extraction of HKUDS/OpenSpace.

  • SKILL.md
  • .skill_id

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3827781

Compare with similar skills

Reliable 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.

Reliable PDF Extraction compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Reliable PDF Extraction this skillHKUDS/OpenSpace7.8k—~660Automated safety check: PassMIT
PDF ToolkitXiaomiMiMo/MiMo-Code14k—~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
PDF Generation, Forms and Extractionpipeshub-ai/pipeshub-ai3.8k—~2.9kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
PDFNousResearch/hermes-agent252k—~3.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
PDF ExploreHughYau/AcademicForge2.6k—~3.1kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
PDF Readerespennilsen/pi122—~1.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Reliable PDF Extraction

What does Reliable PDF Extraction do?

Use shell commands or Python libraries to extract PDF text when readfile PDF handler fails. Reliable PDF Extraction is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace.

When should I use Reliable PDF Extraction?

Reliable PDF Extraction fits situations like: tasks that involve PDF.

How do I install Reliable PDF Extraction in Claude Code?

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

How do I install Reliable PDF Extraction in Codex?

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

Can I use Reliable 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 reliable-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/reliable-pdf-extraction, .gemini/skills/reliable-pdf-extraction, .github/skills/reliable-pdf-extraction and .opencode/skills/reliable-pdf-extraction in your project.

What does Reliable PDF Extraction need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Reliable PDF Extraction needs the command-line tools its instructions call (pdftotext). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Reliable 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 Reliable 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 Reliable PDF Extraction use?

Reliable 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 Reliable PDF Extraction use?

About 660 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.6k 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 Reliable PDF Extraction?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Reliable PDF Extraction: PDF Toolkit (XiaomiMiMo/MiMo-Code, 14k stars), PDF Generation, Forms and Extraction (pipeshub-ai/pipeshub-ai, 3.8k stars), PDF (NousResearch/hermes-agent, 252k stars) and PDF Explore (HughYau/AcademicForge, 2.6k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Reliable 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.