Instrument Data To Allotrope
aws-samples/amazon-bedrock-agents-healthcare-lifesciences
Convert laboratory instrument output files (PDF, CSV, Excel, TXT) to Allotrope Simple Model (ASM) JSON format or flattened 2D CSV.
Reliably extract text from PDFs using pdftotext when standard file reading fails.
Install Robust PDF Read
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill robust-pdf-read -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace robust-pdf-read --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/robust-pdf-read .claude/skills/robust-pdf-read && 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 "robust-pdf-read" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/robust-pdf-read into .claude/skills/robust-pdf-read/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "robust-pdf-read", 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/robust-pdf-readType 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 robust-pdf-read -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace robust-pdf-read --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/robust-pdf-read .agents/skills/robust-pdf-read && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "robust-pdf-read" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/robust-pdf-read into .agents/skills/robust-pdf-read/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "robust-pdf-read", 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 robust-pdf-read -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace robust-pdf-read --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/robust-pdf-read .cursor/skills/robust-pdf-read && 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 "robust-pdf-read" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/robust-pdf-read into .cursor/skills/robust-pdf-read/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "robust-pdf-read", 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/robust-pdf-read--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 robust-pdf-read -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace robust-pdf-read --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/robust-pdf-read .gemini/skills/robust-pdf-read && 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 "robust-pdf-read" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/robust-pdf-read into .gemini/skills/robust-pdf-read/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "robust-pdf-read", 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 robust-pdf-readInstalls 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 robust-pdf-read -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/robust-pdf-read .github/skills/robust-pdf-read && 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 "robust-pdf-read" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/robust-pdf-read into .github/skills/robust-pdf-read/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "robust-pdf-read", 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 robust-pdf-read -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 robust-pdf-read --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/robust-pdf-read .opencode/skills/robust-pdf-read && 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 "robust-pdf-read" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace/tree/main/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/robust-pdf-read into .opencode/skills/robust-pdf-read/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "robust-pdf-read", 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
robust-pdf-read- GitHub stars
- 7.8k
- Token cost
- ~602 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 265 words
- Files
- 2
- Skills in repo
- 199
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Reliably extract text from PDFs using pdftotext when standard file reading fails.
- Works in 3 steps: Detect Extraction Failure → Execute pdftotext → Parse Output
- Tasks that involve PDF
- SKILL.md covers Problem, Solution, Procedure and Example Usage, plus 2 more sections
- Calls pdftotext and apt-get
What it does
Robust PDF Read is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace. Reliably extract text from PDFs using pdftotext when standard file reading fails.
Its SKILL.md is about 600 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. 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
- “/robust-pdf-read”
Requirements
- Python 3
Workflow steps
3 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:
pdftotextapt-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
Robust PDF Read loads about 602 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 24 tokens; SKILL.md has 265 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). 265 words, ~602 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/robust-pdf-read/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- robust-pdf-read
- description
- Reliably extract text from PDFs using pdftotext when standard file reading fails.
- category
- tool_guide
Robust PDF Text Extraction
Problem
Standard file reading tools (e.g., read_file) often fail to extract text from PDF documents. Instead of returning parsed text, they may return:
- Raw binary data
- Base64 encoded images
- Garbled characters or null bytes
This occurs because PDFs are complex binary formats, not plain text files. Attempts to parse them using general-purpose Python libraries (like PyMuPDF) in sandboxed environments may also fail due to missing dependencies or environment restrictions.
Solution
Use the pdftotext command-line utility (part of poppler-utils) via run_shell. This tool is commonly pre-installed in Linux environments and reliably extracts text content from PDFs.
Procedure
1. Detect Extraction Failure
When attempting to read a PDF:
- Check the content returned by
read_file. - If the content contains null bytes (
\x00), appears as base64, or is clearly binary/garbled, assume standard reading has failed.
2. Execute pdftotext
Run the following shell command using run_shell:
pdftotext -layout -nopgbrk <file_path> --layout: Maintains the physical layout of the text (optional but recommended).-nopgbrk: Prevents inserting form feed characters between pages.-: Outputs content to stdout instead of creating a new file.
3. Parse Output
Capture the stdout from the shell command. This string is the extracted text.
Example Usage
Scenario: You need to read document.pdf.
Step 1: Attempt standard read
content = read_file("document.pdf")
if "\x00" in content or not content.strip():
# Fallback needed
passStep 2: Fallback to shell
result = run_shell("pdftotext -layout -nopgbrk document.pdf -")
text = result.stdoutPrerequisites
- The environment must have
pdftotextinstalled (usually viapoppler-utils). - If
pdftotextis not found, attempt to install it (apt-get install poppler-utils) if permissions allow, or notify the user.
Benefits
- Reliability: Bypasses Python library dependency issues in sandboxes.
- Speed: Command-line tools are often faster than loading heavy Python libraries.
- Compatibility: Works consistently across most Linux-based agent environments.
© 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/robust-pdf-read of HKUDS/OpenSpace.
- SKILL.md
- .skill_id
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3827781
Compare with similar skills
Robust PDF Read 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robust PDF Read this skillHKUDS/OpenSpace | 7.8k | — | ~602 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Instrument Data To Allotropeaws-samples/amazon-bedrock-agents-healthcare-lifesciences | 274 | 2 repos | ~2.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Software Certificate SkillIvanCodesDev/software-certificate-skill | 156 | — | ~1.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Doc Cleanernotoriouslab/doc-cleaner | 309 | — | ~712 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| MineruNebutra/MinerU-Skill | 122 | — | ~504 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Office To Mdshuyu-labs/WebCode | 278 | — | ~1k | Automated safety check: Notes | Custom licence |
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Related
Works with
Categories
Questions about Robust PDF Read
What does Robust PDF Read do?
Reliably extract text from PDFs using pdftotext when standard file reading fails. Robust PDF Read is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace. Reliably extract text from PDFs using pdftotext when standard file reading fails.
When should I use Robust PDF Read?
Robust PDF Read fits situations like: tasks that involve PDF.
How do I install Robust PDF Read in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill robust-pdf-read -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (benchmarks/gdpval/skills/robust-pdf-read in HKUDS/OpenSpace) into .claude/skills/robust-pdf-read in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Robust PDF Read in Codex?
Run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill robust-pdf-read -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (benchmarks/gdpval/skills/robust-pdf-read in HKUDS/OpenSpace) into .agents/skills/robust-pdf-read in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Robust PDF Read 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 robust-pdf-read -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/robust-pdf-read, .gemini/skills/robust-pdf-read, .github/skills/robust-pdf-read and .opencode/skills/robust-pdf-read in your project.
What does Robust PDF Read need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Robust PDF Read needs the command-line tools its instructions call (pdftotext and apt-get). Our summary lists: Python 3.
Does Robust PDF Read 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 Robust PDF Read 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 Robust PDF Read use?
Robust PDF Read 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 Robust PDF Read use?
About 602 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.4k 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 Robust PDF Read?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Robust PDF Read: Instrument Data To Allotrope (aws-samples/amazon-bedrock-agents-healthcare-lifesciences, 274 stars), Software Certificate Skill (IvanCodesDev/software-certificate-skill, 156 stars), Doc Cleaner (notoriouslab/doc-cleaner, 309 stars) and Mineru (Nebutra/MinerU-Skill, 122 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Robust PDF Read?
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.