---
name: reliable-pdf-extraction-6763808cb5cd
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

### Method 1: pdftotext (Recommended for simple extraction)

```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

---
Source attribution: AG064
Original project: https://github.com/AG064/OpenSpace/blob/ff671ef61ed6587c49bd54c81cdc751c0b99e363/gdpval_bench/skills/reliable-pdf-extraction/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 ✨Data Intelligence Lab@HKU✨

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Mega AI Hub resource metadata

Creator / publisher: AG064
Original project: https://github.com/AG064/OpenSpace/blob/ff671ef61ed6587c49bd54c81cdc751c0b99e363/gdpval_bench/skills/reliable-pdf-extraction/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Data & Analytics, Development & Engineering
Roles: Backend Developer, Data Analyst, ML / AI Engineer
Specialties: API, Cross Platform
Tools: Pdfinfo, Pdfplumber, Pdftotext, Pymupdf
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: 9c90dfc24a70696b64cd5dbd1d83e556976750a7bdbb892c69661429364d0be6