pdf-reading

Extract text, tables, images, and form data from PDF documents.

15|3|Updated Aug 28, 2025
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/cheatcode-ai/cheatcode --skill pdf-reading-cheatcode-ai
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: pdf-reading
Source: https://github.com/cheatcode-ai/cheatcode/tree/main/skills/pdf-reading
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/cheatcode-ai/cheatcode --skill pdf-reading-cheatcode-ai

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires pypdf, pdfplumber, pandas, pytesseract, pymupdf.

What problem does it solve?

This skill solves the challenge of accessing information trapped inside PDF files, whether they are text-based reports, scanned documents, or complex data-heavy forms.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Multi-modal Extraction: Extract raw text, structured table data, or visual content via rasterization.
  • Diagnostic Tools: Identify document properties, embedded attachments, and font encoding issues to choose the best extraction strategy.
  • Use Case: Use this skill to process a batch of scanned financial reports by rasterizing pages for visual inspection and extracting embedded tables into structured dataframes.

Quick Start

Use the pdf-reading skill to extract all text and tables from the document named quarterly-report.pdf and save the output to a text file.

Frequently Asked Questions about pdf-reading

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I extract tables from a PDF and save the output to a structured format?

To extract tables from a PDF, this skill uses pdfplumber to perform layout-aware data retrieval, converting embedded tables into structured dataframes for immediate analysis and export.

Can I extract text from scanned PDF documents that lack embedded text layers?

Yes, you can extract text from scanned PDFs by rasterizing pages for visual inspection and applying pytesseract OCR to decode image content into readable text data.

What's the best way to inspect a PDF for embedded attachments and font encoding issues?

The best way to inspect a PDF is using built-in diagnostic tools to identify document properties, embedded attachments, and font encoding issues to choose the best extraction strategy.

Do I need to install poppler-utils to perform layout-aware data mining on PDF reports?

Yes, you need poppler-utils along with pypdf and pdfplumber to ensure accurate content inventory and layout-aware data retrieval from complex data-heavy reports.

Why does PDF text extraction fail on data-heavy slide decks and how can I fix it?

PDF text extraction fails on slide decks due to complex layouts, but using rasterization and specialized parsing tools resolves this by accurately extracting visual content and text.