opendataloader-pdf Skill#

PDF parsing tool for AI/RAG scenarios. Converts PDF to Markdown, JSON, HTML with layout preservation.

Installation#

bash

pipx install opendataloader-pdf

Requires Java runtime (bundled JAR is included).

Quick Usage#

bash

# PDF to Markdown (most common)
opendataloader-pdf input.pdf -o output_dir -f markdown

# PDF to JSON (with bounding boxes)
opendataloader-pdf input.pdf -o output_dir -f json

# Multiple formats at once
opendataloader-pdf input.pdf -o output_dir -f json,markdown,html

# Extract specific pages
opendataloader-pdf input.pdf -o output_dir -f markdown --pages "1,3,5-10"

# Extract images
opendataloader-pdf input.pdf -o output_dir -f markdown --image-dir images/

# Use PDF structure tree (for tagged PDFs)
opendataloader-pdf input.pdf -o output_dir -f markdown --use-struct-tree

# Output to stdout
opendataloader-pdf input.pdf -f markdown --to-stdout

Output Formats#

FormatDescriptionjsonStructured JSON with bounding boxes, fonts, reading ordermarkdownMarkdown text with images as referenceshtmlHTML with stylingtextPlain textpdfRebuilt PDFmarkdown-with-htmlMarkdown with HTML for complex elementsmarkdown-with-imagesMarkdown with embedded base64 images

Key Options#

OptionDescription--pagesPage range, e.g., "1,3,5-10"--image-dirDirectory for extracted images--use-struct-treeUse PDF structure tree for reading order--table-methodTable detection: default (border-based) or cluster``--reading-orderAlgorithm: off or xycut (default)--hybridHybrid AI mode: docling-fast for complex tables--sanitizeRemove sensitive data (emails, phones, etc.)--include-header-footerInclude page headers/footers

Examples#

Basic Conversion#

bash

# Convert to markdown
opendataloader-pdf document.pdf -o ./output -f markdown

# Convert to JSON with structure
opendataloader-pdf document.pdf -o ./output -f json --use-struct-tree

Batch Processing#

bash

# Multiple files
opendataloader-pdf "file1.pdf" "file2.pdf" "folder/" -o output/

# All PDFs in directory
opendataloader-pdf ./pdfs/ -o ./output/ -f markdown

Advanced Options#

bash

# Use AI hybrid mode for complex tables
opendataloader-pdf input.pdf -o output/ -f markdown --hybrid docling-fast

# Extract only pages 1-5
opendataloader-pdf input.pdf -o output/ -f markdown --pages "1-5"

# Sanitize sensitive data
opendataloader-pdf input.pdf -o output/ -f json --sanitize

Performance Notes#

• Each convert() call spawns a JVM process
• For batch processing, pass multiple files in one call
• ~6 seconds for typical 300-page PDF
• Images extracted to {output_name}_images/ directory

Troubleshooting#

Java not found#

Ensure Java runtime is installed. The tool bundles its own PDFBox JAR.

Font warnings#

Warnings about missing fonts are normal and don't affect output quality.

Slow performance#

Use batch mode (multiple files in one call) instead of calling repeatedly.