# PDF Reader

> Extract text, search inside PDFs, and produce summaries.

- Skill: `johnalbertini14-glitch/pdf-reader` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add johnalbertini14-glitch/pdf-reader`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/johnalbertini14-glitch/pdf-reader/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: johnalbertini14-glitch (https://skillmd.com/u/johnalbertini14-glitch)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/johnalbertini14-glitch/pdf-reader

---


# PDF Reader Skill

The `pdf-reader` skill provides functionality to extract text and retrieve metadata from PDF files using PyMuPDF (fitz).

## Tool API

The skill provides two commands:

### extract
Extracts plain text from the specified PDF file.

- **Parameters:**
  - `file_path` (string, required): Path to the PDF file to extract text from.
  - `--max_pages` (integer, optional): Maximum number of pages to extract.

**Usage:**
```bash
python3 skills/pdf-reader/reader.py extract /path/to/document.pdf
python3 skills/pdf-reader/reader.py extract /path/to/document.pdf --max_pages 5
```

**Output:** Plain text content from the PDF.

### metadata
Retrieve metadata about the document.

- **Parameters:**
  - `file_path` (string, required): Path to the PDF file.

**Usage:**
```bash
python3 skills/pdf-reader/reader.py metadata /path/to/document.pdf
```

**Output:** JSON object with PDF metadata including:
- `title`: Document title
- `author`: Document author
- `subject`: Document subject
- `creator`: Application that created the PDF
- `producer`: PDF producer
- `creationDate`: Creation date
- `modDate`: Modification date
- `format`: PDF format version
- `encryption`: Encryption info (if any)

## Implementation Notes

- Uses **PyMuPDF** (imported as `pymupdf`) for fast, reliable PDF processing
- Supports encrypted PDFs (will return error if password required)
- Handles large PDFs efficiently with `max_pages` option
- Returns structured JSON for metadata command

## Example

```bash
# Extract text from first 3 pages
python3 skills/pdf-reader/reader.py extract report.pdf --max_pages 3

# Get document metadata
python3 skills/pdf-reader/reader.py metadata report.pdf
# Output:
# {
#   "title": "Annual Report 2024",
#   "author": "John Doe",
#   "creationDate": "D:20240115120000",
#   ...
# }
```

## Error Handling

- Returns error message if file not found or not a valid PDF
- Returns error if PDF is encrypted and requires password
- Gracefully handles corrupted or malformed PDFs