Reads, creates, merges, splits, fills, and OCRs PDF files, with bundled scripts handling the format mechanics so instructions stay procedural.
Anatomy
| Parent repo | anthropics/skills |
|---|---|
| Path | skills/pdf |
| Trigger conditions | "Use this skill whenever the user wants to do anything with PDF files" |
| Instruction format | yaml-frontmatter-md |
| Required tools | shell, python |
| Reusability | universal |
| Complexity | medium |
| Ships scripts / examples / tests / boundaries | yes / yes / no / no |
Failure modes
Complex layouts degrade extraction quality; the skill doesn't declare confidence, so downstream steps can trust bad parses.
Verdict
A model capability skill: broad trigger, bundled scripts, file-shaped outputs you can check. The reference for what 'skills teach them how' means for a concrete format.
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Frequently asked questions
What does the pdf skill do?
Reads, creates, merges, splits, fills, and OCRs PDF files, with bundled scripts handling the format mechanics so instructions stay procedural.
When does pdf trigger?
Its stated trigger: "Use this skill whenever the user wants to do anything with PDF files". Trigger precision is a scored reliability dimension.