name: read-documents-with-markitdown description: Read/convert .pdf, .pptx, .docx, .xlsx, and .xlsm (values only) to Markdown using the markitdown CLI via stdout or > redirection (do NOT use -o). compatibility: Requires markitdown on PATH (and optional format deps like markitdown[pdf,docx,pptx,xlsx]). disable-model-invocation: false

read-documents-with-markitdown

Overview

Use markitdown to extract content from:

• PDF (.pdf)
• PowerPoint (.pptx)
• Word (.docx)
• Excel (.xlsx, .xlsm) DATA/VALUES ONLY (not formulas; macros ignored)

When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:

• Read or quote from one of the supported file types
• Summarize/analyze a document provided in one of these formats
• Convert one of these formats into Markdown so you can then read it normally

Instructions

1) Prefer stdout (fast path)

Run markitdown and read from stdout:

• markitdown "<source-file>"

If the path contains spaces, you MUST quote it.

2) If you need a saved artifact, redirect stdout to a .md file (REQUIRED; -o is broken)

When the output needs to be persisted (large docs, repeated use, downstream parsing), write a markdown file using shell redirection:

• markitdown "<source-file>" > "<document-name>.md"

Then read "<document-name>.md" with the normal file reader tools.

Rules:

• You MUST NOT use markitdown -o ... (broken in this environment).
• Write outputs into the current directory unless the user asked for a specific location.

3) Excel note: values/data only (NOT formulas)

For .xlsx / .xlsm, treat markitdown output as VALUES/DATA ONLY (what you see in cells). You SHOULD NOT assume it extracts formulas, named ranges, or workbook logic. (.xlsm macros/VBA are not part of the extracted data.)

If you need formulas or workbook structure, use other tools (example: Python openpyxl):

• Formulas: load with data_only=False
• Computed values: load with data_only=True

Minimal openpyxl pattern:

• python -c 'import openpyxl as x; wb=x.load_workbook(\"file.xlsm\", data_only=False); ws=wb.active; print(ws[\"A1\"].value)'

4) If conversion fails

If markitdown errors due to missing optional dependencies, keep the error message and suggest installing the needed extras (depending on file type), e.g.:

• pip install 'markitdown[pdf]'
• pip install 'markitdown[docx]'
• pip install 'markitdown[pptx]'
• pip install 'markitdown[xlsx]' Or all at once:
• pip install 'markitdown[all]'