MCPInstall

pdf-to-structured

Extract structured data from construction PDFs. Convert specifications, BOMs, schedules, and reports from PDF to Excel/CSV/JSON. Use OCR for scanned documents and pdfplumber for native PDFs.

Installs
132
Last 24h
—
Trending rank
—
Security
Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/datadrivenconstruction/ddc_skills_for_ai_agents_in_construction --skill pdf-to-structured
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads pdf-to-structured automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

PDF to Structured Data Conversion

Overview

Based on DDC methodology (Chapter 2.4), this skill transforms unstructured PDF documents into structured formats suitable for analysis and integration. Construction projects generate vast amounts of PDF documentation - specifications, BOMs, schedules, and reports - that need to be extracted and processed.

Book Reference: "Преобразование данных в структурированную форму" / "Data Transformation to Structured Form"

"Преобразование данных из неструктурированной в структурированную форму — это и искусство, и наука. Этот процесс часто занимает значительную часть работы инженера по обработке данных." — DDC Book, Chapter 2.4

ETL Process Overview

The conversion follows the ETL pattern:

  1. Extract: Load the PDF document
  2. Transform: Parse and structure the content
  3. Load: Save to CSV, Excel, or JSON

Quick Start

import pdfplumber
import pandas as pd

# Extract table from PDF
with pdfplumber.open("construction_spec.pdf") as pdf:
    page = pdf.pages[0]
    table = page.extract_table()
    df = pd.DataFrame(table[1:], columns=table[0])
    df.to_excel("extracted_data.xlsx", index=False)

Installation

# Core libraries
pip install pdfplumber pandas openpyxl

# For scanned PDFs (OCR)
pip install pytesseract pdf2image
# Also install Tesseract OCR: https://github.com/tesseract-ocr/tesseract

# For advanced PDF operations
pip install pypdf

Native PDF Extraction (pdfplumber)

Extract All Tables from PDF

import pdfplumber
import pandas as pd

def extract_tables_from_pdf(pdf_path):
    """Extract all tables from a PDF file"""
    all_tables = []

    with pdfplumber.open(pdf_path) as pdf:
        for page_num, page in enumerate(pdf.pages):
            tables = page.extract_tables()
            for table_num, table in enumerate(tables):
                if table and len(table) > 1:
                    # First row as header
                    df = pd.DataFrame(table[1:], columns=table[0])
                    df['_page'] = page_num + 1
                    df['_table'] = table_num + 1
                    all_tables.append(df)

    if all_tables:
        return pd.concat(all_tables, ignore_index=True)
    return pd.DataFrame()

# Usage
df = extract_tables_from_pdf("material_specification.pdf")
df.to_excel("materials.xlsx", index=False)

Extract Text with Layout

import pdfplumber

def extract_text_with_layout(pdf_path):
    """Extract text preserving layout structure"""
    full_text = []

    with pdfplumber.open(pdf_path) as pdf:
        for page in pdf.pages:
            text = page.extract_text()
            if text:
                full_text.append(text)

    return "\n\n--- Page Break ---\n\n".join(full_text)

# Usage
text = extract_text_with_layout("project_report.pdf")
with open("report_text.txt", "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
    f.write(text)

Extract Specific Table by Position

import pdfplumber
import pandas as pd

def extract_table_from_area(pdf_path, page_num, bbox):
    """
    Extract table from specific area on page

    Args:
        pdf_path: Path to PDF file
        page_num: Page number (0-indexed)
        bbox: Bounding box (x0, top, x1, bottom) in points
    """
    with pdfplumber.open(pdf_path) as pdf:
        page = pdf.pages[page_num]
        cropped = page.within_bbox(bbox)
        table = cropped.extract_table()

        if table:
            return pd.DataFrame(table[1:], columns=table[0])
    return pd.DataFrame()

# Usage - extract table from specific area
# bbox format: (left, top, right, bottom) in points (1 inch = 72 points)
df = extract_table_from_area("drawing.pdf", 0, (50, 100, 550, 400))

Scanned PDF Processing (OCR)

Extract Text from Scanned PDF

import pytesseract
from pdf2image import convert_from_path
import pandas as pd

def ocr_scanned_pdf(pdf_path, language='eng'):
    """
    Extract text from scanned PDF using OCR

    Args:
        pdf_path: Path to scanned PDF
        language: Tesseract language code (eng, deu, rus, etc.)
    """
    # Convert PDF pages to images
    images = convert_from_path(pdf_path, dpi=300)

    extracted_text = []
    for i, image in enumerate(images):
        text = pytesseract.image_to_string(image, lang=language)
        extracted_text.append({
            'page': i + 1,
            'text': text
        })

    return pd.DataFrame(extracted_text)

# Usage
df = ocr_scanned_pdf("scanned_specification.pdf", language='eng')
df.to_csv("ocr_results.csv", index=False)

OCR Table Extraction

import pytesseract
from pdf2image import convert_from_path
import pandas as pd
import cv2
import numpy as np

def ocr_table_from_scanned_pdf(pdf_path, page_num=0):
    """Extract table from scanned PDF using OCR with table detection"""
    # Convert specific page to image
    images = convert_from_path(pdf_path, first_page=page_num+1,
                                last_page=page_num+1, dpi=300)
    image = np.array(images[0])

    # Convert to grayscale
    gray = cv2.cvtColor(image, cv2.COLOR_RGB2GRAY)

    # Apply thresholding
    _, binary = cv2.threshold(gray, 150, 255, cv2.THRESH_BINARY_INV)

    # Extract text with table structure
    custom_config = r'--oem 3 --psm 6'
    text = pytesseract.image_to_string(gray, config=custom_config)

    # Parse text into table structure
    lines = text.strip().split('\n')
    data = [line.split() for line in lines if line.strip()]

    if data:
        # Assume first row is header
        df = pd.DataFrame(data[1:], columns=data[0] if len(data[0]) > 0 else None)
        return df
    return pd.DataFrame()

# Usage
df = ocr_table_from_scanned_pdf("scanned_bom.pdf")
print(df)

Construction-Specific Extractions

Bill of Materials (BOM) Extraction

import pdfplumber
import pandas as pd
import re

def extract_bom_from_pdf(pdf_path):
    """Extract Bill of Materials from construction PDF"""
    all_items = []

    with pdfplumber.open(pdf_path) as pdf:
        for page in pdf.pages:
            tables = page.extract_tables()
            for table in tables:
                if not table or len(table) < 2:
                    continue

                # Find header row (look for common BOM headers)
                header_keywords = ['item', 'description', 'quantity', 'unit', 'material']
                for i, row in enumerate(table):
                    if row and any(keyword in str(row).lower() for keyword in header_keywords):
                        # Found header, process remaining rows
                        headers = [str(h).strip() for h in row]
                        for data_row in table[i+1:]:
                            if data_row and any(cell for cell in data_row if cell):
                                item = dict(zip(headers, data_row))
                                all_items.append(item)
                        break

    return pd.DataFrame(all_items)

# Usage
bom = extract_bom_from_pdf("project_bom.pdf")
bom.to_excel("bom_extracted.xlsx", index=False)

Project Schedule Extraction

import pdfplumber
import pandas as pd
from datetime import datetime

def extract_schedule_from_pdf(pdf_path):
    """Extract project schedule/gantt data from PDF"""
    with pdfplumber.open(pdf_path) as pdf:
        all_tasks = []

        for page in pdf.pages:
            tables = page.extract_tables()
            for table in tables:
                if not table:
                    continue

                # Look for schedule-like table
                headers = table[0] if table else []

                # Check if it looks like a schedule
                schedule_keywords = ['task', 'activity', 'start', 'end', 'duration']
                if any(kw in str(headers).lower() for kw in schedule_keywords):
                    for row in table[1:]:
                        if row and any(cell for cell in row if cell):
                            task = dict(zip(headers, row))
                            all_tasks.append(task)

    df = pd.DataFrame(all_tasks)

    # Try to parse dates
    date_columns = ['Start', 'End', 'Start Date', 'End Date', 'Finish']
    for col in date_columns:
        if col in df.columns:
            df[col] = pd.to_datetime(df[col], errors='coerce')

    return df

# Usage
schedule = extract_schedule_from_pdf("project_schedule.pdf")
print(schedule)

Specification Parsing

import pdfplumber
import pandas as pd
import re

def parse_specification_pdf(pdf_path):
    """Parse construction specification document"""
    specs = []

    with pdfplumber.open(pdf_path) as pdf:
        full_text = ""
        for page in pdf.pages:
            text = page.extract_text()
            if text:
                full_text += text + "\n"

    # Parse sections (common spec format)
    section_pattern = r'(\d+\.\d+(?:\.\d+)?)\s+([A-Z][^\n]+)'
    sections = re.findall(section_pattern, full_text)

    for num, title in sections:
        specs.append({
            'section_number': num,
            'title': title.strip(),
            'level': len(num.split('.'))
        })

    return pd.DataFrame(specs)

# Usage
specs = parse_specification_pdf("technical_spec.pdf")
print(specs)

Batch Processing

Process Multiple PDFs

import pdfplumber
import pandas as pd
from pathlib import Path

def batch_extract_tables(folder_path, output_folder):
    """Process all PDFs in folder and extract tables"""
    pdf_files = Path(folder_path).glob("*.pdf")
    results = []

    for pdf_path in pdf_files:
        print(f"Processing: {pdf_path.name}")
        try:
            with pdfplumber.open(pdf_path) as pdf:
                for page_num, page in enumerate(pdf.pages):
                    tables = page.extract_tables()
                    for table_num, table in enumerate(tables):
                        if table and len(table) > 1:
                            df = pd.DataFrame(table[1:], columns=table[0])
                            df['_source_file'] = pdf_path.name
                            df['_page'] = page_num + 1

                            # Save individual table
                            output_name = f"{pdf_path.stem}_p{page_num+1}_t{table_num+1}.xlsx"
                            df.to_excel(Path(output_folder) / output_name, index=False)
                            results.append(df)
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"Error processing {pdf_path.name}: {e}")

    # Combined output
    if results:
        combined = pd.concat(results, ignore_index=True)
        combined.to_excel(Path(output_folder) / "all_tables.xlsx", index=False)

    return len(results)

# Usage
count = batch_extract_tables("./pdf_documents/", "./extracted/")
print(f"Extracted {count} tables")

Data Cleaning After Extraction

import pandas as pd

def clean_extracted_data(df):
    """Clean common issues in PDF-extracted data"""
    # Remove completely empty rows
    df = df.dropna(how='all')

    # Strip whitespace from string columns
    for col in df.select_dtypes(include=['object']).columns:
        df[col] = df[col].str.strip()

    # Remove rows where all cells are empty strings
    df = df[df.apply(lambda row: any(cell != '' for cell in row), axis=1)]

    # Convert numeric columns
    for col in df.columns:
        # Try to convert to numeric
        numeric_series = pd.to_numeric(df[col], errors='coerce')
        if numeric_series.notna().sum() > len(df) * 0.5:  # More than 50% numeric
            df[col] = numeric_series

    return df

# Usage
df = extract_tables_from_pdf("document.pdf")
df_clean = clean_extracted_data(df)
df_clean.to_excel("clean_data.xlsx", index=False)

Export Options

import pandas as pd
import json

def export_to_multiple_formats(df, base_name):
    """Export DataFrame to multiple formats"""
    # Excel
    df.to_excel(f"{base_name}.xlsx", index=False)

    # CSV
    df.to_csv(f"{base_name}.csv", index=False, encoding='utf-8-sig')

    # JSON
    df.to_json(f"{base_name}.json", orient='records', indent=2)

    # JSON Lines (for large datasets)
    df.to_json(f"{base_name}.jsonl", orient='records', lines=True)

# Usage
df = extract_tables_from_pdf("document.pdf")
export_to_multiple_formats(df, "extracted_data")

Quick Reference

TaskToolCode
Extract tablepdfplumberpage.extract_table()
Extract textpdfplumberpage.extract_text()
OCR scannedpytesseractpytesseract.image_to_string(image)
Merge PDFspypdfwriter.add_page(page)
Convert to imagepdf2imageconvert_from_path(pdf)

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
Table not detectedTry adjusting table settings: page.extract_table(table_settings={})
Wrong column alignmentUse visual debugging: page.to_image().draw_rects()
OCR quality poorIncrease DPI, preprocess image, use correct language
Memory issuesProcess pages one at a time, close PDF after processing

Resources

Next Steps

  • See image-to-data for image processing
  • See cad-to-data for CAD/BIM data extraction
  • See etl-pipeline for automated processing workflows
  • See data-quality-check for validating extracted data

FAQ

What does the pdf-to-structured skill do?

Extract structured data from construction PDFs. Convert specifications, BOMs, schedules, and reports from PDF to Excel/CSV/JSON. Use OCR for scanned documents and pdfplumber for native PDFs.

How do I install pdf-to-structured?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/datadrivenconstruction/ddc_skills_for_ai_agents_in_construction --skill pdf-to-structured in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/pdf-to-structured/ (personal) or .claude/skills/pdf-to-structured/ (project).

Which AI agents can use pdf-to-structured?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is pdf-to-structured safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains pdf-to-structured?

It is published by datadrivenconstruction in datadrivenconstruction/ddc_skills_for_ai_agents_in_construction. It has 132 recorded installs.

More from datadrivenconstruction/ddc_skills_for_ai_agents_in_construction

View all →

warranty-tracker

datadrivenconstruction/ddc_skills_for_ai_agents_in_construction

Track and manage construction warranties. Monitor expiration dates, claims, and manufacturer documentation.

AI & Agents996 installs

cad-to-data

datadrivenconstruction/ddc_skills_for_ai_agents_in_construction

Open the skill to read its SKILL.md instructions.

AI & Agents333 installs

dwg-to-excel

datadrivenconstruction/ddc_skills_for_ai_agents_in_construction

Open the skill to read its SKILL.md instructions.

Data & Databases309 installs

drawing-analyzer

datadrivenconstruction/ddc_skills_for_ai_agents_in_construction

Open the skill to read its SKILL.md instructions.

AI & Agents259 installs

permit-tracking-automation

datadrivenconstruction/ddc_skills_for_ai_agents_in_construction

Open the skill to read its SKILL.md instructions.

cost-estimation-resource

datadrivenconstruction/ddc_skills_for_ai_agents_in_construction

Open the skill to read its SKILL.md instructions.

AI & Agents193 installs

Popular docs & writing skills

View category →

grill-with-docs

mattpocock/skills

A relentless interview to sharpen a plan or design, which also creates docs (ADR's and glossary) as we go.

Docs & Writing1.2M installs

lark-markdown

open.feishu.cn

飞书 Markdown:查看、创建、上传、编辑和比较飞书中的原生 Markdown 文件。当用户要操作飞书 Markdown 文件,或比较其远端版本及本地草稿时使用。纯本地 Markdown 文件操作不触发本 skill。不负责将 Markdown 导入为飞书在线文档,也不负责文件搜索、权限、评论、移动、删除等云空间管理操作。

Docs & Writing778.7K installs

writing-beats

mattpocock/skills

Writing, exploit; assemble raw material into a journey of beats, grounding each term before a beat leans on it.

Docs & Writing490.7K installs

writing-shape

mattpocock/skills

Writing, exploit: shape raw material into an article, paragraph by paragraph.

Docs & Writing490.2K installs

writing-fragments

mattpocock/skills

Writing, explore: mine raw fragments, no structure yet.

Docs & Writing489.6K installs

writing-for-agents

mattpocock/skills

Writing documents for agents. Use when creating or editing skills, or modifying AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md.

Docs & Writing479.3K installs