Use case
Use Claude to fill, extract, and generate PDFs
When an AI agent should use the PDF skill rather than Word or Excel, how to install it, and the tasks it performs well.
· 6 min read
If the artifact is a PDF — a form, a contract scan, a print-ready report — use the PDF skill. If someone still has to edit it in Word, use DOCX instead.
What the PDF skill is for
Fill fields, extract tables, stamp pages, export a brief as a real PDF. It is not a general writing skill. Put house style (cover page, filename) in a small project skill that sits next to it.
When to switch tools
Spreadsheets belong in XLSX. Slide narratives belong in PPTX. Long policies that legal will redline belong in DOCX. Asking the PDF skill to do those jobs produces a file nobody wants to maintain.
Related reading
Skills cited in this guide
productivity
PDF Skill
Read, fill, extract, and generate PDF documents from an agent session — forms, reports, and print-ready files rather than markdown-only output.
writing
Word Document Skill
Create and edit Microsoft Word (.docx) files with headings, tables, and tracked-change-friendly structure from an agent workflow.
analysis
Excel Spreadsheet Skill
Build and analyze Excel (.xlsx) workbooks — formulas, multiple sheets, and tabular exports — from an agent instead of CSV paste.