pdf-explore
Use this skill when the user has attached a PDF, paper, report, or other document and the answer needs its content: summarize a section, compare sections, read specific pages, check the table of contents, or read a value off a figure. The `read` tool cannot parse PDF binary — python is the extraction path. Provides `pdf_pages` (pages as text or rendered PNGs, cached) and `pdf_outline` (embedded-bookmark TOC) in the persistent python kernel; load them once via the Kernel Sidecar exec line that `use_skill` appends. For PDF creation/manipulation, use reportlab/pypdf directly.
Profile →npx skills add xuzhougeng/wisp-science --skill pdf-explore --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# PDF Explore — navigate a PDF without flooding your context The `read` tool cannot parse PDFs (binary), and a 50-page PDF pasted wholesale is ~40K+ tokens. This skill parses the PDF **once** in the persistent python kernel (disk + memory cached) so you load only the pages that matter. **Load first (once per session):** run the `exec(...)` line from the "Python Kernel Sidecar" section this skill's
What does the pdf-explore skill do?
Use this skill when the user has attached a PDF, paper, report, or other document and the answer needs its content: summarize a section, compare sections, read specific pages, check the table of contents, or read a value off a figure. The `read` tool cannot parse PDF binary — python is the extraction path. Provides `pdf_pages` (pages as text or rendered PNGs, cached) and `pdf_outline` (embedded-bookmark TOC) in the persistent python kernel; load them once via the Kernel Sidecar exec line that `use_skill` appends. For PDF creation/manipulation, use reportlab/pypdf directly.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add xuzhougeng/wisp-science --skill pdf-explore --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From xuzhougeng/wisp-science, a repository with 895 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.