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Xberg Document Extraction

Free

Efficiently extract data from 101 document formats.

by xberg-io8.9k stars on xberg-io/xberg
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Updated Aug 10, 2026
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Free · Opens the source repo

What Xberg Document Extraction does

Xberg is a robust document intelligence library designed for developers who need to extract text, tables, images, and metadata from a wide range of document formats. With support for 101 formats, including PDFs, Office documents, images, and HTML, Xberg provides a high-performance solution for document processing tasks. The library is built on a Rust core, ensuring efficiency and speed, and offers native bindings for Python, Node.js/TypeScript, and Rust, making it accessible for various development environments.

This skill is particularly useful for developers who are working on applications that require document data extraction. Whether you need to perform OCR on scanned images, batch process multiple files, or configure extraction options such as output format and chunking, Xberg has you covered. It simplifies the integration of document extraction capabilities into your applications, allowing you to focus on building features rather than dealing with the complexities of document parsing.

Xberg also supports custom plugin implementations, enabling developers to extend its functionality further. This includes post-processors, validators, and different OCR backends, which can be tailored to meet specific project requirements. The library's comprehensive documentation and examples make it easy to get started, whether you're using it in Python, Node.js, or Rust.

In summary, Xberg is an essential tool for developers looking to integrate powerful document extraction capabilities into their applications. Its extensive format support and flexibility make it suitable for a variety of use cases, from simple text extraction to complex data processing workflows.

When to use it

Use Xberg when you need to extract data from documents in multiple formats, especially when dealing with batch processing or OCR tasks.

When not to use it

If your project requires extraction from only a limited set of formats or if you do not need the advanced features like OCR or batch processing, simpler tools may suffice.

What you can build with it

Extracting Metadata from PDFs

Use Xberg to extract metadata from PDF files for indexing or cataloging purposes.

Batch Processing Office Documents

Process multiple Office documents simultaneously to extract text and tables for data analysis.

Performing OCR on Scanned Images

Utilize Xberg's OCR capabilities to convert scanned documents into editable text.

How to install Xberg Document Extraction

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add xberg-io/xberg/xberg --agent claude-code

2. Or install it manually

Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.

Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs

Inside SKILL.md

Written by xberg-io
<!-- AI-RULEZ :: GENERATED FILE — DO NOT EDIT Content-Hash: blake3:99de599640f2b3a9128bd4d1b4d281cf91f0d6d70802f8e283c96537a8287ec9 Source-Hash: blake3:5907a9cc29a5d72bbd3eaf5b820cac5133c8724895664c64fa8eafc2227716af Schema-Version: v1 -->

Xberg Document Extraction

Xberg is a high-performance document intelligence library with a Rust core and native bindings for Python, Node.js/TypeScript, Ruby, Go, Java, C#, PHP, and Elixir. It extracts text, tables, metadata, and images from 101 file formats across 115 file extensions including PDF, Office documents, images (with OCR), HTML, email, archives, and academic formats.

Use this skill when writing code that:

  • Extracts text or metadata from documents
  • Performs OCR on scanned documents or images
  • Batch-processes multiple files
  • Configures extraction options (output format, chunking, OCR, language detection)
  • Implements custom plugins (post-processors, validators, OCR backends)

If the xberg MCP server is registered in this session, prefer its tools over shelling out to the CLI — they expose the same extraction surface with structured arguments and results.

Installation

Python

pip install xberg

Node.js

npm install @xberg-io/xberg

Rust

cargo add xberg
# Cargo.toml
[dependencies]
xberg = { version = "1.0.2", features = ["full"] }
tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }
# feature flags: pdf, ocr, chunking, embeddings, language-detection, keywords, api, mcp
#                (or "formats" / "full" aggregates); tokio-runtime is on by default

CLI

brew install xberg-io/tap/xberg
# or run without a persistent install (the CLI proxy package self-installs the binary):
npx @xberg-io/xberg-cli --help
uvx --from xberg-cli xberg --help
# or download a prebuilt binary from the latest GitHub release:
#   https://github.com/xberg-io/xberg/releases/latest
# or build from source:
cargo install xberg-cli

Quick Start

The library entry points are extract(input, config) and extract_batch(inputs, config). Both return an ExtractionResult envelope — the extracted document(s) live in result.results, and per-document data (content, tables, metadata, …) is on each result.results[i]. Python and Node are async-only.

Python

import asyncio
from xberg import ExtractInput, extract, ExtractionConfig

async def main() -> None:
    result = await extract(ExtractInput(uri="document.pdf"), ExtractionConfig())
    doc = result.results[0]
    print(doc.content)    # extracted text
    print(doc.metadata)   # document metadata
    print(doc.tables)     # extracted tables

asyncio.run(main())

Node.js

import { extract } from "@xberg-io/xberg";

const output = await extract({ kind: "uri", uri: "document.pdf" });
const doc = output.results[0];
console.log(doc.content);
console.log(doc.metadata);
console.log(doc.tables);

Rust

use xberg::{extract, ExtractInput, ExtractionConfig};

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> xberg::Result<()> {
    let output = extract(ExtractInput::from_uri("document.pdf"), &ExtractionConfig::default()).await?;
    println!("{}", output.results[0].content);
    Ok(())
}

CLI

xberg extract document.pdf
xberg extract document.pdf --format json
xberg extract document.pdf --content-format markdown

Configuration

All languages use the same configuration structure with language-appropriate naming conventions.

Python (snake_case)

from xberg import (
    ExtractInput, extract,
    ExtractionConfig, OcrConfig, TesseractConfig, PdfConfig, ChunkingConfig, OutputFormat,
)

config = ExtractionConfig(
    ocr=OcrConfig(
        backend="tesseract",
        language=["eng"],
        tesseract_config=TesseractConfig(psm=6, enable_table_detection=True),
    ),
    pdf_options=PdfConfig(passwords=["secret123"]),
    chunking=ChunkingConfig(max_characters=1000, overlap=200),
    output_format=OutputFormat("markdown"),
)

result = await extract(ExtractInput(uri="document.pdf"), config)

Node.js (camelCase)

import { extract, type ExtractionConfig } from "@xberg-io/xberg";

const config: ExtractionConfig = {
  ocr: { backend: "tesseract", language: ["eng"] },
  pdfOptions: { passwords: ["secret123"] },
  chunking: { maxCharacters: 1000, overlap: 200 },
  outputFormat: "markdown",
};

const output = await extract({ kind: "uri", uri: "document.pdf" }, config);

Rust (snake_case)

use xberg::{extract, ExtractInput, ExtractionConfig, OcrConfig, ChunkingConfig, OutputFormat};

let config = ExtractionConfig {
    ocr: Some(OcrConfig {
        backend: "tesseract".into(),
        language: vec!["eng".to_string()],
        ..Default::default()
    }),
    chunking: Some(ChunkingConfig {
        max_characters: 1000,
        overlap: 200,
        ..Default::default()
    }),
    output_format: OutputFormat::Markdown,
    ..Default::default()
};

let output = extract(ExtractInput::from_uri("document.pdf"), &config).await?;

Config File (TOML)

output_format = "markdown"

[ocr]
backend = "tesseract"
language = "eng"

[chunking]
max_characters = 1000
overlap = 200

[pdf_options]
passwords = ["secret123"]
# CLI: auto-discovers xberg.toml in current/parent directories
xberg extract doc.pdf
# or explicit:
xberg extract doc.pdf --config xberg.toml
xberg extract doc.pdf --config-json '{"ocr":{"backend":"tesseract","language":"deu"}}'

Batch Processing

extract_batch takes a list of ExtractInputs and returns one envelope whose results array holds a document per input (in input order); per-input failures are reported in result.errors.

Python

from xberg import ExtractInput, extract_batch, ExtractionConfig

inputs = [
    ExtractInput(uri="doc1.pdf"),
    ExtractInput(uri="doc2.docx"),
    ExtractInput(uri="doc3.xlsx"),
]
output = await extract_batch(inputs, ExtractionConfig())

for doc in output.results:
    print(f"{len(doc.content)} chars extracted")

Node.js

import { extractBatch } from "@xberg-io/xberg";

const output = await extractBatch([
  { kind: "uri", uri: "doc1.pdf" },
  { kind: "uri", uri: "doc2.docx" },
]);
for (const doc of output.results) {
  console.log(`${doc.content.length} chars`);
}

Rust

use xberg::{extract_batch, ExtractInput, ExtractionConfig};

let config = ExtractionConfig::default();
let inputs = vec![ExtractInput::from_uri("doc1.pdf"), ExtractInput::from_uri("doc2.docx")];
let output = extract_batch(inputs, &config).await?;

CLI

xberg batch *.pdf --format json
xberg batch docs/*.docx --content-format markdown

OCR

OCR runs automatically for images and scanned PDFs. Tesseract is the default backend (native binding, no external install required).

Backends

Select with OcrConfig.backend:

  • tesseract (default): built-in native binding. All Tesseract languages supported.
  • paddleocr ("paddleocr" / "paddle-ocr"): ONNX-based PaddleOCR.
  • vlm: Vision-Language-Model OCR (configure via OcrConfig.vlm_config).

Custom backends can be registered in Python/Node via register_ocr_backend (see Advanced Features).

Language Codes

config = ExtractionConfig(ocr=OcrConfig(language=["eng"]))          # English
config = ExtractionConfig(ocr=OcrConfig(language=["eng", "deu"]))   # Multiple
# The single-string shorthand ("eng+deu") is only accepted in config files / --config-json,
# not in the OcrConfig constructor (Python takes a list, Node takes an array).

Force OCR

config = ExtractionConfig(force_ocr=True)  # OCR even if text is extractable

Result Envelope and Document Fields

extract / extract_batch return an ExtractionResult envelope: results (list of documents), errors (per-input failures), and summary (counts). Per-document fields live on each document in results — bind doc = result.results[0] (Python/Node) or &output.results[0] (Rust) first.

FieldPython (doc.)Node.js (doc.)Rust (document.)Description
Text contentcontentcontentcontentExtracted text (str/String)
MIME typemime_typemimeTypemime_typeInput document MIME type
MetadatametadatametadatametadataDocument metadata (flat mapping)
TablestablestablestablesExtracted tables with cells + markdown
Languagesdetected_languagesdetectedLanguagesdetected_languagesDetected languages (if enabled)
ChunkschunkschunkschunksText chunks (if chunking enabled)
ImagesimagesimagesimagesExtracted images (if enabled)
ElementselementselementselementsSemantic elements (if element_based format)
PagespagespagespagesPer-page content (if page extraction enabled)
Keywordsextracted_keywordsextractedKeywordsextracted_keywordsExtracted keywords (if enabled)

Error Handling

Python

extract / extract_batch raise a plain RuntimeError on failure — the typed XbergError subclasses are not raised by these entry points, so catch RuntimeError. Per-input failures during extract_batch are reported non-fatally in result.errors.

from xberg import ExtractInput, extract, ExtractionConfig

try:
    result = await extract(ExtractInput(uri="file.pdf"), ExtractionConfig())
    for err in result.errors:
        print(f"Per-input error: {err}")
except RuntimeError as e:
    print(f"Extraction failed: {e}")

Node.js

The Node binding throws plain Error objects (it does not export typed error subclasses). Catch with instanceof Error, and inspect output.errors for non-fatal per-input failures.

import { extract } from "@xberg-io/xberg";

try {
  const output = await extract({ kind: "uri", uri: "file.pdf" });
  if (output.errors.length > 0) {
    console.error("Per-input errors:", output.errors);
  }
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error) {
    console.error(`Extraction failed: ${e.message}`);
  }
}

Rust

use xberg::{extract, ExtractInput, ExtractionConfig, XbergError};

let config = ExtractionConfig::default();
match extract(ExtractInput::from_uri("file.pdf"), &config).await {
    Ok(output) => println!("{}", output.results[0].content),
    Err(XbergError::Parsing { message, .. }) => eprintln!("Parse error: {message}"),
    Err(XbergError::Ocr { message, .. }) => eprintln!("OCR error: {message}"),
    Err(XbergError::UnsupportedFormat(mime)) => eprintln!("Unsupported: {mime}"),
    Err(e) => eprintln!("Error: {e}"),
}

Common Pitfalls

  1. Result is an envelope: extract / extract_batch return ExtractionResult with results, errors, and summary. Per-document fields (content, tables, chunks, …) are on result.results[i], NOT on the top-level return.
  2. Async-only: Python and Node have no sync variants — always await extract(...). Rust extract is async; use #[tokio::main] or an async context.
  3. Build the input: pass an ExtractInput, not a bare path. Use ExtractInput(uri=...) / ExtractInput::from_uri(...) (Python/Rust) or { kind: "uri", uri: "..." } (Node); for bytes use kind="bytes" with bytes/mime_type.
  4. Python ChunkingConfig fields: construct with max_characters and overlap (defaults 1000 / 200); these are also the readable attributes. When passing config as a dict/JSON, the max_chars / max_overlap aliases are also accepted. Node uses maxCharacters / overlap; Rust struct fields are max_characters / overlap.
  5. Python errors: extract / extract_batch raise a plain RuntimeError on failure, not typed XbergError subclasses — catch RuntimeError. Node throws plain Error (no typed error subclasses).
  6. Rust extract signature: extract(input, &config) — the config is a reference. Use &ExtractionConfig::default() for defaults.
  7. CLI --format vs --content-format: --format controls CLI output (text/json). --content-format controls content format (plain/markdown/djot/html).
  8. Config file field names: Use snake_case in TOML/YAML/JSON config files — [chunking] fields are max_characters and overlap; other fields use names like output_format, pdf_options.

Supported Formats (Summary)

CategoryExtensions
PDF.pdf
Word.docx, .odt
Spreadsheets.xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb, .xls, .xla, .xlam, .xltm, .ods
Presentations.pptx, .ppt, .ppsx
eBooks.epub, .fb2
Images.png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .webp, .bmp, .tiff, .tif, .jp2, .jpx, .jpm, .mj2, .jbig2, .jb2, .pnm, .pbm, .pgm, .ppm, .svg
Markup.html, .htm, .xhtml, .xml
Data.json, .yaml, .yml, .toml, .csv, .tsv
Text.txt, .md, .markdown, .djot, .rst, .org, .rtf
Email.eml, .msg
Archives.zip, .tar, .tgz, .gz, .7z
Academic.bib, .biblatex, .ris, .nbib, .enw, .csl, .tex, .latex, .typ, .jats, .ipynb, .docbook, .opml, .pod, .mdoc, .troff

See references/supported-formats.md for the complete format reference with MIME types.

Additional Resources

Detailed reference files for specific topics:

Related skills

Task-focused sibling skills go deeper than this overview:

  • extracting-with-ocr — OCR backends, language packs, force-OCR, tuning.
  • extracting-tables — layout-aware table detection and table models.
  • chunking — chunk size/overlap, markdown/yaml/semantic chunkers, the chunk command.
  • extracting-keywords — YAKE/RAKE keywords, language detection, the embed command.
  • batch-extraction — the batch command, --file-configs, parallelism, error recovery.
  • picking-a-format — choosing --format / --content-format per consumer.

Full documentation: https://docs.xberg.io GitHub: https://github.com/xberg-io/xberg

Frequently asked questions about Xberg Document Extraction

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