Reducto CLI - Document Processing

This skill provides guidance for using the Reducto CLI to parse, extract, and edit documents.

Overview

Reducto CLI is a powerful document processing tool that uses AI to:

• Parse documents into clean Markdown with metadata
• Extract structured data according to JSON schemas
• Edit documents using natural language instructions

Prerequisites

Before using reducto commands, ensure the user is authenticated:

uvx --from reducto-cli reducto login

This opens a browser for device code authentication.

Supported File Types

• PDF: .pdf
• Images: .png, .jpg, .jpeg
• Office documents: .doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx
• Spreadsheets: .xls, .xlsx

Commands

1. Parse Documents

Convert documents to Markdown with YAML front matter containing metadata.

Basic usage:

uvx --from reducto-cli reducto parse path/to/document.pdf

Parse entire directory:

uvx --from reducto-cli reducto parse ./documents/

Output: Creates <filename>.parse.md files with parsed content.

Parse Options

Flag	Description
--agentic	Enables all agentic options for tables, text, and figures. Increases accuracy but also increases latency. Use for complex layouts or when maximum accuracy is needed.
--change-tracking	Returns <s> tags around strikethrough text, <u> tags around underlined text, and <change> tags around colored adjacent strikethrough and underlined text. Useful for documents with revision history.
--highlights	Include highlighted text in output
--hyperlinks	Include embedded hyperlinks
--comments	Include document comments

Examples:

# Maximum accuracy (slower)
uvx --from reducto-cli reducto parse document.pdf --agentic

# Contract with change tracking
uvx --from reducto-cli reducto parse contract.pdf --change-tracking

# All metadata
uvx --from reducto-cli reducto parse document.pdf --hyperlinks --comments --highlights

# Combined flags
uvx --from reducto-cli reducto parse legal_doc.pdf --agentic --change-tracking --comments

2. Extract Structured Data

Extract specific fields from documents into JSON using a schema.

Basic usage:

uvx --from reducto-cli reducto extract document.pdf --schema schema.json

With inline schema:

uvx --from reducto-cli reducto extract invoice.pdf --schema '{"type": "object", "properties": {"total": {"type": "number"}}}'

Output: Creates <filename>.extract.json files.

Schema Requirements

• Must be valid JSON Schema
• Top-level must be an object ({"type": "object", ...})
• Provide explicit property definitions for deterministic mapping

Example Invoice Schema

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "invoice_number": {"type": "string"},
    "date": {"type": "string"},
    "vendor": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "name": {"type": "string"},
        "address": {"type": "string"}
      }
    },
    "items": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "description": {"type": "string"},
          "quantity": {"type": "number"},
          "unit_price": {"type": "number"},
          "total": {"type": "number"}
        },
        "required": ["description", "quantity", "unit_price", "total"]
      }
    },
    "subtotal": {"type": "number"},
    "tax": {"type": "number"},
    "total": {"type": "number"}
  },
  "required": ["invoice_number", "items", "total"]
}

Common Use Cases

• Invoices/Receipts: Extract line items, totals, vendor info
• Contracts: Pull key clauses, dates, parties involved
• Forms: Capture field values from scanned documents
• Financial statements: Extract tables and figures
• Medical records: Summarize structured results

3. Edit Documents

Modify documents using natural language instructions.

Basic usage:

uvx --from reducto-cli reducto edit document.pdf --instructions "Fill in the client name as 'Acme Corp'"

Output: Creates <filename>.edited.<extension> files.

Examples:

# Fill out a form
uvx --from reducto-cli reducto edit application.pdf -i "Fill out: Name: John Doe, Email: john@example.com"

# Modify contract details
uvx --from reducto-cli reducto edit contract.pdf -i "Set the contract date to January 15, 2024 and fill in the client name as 'Acme Corporation'"

# Process directory of forms
uvx --from reducto-cli reducto edit ./forms/ -i "Check 'Approved' box and add today's date"

Tips for Effective Instructions

• Be specific about what to modify and how
• Reference specific elements (headers, tables, specific text)
• Describe the desired outcome clearly
• For directories, ensure instructions apply uniformly

Workflow Example

Processing invoices from a folder:

1. Parse all documents first:

uvx --from reducto-cli reducto parse ./invoices/

2. Extract data using a schema (reuses existing parses):

uvx --from reducto-cli reducto extract ./invoices/ --schema invoice_schema.json

3. Results are in *.extract.json files

Performance Notes

• The CLI automatically reuses existing .parse.md files for extraction
• Use --agentic only when needed (complex layouts, tables, figures)
• Batch processing is supported via directory paths
• Extraction jobs reference previous parse job IDs for efficiency