Doc Format Converter

Organization

microsoft

doc-format-converter

Use this skill whenever the user asks to convert a document or file from one format to another — Markdown, HTML, PDF, Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel (.xlsx), CSV, or plain text (e.g. "turn this Word doc into a PDF", "make slides from this markdown", "save this page as markdown"). Only for producing a converted file as a deliverable. Do NOT use this skill to answer questions about a document's content — the analyzing-* skills handle that. Run the bundled scripts/convert.py instead of writing ad-hoc conversion code, BEFORE attempting any conversion yourself.

Overview

Publisher	microsoft
Repository	`cat-agent-skills`
Skill name	`doc-format-converter`
Stars	95
Forks	115
Bundled files	11
License	MIT
Links	Skill source Repository

Markdown instructions
A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.
Works with any LLM
AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.
11 bundled files
Scripts, templates, and references the model can read while it works. Files are read-only and never executed.
Open source
Published by microsoft on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Doc Format Converter AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
Choose "Install from GitHub".
Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
https://github.com/microsoft/cat-agent-skills/tree/main/submissions/doc-format-converter
Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.

Store

Installed

Skills

Add skills

Import one or more skills from a public GitHub folder or a local .skill or .zip archive, or SKILL.md file.

From GitHub URLFrom .skill, .zip, or SKILL.md

GitHub repo or folder

https://github.com/microsoft/cat-agent-skills/tree/main/submissions/doc-format-converter

Points to a single skill folder, or any folder that contains multiple skills. Public repos only.

CancelContinue

Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/cat-agent-skills.git /tmp/cat-agent-skills
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/cat-agent-skills/submissions/doc-format-converter .claude/skills/doc-format-converter

Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Doc Format Converter in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Doc Format Converter on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Doc Format Converter is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

Loaded only when it is needed
The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.
Switch models mid-chat
Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Convert documents between formats using the bundled scripts/convert.py. It works fully offline with libraries already present in the sandbox (markitdown, mammoth, markdownify, reportlab, python-docx, python-pptx, pdfplumber, beautifulsoup4, magika) and routes each conversion through the highest-fidelity pipeline available.

Division of labor with the analyzing-* skills

This skill produces files; the built-in analyzing-* skills answer questions. Route accordingly:

"What does this PDF say?", "find X in this workbook", "summarize this deck" → use analyzing-pdf / analyzing-xlsx / analyzing-pptx etc., not this skill. In particular, never use convert.py as a substitute extraction path for PDF question-answering — analyzing-pdf owns that.
"Give me this as a PDF/Word doc/slides/markdown file" → this skill.
If the user asks content questions after a conversion, hand off to the matching analyzing-* skill on the original file rather than answering from this skill's intermediate output.
Reuse their artifacts when present. If an analyzing-* preprocessor has already produced a converted.md for the source file, feed that to convert.py as Markdown input (convert.py converted.md --to pptx) instead of re-extracting the original — it is a high-quality extraction with page markers and pipe tables.

Instructions

Identify the input file and the target format the user wants. Targets: md, html, pdf, docx, pptx, txt. Inputs additionally include xlsx and csv.
Run the converter by the script's path inside this skill's folder — typically /app/skills/doc-format-converter/ — so it works regardless of the current working directory:
```
bash
python /app/skills/doc-format-converter/scripts/convert.py INPUT --to FORMAT [-o OUTPUT]
```
It prints the output path on success. If -o is omitted, the output lands next to the input with the new extension.

For a folder of files, use batch mode and share the printed summary table with the user:

bash
python /app/skills/doc-format-converter/scripts/convert.py --batch DIR --to FORMAT [--out-dir DIR]

If the script reports an unsupported conversion, relay its message — it prints the full support matrix. Offer the nearest supported route (e.g. PDF → slides is unsupported; offer PDF → Markdown, let the user edit, then Markdown → PPTX).
If the script warns that a file's extension doesn't match its content (content sniffing via magika), tell the user; the converter proceeds using the detected content type.
Return the converted file to the user and briefly state which pipeline was used (e.g. "docx → HTML via mammoth").

Conversion notes

Markdown is the universal intermediate: Office/PDF inputs are extracted with markitdown, then re-rendered. Some layout (columns, images, footnotes) is simplified — say so when converting layout-heavy documents.
For scanned/image PDFs, this skill's pdf → md route extracts little or nothing. Run the analyzing-pdf preprocessor instead (its OCR pipeline is the better extractor) and feed its text artifact into this skill's renderers.
PDF output registers a CJK-capable font automatically (bundled Noto CJK fonts, falling back to reportlab's built-in CID fonts), so Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text renders correctly.
PPTX output builds one slide per #/## heading with body content as bullets, overflowing onto continuation slides — it is an outline deck, not finished design.
pdf → pptx and pptx → pdf/docx are deliberately unsupported: the extraction is too lossy to present as a finished conversion.

Guardrails

Never fabricate or "fill in" content the source file does not contain; if extraction returns nothing, report that instead of inventing text.
Do not hand-write conversion code when convert.py supports the pair; only fall back to custom code if the script fails, and say that you did.
Never claim a conversion succeeded without the script's success output.
Verification test cases live in references/test-cases.md with fixtures in assets/samples/ — use them when the user asks to validate the skill.

Bundled files

The model reads these on demand while the skill is loaded. They are exposed as readable files and are never executed.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Doc Format Converter AI skill do?

Why use Doc Format Converter on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Doc Format Converter is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Doc Format Converter in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/microsoft/cat-agent-skills/tree/main/submissions/doc-format-converter. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and bundles its files and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Doc Format Converter?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Doc Format Converter?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Doc Format Converter with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Doc Format Converter AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by microsoft under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

Division of labor with the analyzing-* skills

Instructions

Conversion notes

Guardrails

Bundled files

Frequently asked questions

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