# PDF Reader Tool The **PDF Reader** Tool allows an Agent to read, interpret, and reason over the **entire content of a PDF document that is uploaded during the Agent configuration**. Unlike Knowledge Bases, which split content into chunks for retrieval, PDF Reader preserves the **full structure and continuity of a single document**, enabling deeper and more contextual reasoning. *** ### 🔎 What It Does With PDF Reader, an Agent can: * Read a **pre-configured PDF document** * Understand the document **as a whole**, without fragmentation * Extract insights, summaries, rules, or structured information * Reason across sections, pages, and references consistently This tool is ideal when a document must be treated as **authoritative context**, not as searchable snippets. *** ### 🧠 How PDF Reader Works PDF Reader acts as a **static cognitive extension** of the Agent. At configuration time: 1. The Agent creator uploads a PDF file. 2. The full document is ingested as a **single contextual source**. 3. During conversations, the Agent can reason over the entire document whenever needed. 4. The document remains available to the Agent as long as the tool exists. The Agent decides to use the PDF Reader based on the **tool description**, not by user action. *** ### 📚 PDF Reader vs Knowledge Base #### Use **PDF Reader** when: * The document must be interpreted as a whole * Cross-section understanding is required * The content represents a single source of truth (e.g., contract, policy, manual) * The document does not need semantic retrieval by fragments #### Use **Knowledge Base** when: * Content must be searchable and modular * Information changes frequently * Multiple documents need to be queried * You want long-term, scalable retrieval 💡 **Rule of thumb:**\ PDF Reader is for **deep reasoning over one document**.\ Knowledge Base is for **searching across many documents**. *** ### 📄 Common Use Cases * Company policies or internal rulebooks * Legal contracts or compliance documents * Technical manuals or specifications * Institutional PDFs that must be followed strictly *** ### ⚙️ Tool Configuration When creating a PDF Reader Tool, you configure: * **Name**\ A clear identifier for the tool\ Example: `Company Policy PDF` * **Description**\ Guides the Agent on when to use the document\ Example: > “Use this tool whenever the user asks about company rules, policies, or internal procedures.” * **PDF File**\ The document uploaded during Agent configuration The description is essential — it determines **when the Agent will rely on the PDF**. *** ### 🧠 Best Practices * Use PDF Reader for documents that must be interpreted in full * Avoid duplicating large documents into the main prompt * Keep the description explicit and scoped * If the document needs frequent updates or search, prefer a Knowledge Base * Combine with Tasks or Follow Ups to act on document-based conclusions *** ### ✅ Key Takeaway The **PDF Reader** Tool allows an Agent to reason over a **single, complete PDF document configured by the Agent creator**, without chunking or fragmentation. It is the best choice when structural integrity, coherence, and full-context understanding are critical — turning a static PDF into a trusted, always-available reference for the Agent. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.zaia.app/tools/available-tools/pdf-reader-tool.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.