Convert

convert

The carrel CLI handles all mechanical conversion work. This skill provides the judgment layer: when to invoke which options, how to interpret results, and what to do next.

When to Trigger

• Researcher drops a file path or says "convert", "import", "add this paper"
• Any PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, or image needs to become markdown in the vault

Running a Conversion

carrel paper convert <file> [--vault PATH]

That's the default. The CLI picks the right tool automatically (liteparse for PDFs, markitdown for everything else) and handles frontmatter, filing, and idempotency.

Judgment Calls

When to suggest --tool mineru or --tool mistral_ocr

Recommend a cloud OCR/conversion tool when the researcher describes or the filename suggests:

• Tables, figures, or formulas that need accurate extraction
• Scanned or image-based PDFs
• Multi-column journal layouts where structure matters

Say: "This looks like a complex or scanned PDF. Want me to use a cloud OCR converter for better accuracy? (--tool mineru or --tool mistral_ocr)"

Do not suggest cloud OCR unprompted for straightforward text-heavy papers — liteparse handles those well.

When to warn about sensitivity

If the researcher has mentioned data sensitivity, IRB materials, unpublished manuscripts, or confidential content, note before running:

• --tool mineru and --tool mistral_ocr send the document to a cloud API — skip them for sensitive files
• The default (liteparse) is local and safe

When to use --force

Use --force only when the researcher explicitly wants to re-convert something already in the vault, or when quality was poor on a previous run.

Dry run

Offer --dry-run when the researcher is unsure what will happen or wants to preview before committing.

Interpreting Results

Success: Tell the researcher where the file landed and give a one-line quality read: "Converted to papers/corley-gioia-2004/paper.md. Tables came through cleanly."

Skipped (already converted): Explain the idempotency behavior: "This paper is already in your vault. Use --force if you want to re-convert it."

Error: The CLI error message includes a hint — relay it and offer a path forward.

Quality Assessment

After conversion, scan the output for:

• Garbled text (OCR artifacts)
• Broken or missing tables
• Lost section structure

If quality is poor, offer re-conversion:

• "The tables didn't come through well — want to retry with --tool mineru or --tool mistral_ocr for better accuracy?"
• "Looks like a scanned PDF. The cloud converter handles those better."

Batch Workflow

When the researcher points at a folder ("process my inbox", "convert everything in ~/Drop"), shift into batch mode. The folder walk + per-file dispatch lives in the CLI; this skill owns the confirmation step and the routing summary.

Pre-batch confirmation

Before the batch fires, enumerate what's there and report routing back to the researcher. Default folder is inbox/ inside the vault; any path is accepted.

Recognized document types: .pdf, .docx, .doc, .pptx, .xlsx. Anything else: note it in the summary, skip it.

Show a short report and ask before starting:

Found 16 files in inbox/:

• 12 PDFs → liteparse (local)
• 3 Word docs → markitdown
• 1 unsupported (notes.numbers) — will skip

Any files you want handled differently? (e.g., use mineru for the complex PDFs, mark anything sensitive)

Ready to start?

If a file looks like it may need special handling — scanned PDF, encrypted file, very large doc — flag it now rather than after failure. Tell the researcher upfront if the queue is long: liteparse takes ~30s per PDF, so 40 PDFs ≈ 20 minutes.

Calling pattern

Once the researcher confirms, hand off to the CLI:

carrel batch convert <folder> [--vault PATH]

The CLI walks the folder, dispatches per file, and respects idempotency (SHA-256 source-hash; already-converted files return action="skipped").

During the batch

Flag judgment calls inline rather than silently failing:

• Scanned/image-only PDF → "This looks scanned — want me to retry with a cloud OCR tool such as mistral_ocr?"
• Sensitive-looking filename (e.g., patient-records.pdf) → "This filename suggests sensitive content. Confirm local-only processing?"
• Repeated tool failures → stop and ask, don't keep retrying

Batch non-blocking questions at the end. Stop and ask immediately for blocking ones (ambiguous routing, suspected sensitive content).

Post-batch summary

When the queue is done, give a single readable summary:

Batch complete:

• Converted: 14 files
• Skipped: 3 (already in vault)
• Failed: 1 — scan-ocr.pdf (image-only, retry with --tool mistral_ocr?)
• Need input: 1 — see questions above

Everything is in your vault. Want me to open any of the new files?

Mention any files that landed in fallback filing slots (sparse frontmatter, no author/year) so the researcher can rename them.

Unattended-mode batches

If the batch is scheduled (running without the researcher present), the contract is different: skip the confirmation, defer judgment calls to _meta/pending-decisions.md, never block. That contract lives in the automation skill — invoke it via carrel batch convert <folder> --unattended from a scheduled prompt, not from interactive use.

Aborting mid-batch

If the researcher wants to stop mid-batch, files already processed are filed and safe — the CLI commits per-file. Resume by re-running the command; idempotency skips what's already done.

CRITICAL: Papers Are Not Notes

A converted paper is raw paper content with YAML frontmatter — nothing else. Never apply a note template to a converted paper. If the researcher wants to write notes about a paper, that is a separate file in notes/ created with the note-taking skill.

Follow-Up Offers

After a successful conversion, offer:

• "Want me to create reading notes for this paper?"
• "Should I check if any papers already in your vault cite this one?"

Related

• carrel paper list — see what's already converted
• Skills: vault-ops for file conventions and note creation