PDF to Markdown for Claude
Claude works best with structured plain text. Convert specs, papers and manuals to Markdown and drop them into a Project, a CLAUDE.md, or your repository docs.
PDF to Markdown for Claude is a free online tool by Hack the Hydra. Turn PDFs into Markdown for Claude projects, Claude Code and CLAUDE.md files. Free, private, runs in your browser.
100% freeNo upload: runs in your browserNo sign-up
Claude Projects and knowledge files
Markdown files are small and searchable, so more documents fit in a Project and Claude can quote the exact heading it relied on.
Claude Code
Coding agents read files from your repository. Save the converted spec as docs/spec.md and reference it from CLAUDE.md, and the agent can open it whenever it needs the details instead of you re-pasting the PDF.
Keep it focused
Delete appendices, legal boilerplate and repeated headers from the Markdown before adding it. Less noise means better answers and lower cost.
How to use
- Drop your file in the box above, or click to pick it.
- Wait a few seconds while it converts locally.
- Copy the result or download it.
FAQ
Can Claude read PDFs directly?
Yes, but a Markdown version is lighter, easy to edit and works everywhere, including tools that only accept text files.
Is the conversion private?
Yes. The PDF never leaves your browser tab.
Can I automate this for many PDFs?
Yes, with the bulk API, which also detects tables and OCRs scanned pages.
Bulk conversion API
Need hundreds of PDFs, scanned PDFs (OCR) or real Markdown tables? Use the API: $3 per 1,000 PDFs, failed files free. Open the API →
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/extas_corp~pdf-to-markdown/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"pdfUrls":[{"url":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/1706.03762"}]}'
Use it via API, with a free plan: Document to Markdown API (RapidAPI) · Apify
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