PDF to Markdown Converter for Clean, Reviewable Output.

Q: What files are included in a PDF Markdown bundle?

A successful bundle can include output.md, extracted assets, metadata, source_map.json, quality_report.json, and a checksummed manifest. The exact contents depend on what the source PDF exposes and which processing route runs.

Convert PDF to Markdown (.md) while preserving useful headings, paragraphs, common tables, links, and images in a page-aware bundle with source maps and quality evidence.

Preview a PDF up to 5 estimated Credits without an account. Signed-in jobs share the same Credits and History across Web, API, CLI, and MCP.

Delivery ready

Your Markdown bundle is ready

Verified output links appear here.

How PDF to Markdown conversion works.

The converter uses a bounded job flow instead of returning an untraceable block of pasted text. It inspects the input, estimates the maximum Credit cost, selects the current PDF route, and packages the result with files that help you review where the Markdown came from.

Inspect and estimate

Markovo checks the page count and input boundary before execution. You see the estimate first, and a confirmed job cannot silently spend beyond its approved maximum.

Convert page-aware content

Recoverable headings, paragraphs, links, common tables, and useful figures become Markdown and assets. Page references are retained where the route can support them.

Review the bundle

Open the Markdown preview, download the verified ZIP, inspect warnings, and compare uncertain content with the source PDF before using it in production.

What the PDF Markdown bundle preserves.

A useful conversion needs more than readable prose. Markovo keeps the main Markdown beside supporting evidence so editors, developers, and AI workflows can distinguish extracted content from review signals.

Structured Markdown

output.md carries the recovered reading order, headings, paragraphs, links, lists, and common tables. It is suitable for editing, search preparation, or downstream chunking after review.

MAP

Sources and assets

source_map.json connects recoverable output to source pages. Reliably extracted figures live under assets/ and use relative links so they remain portable with the bundle.

Quality evidence

quality_report.json, metadata, and the checksummed manifest record warnings and delivered files. They do not claim perfection; they make review boundaries visible.

Digital PDFs, scans, tables, and formulas have different boundaries.

PDF is a page description format, so two files that look similar can expose very different underlying structure. The correct expectation depends on whether text, images, reading order, and table geometry can be recovered reliably.

Available

Digital PDFs with selectable text

Ordinary reports, manuals, and papers with selectable text are the strongest current route. Headings, paragraphs, links, lists, and straightforward page order are usually the most reviewable output. Multi-column reading order, footnotes, and floating captions still deserve comparison with the source.

Review carefully

Common tables and extracted figures

Recoverable tables can become structured Markdown rather than screenshots. Reliably exposed figures can be stored as assets and linked from output.md. Merged cells, nested headers, charts, diagrams, and visually positioned labels may not preserve their full meaning.

Signed-in Beta

Scanned text and formula enhancement

Image-heavy PDFs may use OCR, while signed-in PDF jobs can use formula enhancement. Low-resolution scans, handwriting, unusual symbols, dense equations, and complex layouts can still be wrong. Markovo reports weak output visibly and requires review against the original.

Use the PDF to Markdown Converter via Web, API, CLI, or MCP.

Every client uses the same pdf-to-markdown capability, estimate-first job contract, ownership checks, Credit balance, History, and bundle format. The browser supports the guest trial; API, CLI, and MCP conversion use an account and API key.

REST API

curl -X POST https://markovo.net/v1/convert \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${MARKOVO_API_KEY}" \
  -F "file=@paper.pdf" \
  -F "capability_id=pdf-to-markdown" \
  -F "max_credits=30"

Request an estimate, confirm the bounded maximum, then poll the returned job with its owner-authorized credential.

CLI

markovo convert paper.pdf \
  --out runs/paper \
  --max-credits 30

The CLI downloads and verifies the same bundle rather than inventing a separate local output format.

MCP

markovo_convert({
  "input_path": "paper.pdf",
  "max_credits": 30
})

MCP exposes the same capability and limits to an authorized agent. Review remains a user responsibility when the report flags uncertain content.

Prepare PDF Markdown for AI, RAG, and editing.

Clean Markdown is easier to diff, search, chunk, and edit than opaque PDF extraction, but conversion is only one stage of a reliable workflow. Keep the bundle intact, inspect warnings, and decide which evidence your downstream use requires.

Grounded AI input

Use headings and page-aware mappings to build reviewable context for ChatGPT, Claude, or an internal assistant. Do not treat a converted formula, chart, or OCR passage as verified solely because it is valid Markdown.

RAG

Search and chunking

Chunk after checking section order, table continuity, and repeated headers. Preserve source mappings or page metadata when retrieval results need to point a reviewer back to the original PDF.

EDIT

Publishing and migration

Edit output.md while keeping assets beside it. For compliance, legal, scientific, or financial material, compare the final text and numbers with the original before publication.

PDF to Markdown questions.

Current production behavior and explicit quality boundaries.

What is a PDF to MD converter?

A PDF to MD converter turns a PDF document into a Markdown (.md) file. Markovo keeps recoverable headings, paragraphs, links, common tables, and images in a reviewable bundle, with source maps and quality evidence where available.

What kinds of PDFs work best with the PDF to Markdown converter?

Digital PDFs with selectable text, ordinary headings, paragraphs, links, and common tables are the strongest current route. Scans, handwriting, formulas, and dense visual layouts may need Signed-in Beta processing and manual review.

Is the PDF to Markdown converter free?

Guests can convert and review one PDF queue per UTC day before signing in, up to 5 estimated Credits. Each PDF uses the Free account boundary of 25 MB and 50 pages. Download requires an account and settles completed work once against account Credits. A free account includes 100 monthly Credits, one API key, and up to five daily files.

Does PDF to Markdown preserve tables and images?

Markovo preserves common tables as structured Markdown when the source is recoverable and stores reliably extracted figures as linked assets. Complex tables, charts, and unusual reading order still require comparison with the source PDF.

Can Markovo convert scanned PDFs and formulas?

OCR and formula enhancement are Signed-in Beta. They can recover useful content, but weak scans, handwriting, dense equations, and complex layouts can produce warnings and always require review against the original PDF.

Can I use PDF to Markdown through an API, CLI, or MCP server?

Yes. Web, REST API, CLI, and MCP use the same capability ID, estimate, Credit balance, job history, ownership checks, and downloadable bundle. API, CLI, and MCP conversion require an account and API key.

What files are included in a PDF Markdown bundle?

A successful bundle can include output.md, extracted assets, metadata, source_map.json, quality_report.json, and a checksummed manifest. The exact contents depend on what the source PDF exposes and which processing route runs.