How to Upgrade pdf-inspector to the Latest Version: Complete Guide for Rust, Python, Node.js, and WebAssembly

To upgrade pdf-inspector to the latest version, use the appropriate package manager command for your distribution channel: cargo install pdf-inspector --force for CLI tools, cargo add pdf-inspector@latest for Rust crates, pip install --upgrade pdf-inspector for Python, or npm install @firecrawl/pdf-inspector@latest for Node.js.

The pdf-inspector project distributes its PDF processing engine through multiple channels—Rust crate, CLI binaries, Python bindings, Node.js N-API, and WebAssembly—all synchronized to a single version number defined in Cargo.toml【/cache/repos/github.com/firecrawl/pdf-inspector/main/Cargo.toml#L3-L4】. This unified release model means upgrading any component gives you the newest detection algorithms, extraction heuristics, and markdown generation logic.

Upgrade Commands by Distribution Channel

Channel	Upgrade Command	Use Case
Rust crate (library dependency)	cargo add pdf-inspector@latest or edit Cargo.toml + cargo update	Downstream Rust projects consuming the library
CLI binaries (pdf2md, detect-pdf, dump_ops)	cargo install pdf-inspector --force	Global installation of command-line tools
Python binding	pip install --upgrade pdf-inspector	Python applications using pdf_inspector module
Node.js (N-API)	npm install @firecrawl/pdf-inspector@latest	Server-side JavaScript/TypeScript projects
WebAssembly	npm install @firecrawl/pdf-inspector-wasm@latest	Browser or edge-runtime deployments
Source build	git pull origin main && cargo build --release	Contributors or custom builds

All channels share the same version because every public entry point—whether process_pdf in the library, the CLI binaries, or language bindings—ultimately calls the same internal code paths.

Step-by-Step Upgrade Instructions

1. Check Your Current Version

Before upgrading, verify what version you currently have installed:

# Rust dependency tree

cargo tree -i pdf-inspector

# CLI tool

pdf2md --version

# Python

python -c "import pdf_inspector, sys; print(pdf_inspector.__version__)"

# Node.js

npm list @firecrawl/pdf-inspector

2. Upgrade the Rust Crate in Your Project

For Rust projects using pdf-inspector as a dependency, update your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
pdf-inspector = "0.2"

Then run:

cargo update

This fetches the newest compatible version from crates.io and rebuilds your project with updated dependencies.

3. Upgrade the CLI Binaries Globally

To install or overwrite the latest pre-compiled binaries:

cargo install pdf-inspector --force

The --force flag ensures older local copies are replaced. This installs three binaries: pdf2md, detect-pdf, and dump_ops.

4. Upgrade the Python Binding

For PyPI-published wheels:

pip install --upgrade pdf-inspector

For development builds from source:

pip install maturin
maturin develop --release

The Python bindings are implemented in src/python.rs using PyO3, exposing the same process_pdf function used by all other interfaces.

5. Upgrade the Node.js and WebAssembly Bindings

For server-side Node.js:

npm install @firecrawl/pdf-inspector@latest

For browser or WASM environments:

npm install @firecrawl/pdf-inspector-wasm@latest

Both packages are documented in napi/README.md and wasm/README.md respectively.

6. Upgrade from Source (Git Checkout)

If you compile from the firecrawl/pdf-inspector repository directly:

git fetch --prune
git checkout main
git pull
cargo build --release

This brings your local copy to the latest commit and rebuilds all artifacts.

Verify Your Upgrade

After upgrading, confirm the new version is active:

pdf2md --version

For programmatic verification, run a quick detection or conversion:

# Python verification

import pdf_inspector

result = pdf_inspector.process_pdf("sample.pdf")
print(result.pdf_type)  # e.g., "text_based"

print(result.markdown[:200])

// Node.js verification
import { readFileSync } from "fs";
import { processPdf } from "@firecrawl/pdf-inspector";

const pdf = readFileSync("sample.pdf");
const out = processPdf(pdf);
console.log(out.pdfType);  // "TextBased"

// Rust verification
use pdf_inspector::process_pdf;

fn main() -> Result<(), pdf_inspector::PdfError> {
    let result = process_pdf("sample.pdf")?;
    println!("PDF type: {:?}", result.pdf_type);
    Ok(())
}

Key Source Files Affected by Upgrades

Understanding where the version number and core logic live helps troubleshoot upgrade issues:

File	Purpose	Location
Cargo.toml	Version source of truth and release trigger	Cargo.toml
src/lib.rs	Public API (process_pdf, process_pdf_with_options)	src/lib.rs
src/detector.rs	PDF classification algorithms	src/detector.rs
src/extractor/mod.rs	Core text-extraction pipeline	src/extractor/mod.rs
src/markdown/convert.rs	Markdown generation logic	src/markdown/convert.rs
src/bin/pdf2md.rs	Markdown converter CLI	src/bin/pdf2md.rs
src/bin/detect_pdf.rs	PDF type detector CLI	src/bin/detect_pdf.rs
src/python.rs	Python FFI bindings	src/python.rs

When you upgrade pdf-inspector to the latest version, you automatically receive improvements to the detection logic in src/detector.rs, extraction pipeline in src/extractor/mod.rs, and markdown post-processing in src/markdown/convert.rs.

Summary

• One version, multiple channels: All pdf-inspector distributions share the version in Cargo.toml【/cache/repos/github.com/firecrawl/pdf-inspector/main/Cargo.toml#L3-L4】.

• Match your upgrade command to your use case: cargo install for CLI, cargo add/cargo update for Rust projects, pip install --upgrade for Python, npm install for Node.js/WebAssembly.

• Verify with --version or a test call: Confirm the upgrade succeeded by checking version output or running process_pdf.

• Source builds require git pull + cargo build --release: Stay on the bleeding edge with manual compilation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I have multiple versions installed in different environments?

Each package manager manages its own isolation. Use which pdf2md (Unix) or where pdf2md (Windows) to locate CLI binaries. For Python, check pip show pdf-inspector or python -m site to identify which environment owns the package. Node.js users can run npm list -g @firecrawl/pdf-inspector versus npm list @firecrawl/pdf-inspector (local) to distinguish global from project-scoped installations.

Why does the Python binding require maturin for source builds?

The Python bindings in src/python.rs use PyO3 to generate native extensions from Rust source. Maturin handles the compilation and packaging of these extensions into wheels compatible with your Python interpreter. Pre-built wheels on PyPI eliminate this requirement for most users.

How do I pin to a specific version instead of latest?

Specify the exact version in your dependency declaration:

• Rust: pdf-inspector = "=0.2.6" in Cargo.toml
• Python: pip install pdf-inspector==0.2.6
• Node.js: npm install @firecrawl/pdf-inspector@0.2.6

This prevents automatic upgrades while still allowing manual version control.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}