# CLI Arguments for the `scripts/extract.py` Script in book-to-skill: Complete Reference > Explore CLI arguments for book-to-skill's extract.py script. Learn about --mode, --install-missing, --check, and file paths for efficient data extraction. - Repository: [Virgilio Junior/book-to-skill](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill) - Tags: api-reference - Published: 2026-08-24 --- **The [`scripts/extract.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/scripts/extract.py) entry-point supports `--mode` for extraction strategy selection, `--install-missing` for dependency handling, `--check` for environment validation, and positional file path arguments, with all parsing logic implemented in [`book_to_skill/utils.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/utils.py).** The `virgiliojr94/book-to-skill` repository provides a command-line tool for extracting text and technical content from PDF and ebook documents. While [`scripts/extract.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/scripts/extract.py) serves as the executable launcher, the actual CLI argument parsing and validation reside in the core `book_to_skill` package, specifically within the [`utils.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/utils.py) module. ## Where CLI Arguments Are Defined Although [`scripts/extract.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/scripts/extract.py) acts as the wrapper—inserting the project root into `sys.path` and delegating to `book_to_skill.cli.main`—the argument parsing logic lives in **[`book_to_skill/utils.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/utils.py)**. The **`parse_arguments`** function (lines 82-106) manually walks through `sys.argv` to extract configuration options, while the **`main`** function (lines 73-84) orchestrates execution and handles special flags like `--help` and `--check`. ## Complete List of Supported CLI Arguments The script accepts both optional flags and positional arguments for input specification. ### Extraction Mode Selection (`--mode`) The **`--mode`** flag controls which extraction engine processes the documents: - **`technical`** — Uses the layout-aware Docling extractor for PDF documents - **`text`** — Default mode; uses plain-text tools like `pdftotext`, `pypdf`, or `pdfminer` If an unsupported mode is supplied, the parser falls back to `"text"` (lines 112-114 in [`book_to_skill/utils.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/utils.py)). ### Dependency Installation Control (`--install-missing` / `--no-install-missing`) These flags govern automatic installation of missing third-party tools: - **`--install-missing`** — Accepts `ask` (prompt user), `yes` (install silently), or `no` (error if missing). Can also be used without a value. - **`--no-install-missing`** — Explicitly disables automatic installation of missing dependencies. The raw flag values are later normalized by **`normalize_install_mode`** in [`book_to_skill/dependencies.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/dependencies.py) to determine concrete behavior. ### Environment Validation (`--check`) The **`--check`** flag triggers a dependency check via **`run_dependency_check`** and exits immediately, reporting which extractors are installed and available. ### Help Display (`-h`, `--help`) Displays the usage banner defined in **`print_usage`** (lines 59-66 of [`book_to_skill/utils.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/utils.py)) and exits without processing files. ### Positional Arguments One or more file paths, directories, or glob patterns pointing to documents to process. These are collected as the input list after all flag parsing completes. ## Usage Examples ### Technical Extraction with Prompted Installation ```bash book-to-skill /path/to/book.pdf --mode technical --install-missing ask ``` *Uses the Docling extractor for PDFs and prompts the user to install any missing tools.* ### Batch Processing with Disabled Auto-Install ```bash book-to-skill ~/books/*.epub --no-install-missing ``` *Processes all EPUB files under `~/books`; errors out if required dependencies (e.g., `ebooklib`) are missing.* ### Checking Installed Extractors ```bash book-to-skill --check ``` *Exits with a status code indicating whether all optional extractors are available.* ## Internal Argument Processing Flow The CLI handling follows a specific sequence within [`book_to_skill/utils.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/utils.py): 1. **Initial Inspection** — The `main` function checks for `--help` or `-h` and prints the usage string from `print_usage`. 2. **Dependency Check** — If `--check` is present, `main` calls `run_dependency_check` from [`book_to_skill/dependencies.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/dependencies.py) and exits. 3. **Parsing** — `parse_arguments` iterates through `argv`, extracting `--mode` and install-related flags, collecting remaining strings as input paths. 4. **Validation** — Unsupported modes fall back to `"text"` (lines 112-114). 5. **Normalization** — The `normalize_install_mode` helper converts raw install flags into concrete behavior (`ask`, `yes`, `no`). Any unrecognized flags trigger a warning and are ignored by the parser. ## Summary - **[`scripts/extract.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/scripts/extract.py)** serves as a thin wrapper that delegates to `book_to_skill.cli.main`, with actual parsing in **[`book_to_skill/utils.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/utils.py)** - Supported flags include **`--mode`**, **`--install-missing`**, **`--no-install-missing`**, **`--check`**, and **`--help`** - Positional arguments specify file paths, directories, or glob patterns for document discovery - The **`parse_arguments`** function manually processes `sys.argv` at lines 82-106 to extract configuration - Dependency installation behavior is normalized through **[`book_to_skill/dependencies.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/dependencies.py)** ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does the `--mode` flag do in [`scripts/extract.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/scripts/extract.py)? The **`--mode`** flag selects the extraction strategy. Set it to `technical` to use the layout-aware Docling extractor for PDF documents, or use `text` (the default) for plain-text extraction tools like `pdftotext` or `pdfminer` according to the `book_to_skill` source code. ### How does `--install-missing` handle dependencies? The **`--install-missing`** flag controls whether missing third-party tools are installed automatically. It accepts `ask` (prompt user), `yes` (install silently), or `no` (error if missing). Alternatively, use **`--no-install-missing`** to explicitly disable this behavior, as implemented in the `normalize_install_mode` helper. ### Why does [`scripts/extract.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/scripts/extract.py) not contain the argument parsing logic? The [`scripts/extract.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/scripts/extract.py) file serves purely as an entry-point wrapper that ensures the project root is in `sys.path` before importing and calling `book_to_skill.cli.main`. All argument parsing, validation, and execution logic resides in [`book_to_skill/utils.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/utils.py) to maintain separation between the executable script and core library code. ### How can I verify that all required extractors are installed? Run the script with the **`--check`** flag. This executes `run_dependency_check` from [`book_to_skill/dependencies.py`](https://github.com/virgiliojr94/book-to-skill/blob/main/book_to_skill/dependencies.py), reports which extractors are available, and exits with a status code indicating the environment's readiness for document processing.