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Tutorial#tutorial#advanced#workflow

Automate Document Workflows with Claude Skills

Build end-to-end document automation workflows using Claude Skills. Process PDFs, generate reports, and streamline operations.

ClaudeSkills Team
•
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20 min read

Automate Document Workflows with Claude Skills

Build complete document processing pipelines using Skills. This tutorial shows real-world automation patterns.

Workflow 1: Invoice Processing

Goal: Extract data from PDF invoices → Validate → Store in database

markdown
1# Invoice Processing Workflow
2
3## Skills Required
41. pdf-extractor: Extract text from PDFs
52. invoice-parser: Parse invoice fields
63. data-validator: Validate extracted data
74. database-writer: Store results
8
9## Workflow Steps
101. Receive PDF invoice
112. Extract text content using pdf-extractor
123. Parse invoice fields using invoice-parser
134. Validate data using data-validator
145. Store in database using database-writer
156. Send confirmation email

Implementation

python
1# workflow.py
2from skills import pdf_extractor, invoice_parser, data_validator, database_writer
3
4def process_invoice(invoice_path):
5    # Step 1: Extract text
6    text = pdf_extractor.extract(invoice_path)
7
8    # Step 2: Parse fields
9    data = invoice_parser.parse(text)
10
11    # Step 3: Validate
12    if not data_validator.validate(data):
13        return {"status": "error", "message": "Invalid data"}
14
15    # Step 4: Store
16    database_writer.insert("invoices", data)
17
18    return {"status": "success", "invoice_id": data['id']}

Workflow 2: Report Generation

Goal: Collect data → Analyze → Generate PDF report → Distribute

markdown
1# Report Generation Workflow
2
3## Skills Required
41. data-collector: Gather data from sources
52. data-analyzer: Perform analysis
63. chart-generator: Create visualizations
74. pdf-generator: Build PDF report
85. email-sender: Distribute report
9
10## Schedule
11Run daily at 9 AM using task scheduler

Implementation

python
1def generate_daily_report():
2    # Collect data
3    data = data_collector.fetch_yesterday_metrics()
4
5    # Analyze
6    insights = data_analyzer.analyze(data)
7
8    # Generate charts
9    charts = chart_generator.create_charts(data)
10
11    # Build PDF
12    pdf = pdf_generator.create_report({
13        "data": data,
14        "insights": insights,
15        "charts": charts
16    })
17
18    # Send email
19    email_sender.send(
20        to=["[email protected]"],
21        subject="Daily Report",
22        attachment=pdf
23    )

Workflow 3: Document Conversion Pipeline

Goal: Convert multiple formats → Standardize → Archive

markdown
1# Document Conversion Workflow
2
3## Skills Required
41. format-detector: Identify file formats
52. word-converter: Convert Word to PDF
63. excel-converter: Convert Excel to PDF
74. ppt-converter: Convert PowerPoint to PDF
85. document-archiver: Store in archive

Implementation

python
1def convert_and_archive(document_path):
2    # Detect format
3    format = format_detector.detect(document_path)
4
5    # Convert to PDF
6    converters = {
7        "docx": word_converter,
8        "xlsx": excel_converter,
9        "pptx": ppt_converter
10    }
11
12    if format in converters:
13        pdf = converters[format].to_pdf(document_path)
14    else:
15        pdf = document_path  # Already PDF
16
17    # Archive
18    document_archiver.store(pdf, metadata={
19        "original_format": format,
20        "converted_at": datetime.now()
21    })

Best Practices

1. Error Handling

Add try-catch blocks at each step:

python
1def process_with_error_handling(doc):
2    try:
3        result = extractor.extract(doc)
4    except Exception as e:
5        log_error(f"Extraction failed: {e}")
6        send_alert("Extraction error", doc)
7        return None

2. Logging

Track workflow progress:

python
import logging

logger.info(f"Starting workflow for {doc_id}")
logger.debug(f"Extracted {len(text)} characters")
logger.error(f"Validation failed: {errors}")

3. Monitoring

Monitor workflow health:

python
1from prometheus_client import Counter, Histogram
2
3processed = Counter('docs_processed', 'Documents processed')
4duration = Histogram('processing_duration', 'Processing time')
5
6@duration.time()
7def process_document(doc):
8    result = workflow(doc)
9    processed.inc()
10    return result

Real-World Example: Box Integration

Box uses Claude Skills to automate document workflows:

  • Convert stored files to PowerPoint, Excel, Word
  • Standardize formats across organization
  • Significant time savings

Source: 53AI - Real-World Cases

Resources

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Author: ClaudeSkills Team
Automate Document Workflows with Claude Skills