---
name: markdown-sidecars
description: "On-demand faithful .md companions from PDFs; markdown preference; now includes a tested, approved .xlsx extraction method (raw zip/XML parse, UTF-8 explicit). Use when a person asks to install or apply \"Markdown Sidecars\" (FTR-12) in a project, or when working in a project that has it installed."
---

# Markdown Sidecars (FTR-12, version 1.1)

> Generated from library record FTR-12 version 1.1, publish 20261102a. Review status: unreviewed. The complete specification is in references/spec.md and is the authority; this file is the operating procedure drawn from it.

## What this does

On-demand faithful .md companions from PDFs; markdown preference; now includes a tested, approved .xlsx extraction method (raw zip/XML parse, UTF-8 explicit)

## When to use this skill

- A person asks to install, apply or update "Markdown Sidecars" (FTR-12) in a project.
- A project's agent instructions list markdown-sidecars as installed and the task touches what it covers.
- No other feature is required first.

## Install procedure

Steps run in order. Assess comes first, every question in the Ask step is answered by the person before anything is written, and every write merges additively into the existing project files (read the file first, update an existing section in place, never overwrite).

### Assess first
- Check whether `admin\AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md` already has a MARKDOWN SIDECARS section. If present, confirm and skip.
- No upfront setup is required for this feature — it is a capability the agent offers when a PDF appears, not a folder or file to create now.

### Ask, only if needed
Nothing to ask at install time — proceed directly to Write. (The agent offers sidecars per-PDF at the moment one appears; it does not ask anything during installation.)

### Write

The full Write payload is in references/write-payload.md. It is applied exactly as written, with the merge rule above.

### Confirm
Confirm: Markdown Sidecars are enabled — the agent will offer to turn any PDF into a full, faithful `.md` companion, and prefers markdown for working files. Want to install another, or is that everything for now?

## Other sections in the specification

- Update: Excel (.xlsx) sidecar extraction method (added v1.1)

These are in references/spec.md.

## Files in this skill

- references/spec.md: the complete specification, unabridged.
- references/write-payload.md: the Write step on its own.