API · Document parsing

Document parsing API for workflows, agents, and databases.

Parse PDFs, scans, images, and document packets into structured data your software can act on. Cogneris preserves layout context, page evidence, citations, confidence, and validation metadata so parsed documents become reliable workflow inputs.

Parse more than text

Operational document parsing has to understand structure, not just characters. Cogneris identifies sections, tables, paragraphs, key-value pairs, page boundaries, and document type so downstream systems can use documents as clean data.

From PDF layout to typed JSON

Native PDFs, scans, photos, and email attachments flow through OCR, layout detection, classification, extraction, and validation. The result is JSON with the context your workflow needs: page evidence, citations, confidence scores, and normalized field values.

Agent-ready document data

AI agents need dependable tool inputs. Cogneris turns document content into structured objects with evidence and validation state, so an agent can reason over invoices, contracts, onboarding packets, and claims without guessing from loose text chunks.

Layout context

Sections, tables, field labels, pages, and reading order are preserved for downstream logic.

Typed outputs

Return JSON objects, arrays, numbers, dates, currencies, booleans, and validation status.

Evidence links

Keep source page references and citations so users can verify parsed data quickly.

Tables, paragraphs, key-value fields, and citations

Cogneris parses document structure and extracts named values in the same workflow. That means a bank statement can return both the transaction table and account metadata, while a contract can return paragraphs, clause spans, and extracted obligations.

Layout-aware parsing for RAG

Retrieval systems work better when the parser preserves the document's structure. Cogneris can keep sections, tables, page numbers, field labels, reading order, and citations together so a RAG pipeline retrieves meaningful evidence instead of isolated text fragments.

Use layout-aware parsing when documents contain tables, multi-column pages, scanned forms, signatures, footnotes, clauses, attachments, or long packets where page context changes the answer.

RAG-ready JSON and Markdown context

Search and agent workflows often need both typed JSON and readable context. Cogneris can return normalized fields, table rows, source citations, and layout-aware text blocks that can be rendered as Markdown for retrieval, review, or downstream prompt context.

That keeps chunking tied to the original document structure: headings stay with their paragraphs, tables stay with captions, and extracted values stay linked to their source page and bounding-box evidence.

Chunking is not enough for operational workflows

Chunking is useful for retrieval, but back-office automation usually needs typed values, validation, routing, and audit evidence. Cogneris is built for the moment after ingestion: when parsed content has to trigger a workflow, update a record, or support a decision.

When to use parsing, extraction, or Q&A

JobBest forCogneris output
ParsingPreparing document structure for systems or agentsSections, tables, fields, citations, JSON
ExtractionPulling named business fields from a documentTyped schema with values and confidence
Q&AAsking grounded questions about a documentAnswer, citations, reasoning trace

For implementation detail, read the extraction API docs, classification docs, custom agents docs, or the architecture guide on ReAct document workflows.

Document parsing API FAQ

What is the difference between document parsing and document extraction?
Parsing prepares document structure such as sections, tables, text blocks, and citations. Extraction pulls named business fields into a specific schema.
Can Cogneris parse PDFs for AI agents?
Yes. Cogneris can return structured document context, page evidence, and validated fields that agents can use as reliable tool inputs.
Does Cogneris return Markdown or JSON?
Cogneris focuses on JSON for operational workflows. JSON can include sections, paragraphs, tables, citations, field values, and validation metadata.
Can I preserve page references and citations?
Yes. Parsed and extracted values can include page references, source spans, and bounding boxes for review and auditability.
How does parsing work for scanned PDFs?
Scanned PDFs run through OCR and layout understanding before the result is normalized into document structure and typed JSON.
When should I use Ask the PDF instead?
Use Ask the PDF when the user needs conversational answers. Use parsing or extraction when software needs structured output it can store, validate, or act on.