PDF Agent (Desktop)

A local-first desktop app for managing PDF projects and extracting document context, built with Electron, React, Vite, and SQLite.

Current Status

This version is a fully functional PDF management system featuring:

• Multi-Window Architecture: Spawns independent reader windows for documents.
• Project Management:
  • Search, create, and rename projects.
  • Persistent storage via SQLite.
  • Collapsible sidebar with quick-access floating button.
• Document Management:
  • Add PDFs to projects (files are copied to local app data for persistence).
  • Per-project document lists.
• Advanced PDF Reader:
  • Rendering: Canvas-based rendering with lazy loading (Intersection Observer) and HiDPI support.
  • Interaction: Full text selection layer and annotation/link support.
  • Navigation: Sidebar with generated thumbnails and interactive document outline.
  • Search: Real-time text search with hit highlighting and prev/next navigation.
  • View Controls: Zoom (Actual, Fit Width, Fit Page, Custom) and 90° rotation.
  • Context Extraction: "Export Context" feature to dump page text and coordinate data to a JSON file for downstream AI workflows.

Tech Stack

• Framework: React 19 (TypeScript)
• Runtime: Electron 42
• Build Tool: Vite 8
• Database: SQLite (node:sqlite via Electron main process)
• PDF Engine: PDF.js (pdfjs-dist)
• Styling: Vanilla CSS with modern aesthetics (gradients, glassmorphism, responsive dashboard).

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22+
• npm 10+

Install

npm install

Run (Desktop Dev)

npm run desktop:dev

This runs the Vite dev server and the Electron main process concurrently.

Project Data (SQLite)

Data is stored in the Electron user data directory:

• Database: pdf-agent.sqlite
• Files: projects/<project_id>/documents/

On Windows: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\pdf-agent\

Database Schema

CREATE TABLE projects (
  project_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  project_name TEXT NOT NULL,
  created_at TEXT NOT NULL,
  updated_at TEXT NOT NULL
);

CREATE TABLE documents (
  document_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  project_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
  document_name TEXT NOT NULL,
  file_path TEXT NOT NULL,
  created_at TEXT NOT NULL,
  updated_at TEXT NOT NULL,
  FOREIGN KEY(project_id) REFERENCES projects(project_id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);

Folder Structure

electron/
  main.cjs          # Main process: Window management, SQLite, IPC handlers
  preload.cjs       # Secure bridge for desktop API (projects, documents, fs)
src/
  main.tsx          # React entry with hash-based routing (#reader/<id>)
  App.tsx           # Project dashboard and sidebar UI
  ReaderApp.tsx     # Feature-rich PDF viewer component
  style.css         # Unified design system and layout
  desktop.d.ts      # TypeScript definitions for the window.desktop API

Roadmap

• Agent integration (AI workflows using exported context)
• Memory panel implementation
• Custom instructions and project-specific notes
• Drag-and-drop document upload