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skill CX Codex

convert-file — Claude Code skill for file conversion

This skill uses DuckDB to convert data files between formats. Use it to create CSV, Parquet, Excel, JSON, GeoJSON, and other outputs.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill convert-file -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What convert-file does

The skill reads a data file with DuckDB and writes it in the format indicated by the destination extension. When no destination is given, it uses the input file’s name with a .parquet extension. Supported outputs include TSV, JSONL, NDJSON, GeoPackage, and Shapefile as well as CSV, Parquet, Excel, JSON, and GeoJSON.

For XLSX output, DuckDB needs its excel extension; geospatial formats use spatial. The skill also sets up access for s3://, gs://, gcs://, http://, and https:// inputs. Partitioning works with CSV and Parquet, while zstd compression is available for Parquet. DuckDB must be callable as duckdb, or the conversion command will fail.

After a successful run, it reports the source and destination formats and the output file size. It may also include a row count when that is quick to calculate. If parsing fails, it suggests checking the input or inspecting it with /duckdb-skills:read-file; a missing DuckDB command points to /duckdb-skills:install-duckdb.

What it helps with

  • convert CSV data to Parquet
  • export a table as Excel or JSON
  • write geospatial data as GeoJSON or Shapefile
  • partition CSV or Parquet output
  • compress a Parquet file with zstd

Example prompts for the agent

  • Convert sales.csv to Parquet and save it as sales.parquet.
  • Export places.geojson as places.gpkg.
  • Partition events.csv by year.

How to install convert-file

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill convert-file -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/convert-file/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/convert-file/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about convert-file

How do I install convert-file in Claude Code?

Run npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill convert-file -a claude-code. The skill file is placed at ~/.claude/skills/convert-file/SKILL.md.

What does convert-file do?

It uses DuckDB to read a data file and write it in the format specified by the output extension. It can also configure partitioning or compression for supported formats.

Which formats need DuckDB extensions?

XLSX conversion requires the excel extension. GeoJSON, GeoPackage, and Shapefile use spatial.

Source text

SKILL.md · MIT
---
name: convert-file
description: >
  Convert any data file to another format: CSV, Parquet, JSON, Excel, GeoJSON, and more.
  Use when the user says "convert to parquet", "save as xlsx", "export as JSON", "make this a CSV",
  "turn into parquet", or any variation of format-to-format conversion for data files.
  Also triggers when the user wants to write Parquet, Excel, or other binary formats that Claude cannot produce natively.
argument-hint: <input-file> [output-file]
allowed-tools: Bash
---

You are helping the user convert a data file from one format to another using DuckDB.

Input file: `$0`
Output file: `${1:-}`

## Step 1 — Resolve input and output

**Input**: `$0`. If it's a bare filename (no `/`), resolve to a full path with `find "$PWD" -name "$0" -not -path '*/.git/*' 2>/dev/null | head -1`.

**Output**: If `$1` is provided, use it as the output path. If not, default to the same stem as the input with a `.parquet` extension (e.g., `data.csv` → `data.parquet`).

Infer the output format from the output file extension:

| Extension | Format clause |
|---|---|
| `.parquet`, `.pq` | *(default, no clause needed)* |
| `.csv` | `(FORMAT csv, HEADER)` |
| `.tsv` | `(FORMAT csv, HEADER, DELIMITER '\t')` |
| `.json` | `(FORMAT json, ARRAY true)` |
| `.jsonl`, `.ndjson` | `(FORMAT json, ARRAY false)` |
| `.xlsx` | `(FORMAT xlsx)` — requires `INSTALL excel; LOAD excel;` |
| `.geojson` | `(FORMAT GDAL, DRIVER 'GeoJSON')` — requires `LOAD spatial;` |
| `.gpkg` | `(FORMAT GDAL, DRIVER 'GPKG')` — requires `LOAD spatial;` |
| `.shp` | `(FORMAT GDAL, DRIVER 'ESRI Shapefile')` — requires `LOAD spatial;` |

## Step 2 — Convert

Run a single DuckDB command. Prepend extension loads as needed based on both the input and output formats.

```bash
duckdb -c "
<EXTENSION_LOADS>
COPY (FROM '<INPUT_PATH>') TO '<OUTPUT_PATH>' <FORMAT_CLAUSE>;
"
```

For remote inputs (`s3://`, `https://`, etc.), prepend the same protocol setup as `read-file`:

| Protocol | Prepend |
|---|---|
| `s3://` | `LOAD httpfs; CREATE SECRET (TYPE S3, PROVIDER credential_chain);` |
| `gs://` / `gcs://` | `LOAD httpfs; CREATE SECRET (TYPE GCS, PROVIDER credential_chain);` |
| `https://` / `http://` | `LOAD httpfs;` |

**If the user mentions partitioning** (e.g., "partition by year"), add `PARTITION_BY (col)` to the format clause. This only works with Parquet and CSV output.

**If the user mentions compression** (e.g., "use zstd"), add `CODEC 'zstd'` for Parquet output.

## Step 3 — Report

On success, report:
- Input file and detected format
- Output file, format, and size (`ls -lh`)
- Row count if quick to compute

On failure:
- **`duckdb: command not found`** → delegate to `/duckdb-skills:install-duckdb`
- **Missing extension** → install it and retry
- **Input parse error** → suggest the user check the input format or try `/duckdb-skills:read-file` first to inspect it

© duckdb · MIT · duckdb/duckdb-skills

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