Practical overview
When it fits
Use Chatwithpdf when you want to query information across uploaded PDFs through conversational questions, or when you want to set up its documented local RAG workflow.
Who it is for
- People who need to ask questions about information in one or more PDF documents.
- Developers seeking a documented Python and Streamlit example of retrieval-augmented PDF question answering.
Documented uses
- Upload PDF files and process their text for retrieval.
- Ask questions about the documents and receive conversational responses based on retrieved content.
- Run the documented application locally with an Anthropic API key.
Requirements & limits
The repository is public and MIT-licensed. Local use requires an Anthropic API key. The repository also lists a hosted Streamlit homepage.
- The local workflow depends on an Anthropic API key and the project's Python dependencies.
- The documented stack is Streamlit, PyPDF2, LangChain, FAISS, and Anthropic Claude 3 Sonnet.
- The README describes retrieval and conversational answers but does not specify document-size limits or citation behavior.
Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.
Set up Chatwithpdf locally
Prepare the documented local Streamlit application to accept PDF questions.
Before you start
- Python and the repository's listed dependencies
- An Anthropic API key set as ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
- A .env file containing environment variables
Steps
Clone the ChatwithPDF repository.
Install dependencies with pip install -r requirements.txt.
Set the Anthropic API key in the environment and create a .env file containing the environment variables.
Start the app with streamlit run multipdfragapp.py.
Expected outcome
The local Streamlit application is started and ready for the documented PDF question-answering workflow.
Guide limitations
- The setup requires an Anthropic API key.
- The README does not specify document-size limits or answer citation behavior.
Ask questions about uploaded PDFs
Process PDF files and submit a question about their contents.
Before you start
- Access to the running Chatwithpdf application
- One or more PDF files containing the information to query
Steps
Upload the PDF files.
Select “Submit & Process” to process them.
Enter a question related to the uploaded documents.
Expected outcome
The application returns a conversational response using retrieved document content.
Guide limitations
- The README does not specify document-size limits or explain whether responses include citations.
Sources & review
Source record details
- Source availability
- Active
- Sources checked
- 17 October 2026
- Original website title
- sagnik-datta-02/ChatwithPDF · Official homepage title · retained in its source language

