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Answer chart-PDF questions with calculated evidence
Provide chart PDFs to Claude for visual interpretation and use a calculator tool to verify key numbers before answering.
Goal
Answer a question about a complex chart with units, page reference, and uncertainty notes.
Steps
- Export or select a chart PDF containing only authorized information and check current PDF page limits. [src10-anthropic-answer-chart-questions-with-calculated-evidence]
- Submit the question as a Messages API document block; request axes, series, and legend before trends or values. [src10-anthropic-answer-chart-questions-with-calculated-evidence]
- Use a calculator tool for growth rates, sums, or differences; cite page and units and state visual-reading uncertainty. [src10-anthropic-answer-chart-questions-with-calculated-evidence]
How to verify
Check values against axes/legend and source PDF page, and independently recompute the model’s arithmetic.
Troubleshooting
For dense charts, crop a single chart or request point-by-point description; if arithmetic differs, preserve readings and recompute rather than accept a fluent mismatch.
Permissions
Prerequisites
- Anthropic API access, a model/version supporting PDF input, and a chart PDF within service limits.
Permissions
- PDF pages and questions are sent to Anthropic API and incur charges; remove personal/confidential content first.
Limitations
Visual readings can still be wrong; charts do not replace source data, and PDF support varies by model and beta status.
Pinned upstream source
- Repository
- anthropics/anthropic-cookbook
- File path
- multimodal/reading_charts_graphs_powerpoints.ipynb
- Pinned commit
9c1e493ddd2b82df399d2a61b9c806c539e18be6- Source checked
- 2026-10-14 · Reviewed against the pinned upstream source
Repository metrics
These values describe the upstream repository, not popularity or likes for an individual skill or playbook.
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License: MIT
Main topic
Turn ecommerce campaign materials into a reviewable weekly brief