Documentation

Local: CLI and desktop app

Nothing leaves your machine. No account, no network, no AI.

pip install tablewise
tablewise report.pdf                    # -> ~/md-repo/report.md
tablewise budget.xlsx -o ./md-repo      # choose the output folder
tablewise contract.docx -n "Contract"   # choose the output name
tablewise scan.pdf --dry-run            # print the engine command only
tablewise report.pdf --force            # overwrite an existing .md

Exit codes: 0 ok, 1 the engine produced no file, 2 invalid input. The desktop app is python tablewise_app.py.

Hosted API

Base URL: https://api.tablewise.dev. Every request needs Authorization: Bearer $TABLEWISE_API_KEY.

Get a key

curl -X POST https://api.tablewise.dev/v1/signup \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email":"you@company.com"}'

The key is returned once. Free plan: 50 units a month.

Convert a document

curl -X POST https://api.tablewise.dev/v1/convert \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TABLEWISE_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@budget.xlsx" \
  -F "mode=fidelity"

mode is fidelity (default, own engines) or fast (MarkItDown). Response:

{
  "markdown": "---\nsource: \"budget.xlsx\"\nengine: \"excel\"\nconverted: 2026-10-22\n---\n\n...",
  "engine": "excel",
  "units": 1,
  "usage": {"units_used": 1, "units_limit": 50, "period": "2026-10"}
}

Python

import os
import requests

r = requests.post(
    "https://api.tablewise.dev/v1/convert",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['TABLEWISE_API_KEY']}"},
    files={"file": ("budget.xlsx", open("budget.xlsx", "rb"))},
    data={"mode": "fidelity"},
    timeout=120,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("budget.md", "w").write(r.json()["markdown"])

Node

const fs = require("fs");
const form = new FormData();
form.append("file", new Blob([fs.readFileSync("budget.xlsx")]), "budget.xlsx");
form.append("mode", "fidelity");

const res = await fetch("https://api.tablewise.dev/v1/convert", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.TABLEWISE_API_KEY}` },
  body: form,
});
const data = await res.json();
fs.writeFileSync("budget.md", data.markdown);

Usage and quota

curl https://api.tablewise.dev/v1/me \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TABLEWISE_API_KEY"

{"email":"you@company.com","plan":"free","period":"2026-10",
 "units_used":12,"units_limit":50,"units_left":38,"resets_at":"2026-11-01T00:00:00+00:00"}

Batch (Pro and Business)

curl -X POST https://api.tablewise.dev/v1/batch \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TABLEWISE_API_KEY" \
  -F "files=@jan.xlsx" -F "files=@feb.xlsx" -F "files=@mar.xlsx"

Up to 100 files per call. Each one is charged independently: a bad file returns its own error and refunds its units, the rest still convert.

{"results": [
  {"filename": "jan.xlsx", "markdown": "...", "engine": "excel", "units": 1},
  {"filename": "feb.xlsx", "error": {"code": "unsupported_type", "message": "..."}}
], "usage": {"units_used": 12, "units_limit": 5000, "period": "2026-10"}}

Upgrade

curl -X POST https://api.tablewise.dev/v1/billing/checkout \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TABLEWISE_API_KEY"

Returns {"checkout_url": "https://checkout.stripe.com/..."}. The new plan is active as soon as Stripe confirms the payment.

Manage or cancel your subscription

curl -X POST https://api.tablewise.dev/v1/billing/portal \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TABLEWISE_API_KEY"

Returns a Stripe-hosted page where the customer updates the card or cancels. Cancelling downgrades the key to the free plan when the paid period ends.

Errors

Supported formats

• Excel .xlsx .xlsm .xltx .xltm .xls — own engine, merged cells and sheet structure.
• PDF, Word, PowerPoint .pdf .docx .pptx — Docling, table reconstruction.
• Legacy Office .doc .rtf .odt .ppt .xls — pre-converted with the system tools.
• Everything else .csv .html .epub .msg .eml .json .xml .txt .md — MarkItDown.

The provenance header

Every output starts with exactly three keys. source is the file name only, never the path: a path leaks folder structure and adds nothing to a retrieval system.

---
source: "2026-budget.xlsx"
engine: "excel"
converted: 2026-10-22
---

Stable, parseable, and cheap to filter: engine = excel is the set of files whose tables you can trust most.

Limits

• 25 MB and 2,000 units per request.
• Conversions run in a subprocess with a timeout; failures refund units.
• Requests per minute are rate-limited per key (60 by default).
• Documents are deleted after the response. No content is logged.