pdf

PDF Review Notes

Add review comments to PDF text or regions, track resolution status, and export Markdown, CSV, or standalone HTML reports locally.

View on GitHub

Local processing

About your filesFiles and content selected in this tool are processed in your browser and are not uploaded to a Browser Kitty backend.

Operation demo See the basic workflow in a short video.

About this tool

PDF Review Notes lets you attach review comments to PDF text or visual regions and organize feedback in one list. Drag to select text for a text review, or draw a rectangle over diagrams, images, and scanned pages. Five review types—Correction, Question, Check, Good, and Note—can be combined with Open / Resolved status tracking.

The selected PDF and review content are processed in the browser and are not uploaded to Browser Kitty. Work is autosaved on the device per PDF so it can be resumed later, and review results can be exported as Markdown, CSV, or a standalone HTML report. The HTML report can optionally include the source PDF for review in another environment.

Good for

Select PDF text and leave correction requests or questions tied to the original location
Draw a review region over diagrams or scanned pages so feedback retains its position
Track open and resolved feedback across a long PDF and resume the review later
Save review notes as Markdown, CSV, or a standalone HTML report for sharing or archiving

What it can do

Key capabilities available in this tool.

Review selected PDF text or rectangular regions, including diagrams and scanned-image pages
Use five review types—Correction, Question, Check, Good, and Note—and track Open / Resolved status
Autosave review work per PDF on the device and resume when the same PDF is opened again
Export review results locally as Markdown, CSV, or a standalone HTML report

How to use

Open the tool and choose the PDF you want to review.
For text feedback, drag across PDF text. For diagrams or image-based pages, draw a rectangular review region.
Choose Correction, Question, Check, Good, or Note, enter a comment, and add the review.
Select an item in Review Notes to return to its page and location. Edit the comment or switch between Open and Resolved as needed.
Filter by status or review type and sort by page or creation order while checking the document.
Optionally export a work-data JSON backup. Normal review state is autosaved on the device per PDF.
When finished, save the review as Markdown, CSV, or a standalone HTML report. The HTML report can optionally include the source PDF.

Supported

Input: one PDF file up to 250 MiB, with a processing-load warning above 100 MiB.
Reviews: selected PDF text or rectangular regions, with five types: Correction, Question, Check, Good, and Note.
Status management: mark each review Open or Resolved, filter by status/type, and sort by page or creation order.
Persistence: autosave review state per PDF in IndexedDB, with review-work JSON export/import for backup.
Output: Markdown, UTF-8 BOM CSV, and standalone HTML reports. HTML reports include the source PDF by default, with an option to omit it.
Runtime networking: PDF.js and its worker are embedded in the standalone HTML with connect-src 'none'; PDFs, comments, and analysis results are not sent to an app server.

Limitations and notes

Password-protected PDFs are not supported.
Image-only scanned PDFs do not provide selectable text, but rectangular region reviews can still be added. This is not an OCR feature.
PDFs that require special non-embedded CMaps, standard-font assets, ICC resources, or codec assets may have rendering limitations; the app does not fall back to the network.
Large PDFs or high zoom levels can use substantial browser memory and take longer to render or export.
If an HTML report includes the source PDF or captured review-region images, recipients of the report can view that content. Review the included data before sharing.

Frequently asked questions

Are PDFs or review comments sent to a server?

No. The GitHub Pages version downloads the app HTML initially, but PDF rendering, review creation, autosave, and report generation run in the browser without uploading the PDF or comments to an app server.

Can I review scanned PDFs or diagrams?

Yes. Rectangular reviews can target areas even when the page has no selectable text. The tool does not perform OCR.

Can I resume an unfinished review later?

Yes. The PDF is identified with SHA-256 and review state is autosaved in this browser's IndexedDB. Opening the same PDF can restore the saved work.

Can someone view the HTML report without PDF Review Notes?

Yes. The report is saved as a standalone HTML file and does not require the PDF Review Notes app. If the source PDF is included, the report can display it and navigate to review locations.

Offline version and source code

Save the standalone HTML to render PDFs, add text or region reviews, manage review status, autosave work, and generate Markdown / CSV / HTML reports without runtime external connections. PDF.js and its worker are embedded, and file:// use does not depend on an external worker URL.

View source on GitHub