> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.reducto.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Edit Pipeline
> Fill forms and modify documents with natural language instructions in Reducto Studio
Edit fills PDF forms and modifies documents using natural language instructions. You describe what values should go where, and Edit handles field detection, mapping, and insertion automatically.
While [Parse](/parse/overview) reads documents and [Extract](/extract/overview) pulls specific data out, Edit writes data back in. This completes the document processing loop: parse a document to understand it, extract data from one source, edit that data into a different form.
## Start with a document
Upload a blank form template to your Edit pipeline. Edit works with:
* **PDFs** with fillable fields (text boxes, checkboxes, dropdowns)
* **PDFs** without form fields (Edit uses vision to detect fillable areas)
* **DOCX** documents with form controls or table cells
The Configurations tab shows two sections: **Form** **Instructions** for describing what to fill, and **Results** for the optional form schema.
## Write your instructions
The Instructions panel is where you describe what data to fill. Be specific about values and which fields they belong to:
```text theme={null}
Fill this W-9 form with:
- Name: Acme Corporation
- Business name: Acme Corp LLC
- Tax classification: LLC (check the checkbox)
- Address: 123 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
- TIN: 12-3456789
```
**Writing effective instructions:**
Be as specific as possible:
* **Use the exact labels from the form.** "Applicant First Name" instead of "Name."
* **Specify the section when available.** "Section 2: Personal Information → Phone Number."
* **Number inputs for multi-row or repeatable fields.** "First asset:", "Second asset:"
* **Include formatting hints.** If a field requires a specific format, state it explicitly. Examples: `Phone: (555) 123-4567`, `Date: MM/DD/YYYY`
* **Be explicit about checkboxes.** Say "Check the 'US Citizen' checkbox" rather than "US Citizen: Yes"—the LLM needs to understand you mean check a box, not fill text.
* **(Optional) Match the form's field order.** Present instructions in the same sequence as the form.
## Form Schema (recommended)
The Results section shows an optional **Form Schema** panel. This is for repeatable form filling.
When you run Edit without a form schema, it detects all fillable fields automatically and returns the detected form schema in the response. You can then import that form schema for subsequent runs—this skips detection, making fills faster and more consistent.
**How to use it:**
1. Run Edit once without a form schema to detect the form schema fields
2. Form schema will appear in Configurations under Results
3. Edit, duplicate, or delete existing fields. Add missing fields.
4. Now, even when Edit instructions are updated, the form schema will be used in the pipeline moving forward
This is useful when you're filling the same form template repeatedly with different data.
## Run and view results
Click **Run** to execute the edit. Edit:
1. Detects form fields (or uses your form schema if provided)
2. Analyzes context around each field (labels, surrounding text)
3. Maps your instructions to fields
4. Fills values and returns the edited document
The Results tab shows a before/after comparison:
On the left, the original blank form. On the right, the filled result. Review each field for accuracy before deploying.
The toolbar provides:
* **Download** — Save the filled document
* **Copy URL** — Get a link to the filled document
## Troubleshooting
Several things can cause unfilled fields:
* **Instructions didn't match**: The LLM couldn't map your instructions to that field. Use terms that appear on the form itself.
* **Dropdown mismatch**: The value must exactly match an available option ("CA" vs "California")
* **Detection missed it**: Use Form Schema to explicitly define field locations
Try being more specific in your instructions, or provide a form schema for consistent results.
PDF form fields have fixed sizes. When your content exceeds the field capacity, it gets truncated.
**Solutions:**
* Enable overflow pages in the API (`enable_overflow_pages: true`) to create appendix pages for long text
* Abbreviate values in your instructions if the form expects short values
Be explicit about checkbox actions. Instead of "US Citizen: Yes", say "Check the 'US Citizen' checkbox". The LLM needs to understand you mean check a box, not type the word "Yes" into a text field.
When fields have similar labels, the LLM may map incorrectly.
**Solutions:**
* Be more specific: "Applicant First Name: John" rather than "Name: John"
* Reference position: "The name field in the top-left of page 1"
* Use Form Schema to define exactly which field is which using coordinates
The PDF has no widgets and vision couldn't detect fillable areas. This happens with:
* Scanned images without clear form structure
* Fields that blend into the background
* Documents that aren't actually fillable forms
**Solution:** Provide a Form Schema defining field locations manually. See [Form Schema](/configs/edit/form-schema).
***
## Related
API reference with all parameters and options.
Pre-define field locations for faster, more consistent filling.