Document Metadata

Document metadata captures information stored inside the original file, separate from its visible text. Examples include PDF XMP, Office author and revision properties, workbook sheet visibility, and camera EXIF. Pulse reads this information before conversion, rendering, or OCR so those processing steps cannot erase it.

Enable Document Metadata

The extension is a single boolean:

Python SDK

from pulse import Pulse
from pulse.types import ExtractRequestExtensions

client = Pulse(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")

response = client.extract(
    file_url="https://example.com/report.pdf",
    extensions=ExtractRequestExtensions(
        document_metadata=True,
    ),
)

metadata = response.extensions.document_metadata
print(metadata.file.name)
print(metadata.properties.title)
print(metadata.structure.page_count)

false or omission disables metadata extraction. There are no nested selectors. When enabled, Pulse returns the maximum safely recoverable metadata for the detected format.

Response Shape

Metadata is returned under extensions.document_metadata:

{
  "extensions": {
    "document_metadata": {
      "file": {
        "name": "pulse-complex-metadata-10-page.pdf",
        "extension": ".pdf",
        "media_type": "application/pdf",
        "size_bytes": 32506,
        "sha256": "4c306b9246c699682f40e3a9b10066f2d49c7f86c4d326fdb2e195d50ff3e655"
      },
      "properties": {
        "title": "Pulse Complex Metadata Validation Report",
        "authors": [
          "Ritvik Pandey",
          "Pulse Document Intelligence"
        ],
        "subject": "Deterministic extraction of native document metadata",
        "keywords": ["metadata", "xmp", "pdf", "pulse", "validation"],
        "created_at": "2026-01-15T09:30:00-08:00",
        "modified_at": "2026-07-30T14:45:30-07:00",
        "application": "Pulse Metadata Fixture Generator 1.0",
        "producer": "Pulse PDF Assembly Engine"
      },
      "custom": {
        "PulseCaseId": "PULSE-META-10P-2026",
        "Classification": "confidential-test",
        "RetentionYears": "7"
      },
      "structure": {
        "page_count": 10,
        "page_labels": ["i", "ii", "R-1", "R-2", "R-3", "R-4", "R-5", "R-6", "R-7", "R-8"],
        "outline_count": 10,
        "attachment_count": 1,
        "annotation_count": 5,
        "form_field_count": 3
      },
      "format_specific": {
        "pdf_version": "1.7",
        "encrypted": false,
        "tagged": false
      },
      "warnings": []
    }
  }
}

Only enabled extensions are included in response.extensions. Within the metadata result, absent fields are omitted rather than returned as null.

Format Behavior

Input	Native metadata	Deterministic structure
PDF	Info dictionary, XMP, custom fields	Pages, labels, sizes, outlines, forms, annotations, attachments
DOCX	Core, application, and custom properties	Declared pages, paragraphs, tables, sections, media
XLSX/XLSM	Core and custom properties	Sheets, visibility, active sheet, workbook type
PPTX	Core properties	Slides, notes, media
JPEG/PNG/TIFF/WebP	Common EXIF or text metadata	Dimensions, DPI, frame count
HTML	Title, standard meta tags, OpenGraph	Language and canonical URL
CSV	No standard embedded property store	Encoding, row count, column count

Operational Notes

Metadata is evidence supplied by the file, not independently verified truth.
Read metadata from original bytes before DOCX-to-PDF, spreadsheet, or image conversion.
Metadata parsing failures are non-fatal. Check warnings when a source has malformed or unsupported metadata.
Original images may contain sensitive capture timestamps and precise GPS coordinates.
Detailed lists are bounded to keep extraction results and queued jobs a safe size. Pulse adds a warning when metadata must be reduced.
PDFs can declare conflicting Info and XMP values. Pulse normalizes supported XMP author and keyword fields and retains the native XMP values in format_specific for audit.

Extract API

View the complete request and response contract.

Processing Parameters

Compare metadata with other optional Extract settings.

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Enable Document Metadata

Response Shape

Format Behavior

Operational Notes

Extract API

Processing Parameters

​Enable Document Metadata

​Response Shape

​Format Behavior

​Operational Notes

Extract API

Processing Parameters

Enable Document Metadata

Response Shape

Format Behavior

Operational Notes